Rear windshield wiper arm not touching window
 

Anyone have this issue? I've replaced the wiper blade. I've bent the wiper arm toward the window. All with minimal to no effect on having the wiper blade actually swipe across the surface of the rear windshield.

I'm wondering if the spring inside the arm could be replaced/strengthened, but, I don't see it listed separately on RealOEM.

Thoughts? Thank you.

Jay

Is the wiper blade solidly attached or is it a bit floppy? The plastic frame which holds it to the trunk door often cracks. Try pulling the inside plastic off and checking the integrity of the wiper blade motor and frame.

my rear wiper is useless, just smearing the dirty mess
 

I have the same problem, after replacing blade and arm with new items, then bending the arm as well. The spring actually feels stronger than the original. I've also tried blocking the blade from entering the recessed notch on the arm itself, with no better results.
Attachment 81602

There seems to be no play in the mounting; It seems solid to me, when lifting the arm & blade clear, and trying to move the motor thru the glass...no wiggle.

The only other vehicle I've owned with a rear wiper is my HHR Panel...it has no problem with wiping, as the arm has plenty of tension.

I think usually the arm pivot is sticky but could also be that the plastic holding the wiper arm bushing (inside the wiper motor assembly) has broken or cracked.

Consider taking this opportunity to "upgrade" the wiper to the E70 X5. It works and fits perfectly on the E53 X5- plug and play - and gives your X5 a modern look. Get rid of that ancient looking noisy wiper :D.

Rear windshield wiper arm not touching window
 

That's the route I took. Didn't love that it missed the top inch of window butt it was ok trade off.

Of course then I replaced my entire car with e70.

The rivet that the arm pivots on gets corroded and binds and overpowers the spring. I used PB blaster to get rid of the corrosion then re-oiled well and solved the problem. You need to wash rinse and repeat occasionally.

Rear windshield wiper arm not touching window
 

This is true but even when I got my rivet cleaned and oiled it still never pulled tight. E70 arm fixed it

Coincidentally so did "entire e70"

That's right. I find the E70 wiper quiet and effective. It's light in weight, mostly plastic with no weighty metal parts. I recall the E53 one being noisy as a result of all the metal parts in it, and it sounded like someone wiping the windscreen with a closed umbrella.

@ahlem is correct.

Just oil the pivot point once a month in the winter.

a pool noodle would wipe the glass better
 

That describes my new rear wiper exactly. I thought it might've just been the aftermarket arm at fault, but it seems it may be a problem common to the BMW wiper design itself.

I've oiled it, bent the arm slightly, pried the base flaps apart slightly, and tried a spacer to force the blade towards the glass. Nothing works.

I'm considering trying an old wiper arm and blade from one of my GM vehicles (I should have a spare or two in the garage), just to see if it'll work. A Franken-wiper. Or just try the E-70 solution, whichever comes first.

You can add a prop to pull the spring down towards the glass. I used a 1/8" thick brass bar or a piece of chopstick but it didn't work as well as e70 replacement. $20 with blade.


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I have the same issue,replaced the rear wiper and arm, with e53 exact replacement still does the same thing,now going to try the e70 wiper with arm, an see what happens.

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Go all the way and do the front wipers too.

https://xoutpost.com/1157321-post56.html

Are the front wipers arms plug and play too? Or is there modifications you should do?Sent from my SM-G781W using Xoutpost.com mobile app

+1 on this. I was having a partial contact problem awhile back. Cleaned and lubed the joints and function returned to normal.

Thanks all. I bought a new E70 arm/blade and looking forward to installing. May consider fronts too!!! Thanks again.

I wouldn't bother with the front arms. More important to get good blades.

If you live where it snows, get "internal beam" blades.

I've been getting premium trico blades and they are amazing until they fail and self destruct in minutes. For ¹/₃ the price now I've been using the rain-x beam blades and they have been great.

Bought a new to me e70 a couple weeks ago and just bought three blades last night including rear snap in direct fit for about $35

Thank you

The fronts "upgrade" to E70 is mainly for modern looks but also allows you to change the blades without having to make sure the wipers are in center position as is required with the E53 ones. The front E70 wiper (I think driver side) requires shortening a little bit - a body shop did it for me for free since it's a 10 minute job to shorten it. They look modern and I've never heard them squark like the E53 ones used to when the wiper inserts get old - they're always quiet and smooth. So performance wise they're superior to E53 ones.

