Replace Motorhome Wiper Blades

[Steve CDN]

Do wipers on the motorhome have to be replaced when they lose their wiping ability or can only the rubber be replaced?  Is it false economy to do so and is there a choice in quality of wiper blade rubber?

Should wipers be covered when parked for extended periods and is it a good idea to place a tennis ball under the wiper to keep it off the windshield?

 

[Ron]

You can replace just the rubber portion of the blade or the complete blade.  I find that Wal-Mart carries blade replacement rubbers by Pylon that work very well.  They are available in various lengths up to 28 inches.  You just cut off the excess.  I have purchased Blades by Trico but NEVER again.  Lasted less than a week.

We only cover the wipers when parked long enough that we install the windshield covers.

 

[Steve CDN]

What about the so-called teflon wiper blades...any success reports?

 

[BernieD]

What about the so-called teflon wiper blades...any success reports?

I don't know if the problems are AZ desert related or not but I would not buy them again. I currently have them on my XTerra and whenever I use them, the 1st half dozen wipes are useless. My dealer keeps telling me whenever they do their 27 point inspection that the wipers are worn, when it just that they have to be warmed up. ;D

 

[Steve CDN]

It seems the sun degrades the rubber in the wiper blade.  Is there an effective cleaning and protective agent that can be used that will not obstruct vision?

 

[John From Detroit]

Wiper blades are one thing that are more or less the same (Save for size) no matter what you drive, so what works on a Mini-Cooper works on a 40' class A DP (Ok, so the Mini's wipers would not FIT on the class A but cleaning, replacing, what to replace, and the like, are the same)

There are several products on the market that promise to restore your wiper blades to "like new" condition  Various wipe ons, cleaners, and the like... So far the only thing I have found that actually makes them "like new" is... New blades (The rubber part)

Replacing the wiper blades on my towed.... I suspect it will be cheaper to replace them on the MH, (And you know... not that much different in size) Replacing the rubber is much cheaper

Ont thing to remember though is there are a few different failure modes

1: Rubber worn out, or dry cracked or otherwise failing (Replace rubber)  (Done this many times on assorted vehicles, not yet on my MH)

2: Blades (The springs which hold the rubber so it can conform to the windshield) have lost their springness and need to be replaced, (Replace blade)  (Done this a few times too, also on assorted rides not the MH

3: Arm, like blade, can also wear out (Replace arm)  Did this once, Mercury Rracer 10 years old

And that's just the easy stuff

 

[Jim Dick]

It seems the sun degrades the rubber in the wiper blade.  Is there an effective cleaning and protective agent that can be used that will not obstruct vision?

Steve,

303 is a great rubber protectant. I have used it on the rubber retainers on my safety cables with great success. I've been tempted to try it on the wipers but am afraid it might cause vision problems. Maybe somebody has done this already.

I need to replace mine before we hit the road again. Amazing they have lasted 5 1/2 years!!!

 

[Steve CDN]

Jim,

Mine are still the originals as well.  Is 303 the stuff Fantastic Fan recommends for the rubber gasket on their fans? I don't know if it contains silicone...maybe calll the company if they show an 800 number on their package.  Maybe somebody has had success pallying some king of protectant on wiper blades.

 

[Jim Dick]

Steve,

I just read the label. It does not give the ingredients and does not mention wiper blades though it lists many other uses including rubber products. Their web site is www.303-products.com.

 

[Jim Dick]

Steve,

I just did a quick check on the 303 web site. They have a "special" protectant for windshield wipers. It protects and prevents ice build up. Sure hope I never have that problem again!!! ;D

 

[carson]

Rejuvenating an old post:

  Haven't found anything in hints and tricks for the following:
  Preserving wiper blades during storage in the hot Sun.

I use the water pipe insulating tubing, the foam type. It comes in 6' lengths for 3/4" piping, it is preslit and is about 1' in o.d. Cut to length for your wipers and slip right over the blades.
They will last a long time, and so will the rubber on the wipers and its cheap.

  Another little trick I use for cleaning battery post corrosion is to use Borax instead of Baking Soda. Borax has a ph of 8 vs. BS 7.1. Borax is cheap and has many uses. Google it.

  An old problem: Tank sensor cleaning. I have a recipe for a safe"soup" and instructions which has worked very well for me. I'd be happy to share this 'secret' if anyone is interested. Maybe its old hat, but one bever knows.

carson FL

 

[John From Detroit]

One thing I'm told will help with the wipers is to get them OFF the windshield when it's hot out. As it happens I got some plastic doo dads for free to do the job (And they seem to work well) but a tennis ball works well too,(I think a properly placed golf ball would work) temps on the glass can and do get way over 200 degrees

 

[carson]

Hey, John,
Guess I shud've mentioned to fit the foam tubing foam-down against the windshield.
That way the blades are off the glass and also fully protected from UV rays.
carson

 

[Tom]

Thanks for the tips Carson, I'll get them added to the library.

We use covers for the wiper blades that were part of the set of windshield/window screens we bought. The covers slide over the blades and fasten with velcro. Could easily be made.

When we were camped in snow/ice, I used tennis balls to keep the wipers off the windshield; I was afraid that they'd freeze onto the glass and be damaged when I tried to remove them.

 

[Tom]

I have a recipe for a safe"soup" and instructions which has worked very well for me. I'd be happy to share this 'secret' if anyone is interested. Maybe its old hat, but one bever knows.

Please go ahead and post your secret recipe Carson. It won't be old hat to some of us.

TIA.

 

[Ian]

I once saw a suggestion to use the foam throw-away coffee cups placed under the arms. Just cut a small "V" in the cup so the blade and rubber doesn't actually touch the cup. I've not tried this and I think I should do something, at present we have 3 vehicles in our yard that are not running. One is a 70's car being restored on the One-Day Plan. another is waiting for the son-to-get-off-tail Plan and sell it for anything he can get for it. The other one is my car and it is waiting for enough money to re-register it. That is the one that really bothers me about the wipers.
I do like the idea of the covers. Might have to look into that.

 

[Jim Dick]

Another method to keep blades off the windshield is to place a couple of old tennis balls under the arms.

 

[Steve CDN]

Another method to keep blades off the windshield is to place a couple of old tennis balls under the arms.

Isn't there concern about weakening the springs that draw the wipers against the windshiled, by inserting something as thick as a tennis ball?

 

[Tom]

I wondered that too Steve, but I still used the tennis balls when we were in cold country.

 

[Ned]

Our wipers have some 1/8" holes in the base that will take a pop rivet and keep the blades clear of the windshield.  When we put on the sun screens, we have matching covers for the wipers.