Shortening the arm is no big deal for me as I have a welder and used to do work. So both arms flip up when parked?That would be awsome for me when clearing the windshield of snow. Sent from my SM-G781W using Xoutpost.com mobile app

Yep, just as shown in the pic. Had mine done at a Maaco body shop. He took like 10 minutes - no welding, just opening up the joint with a special tool, cut the arm to length, then compress back the joint. It was a very clean job.

Even better,nice clean job too.Sent from my SM-G781W using Xoutpost.com mobile app

I just installed my new E70 rear arm/wiper blade ,it works perfect.Sent from my SM-G781W using Xoutpost.com mobile app

I on the other hand bought a new (not OEM) E53 wiper arm and I'm having the same issue :( I still have the old arm in the trunk. Paint coming off + some surface rust were the reasons I decided to replace it.
Call me crazy but I actually think the E53 wiper arm suits the E53 better. It's an old, mean, bulky barge, no place for subtleties :)

I also bought a new E53 wiper arm last spring worked good for about a month, so that's why I decided to go with the E70 wiper arm,it's plastic and has no metal rivets to rust.Honestly I don't mind the look of it on the X5 E53. Just my opinion. I think I know why you like the E53 arm better though.Sent from my SM-G781W using Xoutpost.com mobile app

I found a possible solution in one of the older threads on the subject! It could be that I didnt install it correctly.
"Install the arm by inserting into the screw with the tip of the arm aiming at the ground. This allows a very good fit of the entire arm to the base of the motor and eventually flush with the surface of the glass.

While holding the arm down with some force, gently bring the tip of the arm to the edge of the rear glass, making the arm and the wiper blade as horizontal as you can to the edge of the glass.

Now tighten the 13mm nut holding the arm to the base and put back the cover.

Doing both the spring lube and the arm re-position brought my wiper back to 100% functionality!"

Will try this out when I get my engine repaired!

Keep us updated on this and let us know how it works out. Thank you for the info
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I got tired of cleaning and oiling the pivot point every 6 months or so even after oem arm replacement and eventually gambled on this one from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

It's not perfect (sometimes leaves an inch at the top), but the price is right, includes the blade, it does the job, and it's lasted nearly 2 years. When the issue comes up a again, I'll buy it again.

it's always something
 

I installed two rear wipers on my X5, almost two years ago; one was an E53-style, and the other was an E70- style. The E53-style wasn't working any better than the original, bent wiper, which X5only said "sounded like someone wiping the windscreen with a closed umbrella", https://xoutpost.com/1216423-post11.html, so I bought an E70-style wiper (also not OEM) a month later. It worked a bit better, as it was quieter, and skipped less.

Fast forward to yesterday, 9-25-24: I had just returned home from getting my '04 Chevy 2500HD inspected/tagged for the year. It hadn't been driven for 6 months, starts slow everytime now (battery is 7.5 y.o., but checks out OK), and set a TPS code & CEL the day before (making me have to do a "drive cycle" to reset the emissions monitors)...it's always something...and I looked over at my X5, and saw this
Attachment 84469 one of my semi-feral yard cats must've slid down the back windshield glass, and bent it (more than once); I attempted a temporary repair a week prior

When I installed this E70-style wiper arm in Nov'22, it wasn't a tight fit, and I had to use epoxy to secure it in place. It sagged a bit, overnight, before it dried, and pointed down at an 8 o'clock angle, but it worked. Until lately. The wiper's rubber blade was heat-cooked, and skittered across the glass, so I was going to replace it before the X5's inspection in October.

I still have the E53-style wiper arm (used only one month) in my parts storage; I'm going to try it again (if I can pry the other wiper arm off), because I also think the old-style arm better suits the looks of my aged vehicle. I'm ordering a wiper arm puller to assist in removing the bent arm.
Attachment 84470


I really don't need a rear wiper anyway, so the original style arm will probably get used once or twice a year (if I drive, if it rains). I can always get out, and use my long-handled squeegee to clean the glass, if need be.

I've removed the rear wiper all together and replaced the hole with matching glass patch for the purpose. The wiper was more trouble than use gathering snow and ice.

wondering why they put the wiper there at all
 

Snow and ice aren't a problem for me; since I retired, I have absolutely no reason to drive, during the up to one week of ice on the roads in DFW Texas (snow never sticks around for more than three days). If the semi-feral cats bend/break the E53-style arm I just re-installed (didn't need a puller), I'll consider removing it , altogether. Or simply buy another $20 arm from Amazon, again (just for looks).
Attachment 84471 missing the black cap that covers the 13mm nut (so I painted it)


ADDED, 10-6-24
Attachment 84484 looks better now, with a snap-in cap from Amazon (may need to glue it...I have spares)

I put a spacer under the spring to add force. That worked for a good while. Use something that won't rust.


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