Windshield wiper blade chatter

[Garak]

My supplier is out right now, so I'm getting antsy.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
When I had particularly bad issues with a set of Trico blades I emailed the company. The engineer that responded said that applying products like Rain-X would actually CAUSE chattering and degrade overall wiper performance. I stopped using the version that you apply and then buff off. All I use now is either the washer fluid additive or the actual Ran-X washer fluid. Seems like I get about the same effect without the chatter.



Bingo. I have said this for years but people thought I was full of it. Bosch paid for independent testing years ago and they kept finding that RainX made things worse (even unsafe).

 

[cutter]

Although I don't use RainX on the windshield, I do like it for the side windows and mirrors. The water beads and comes right off when you roll the windows down, rather than smear and blur.

 

[cchase]

I have not had issues with chattering on vehicles with Rain-X that do not chatter without it. Vehicles that chatter without it, seem to chatter worse with Rain-X.

Is the spring tension not also a consideration? I have brand new wipers and windshield on my truck and it chatters. The only variable I could point a finger at would be the age of the springs on the arms.

 

[antiqueshell]

Good observation about RainX.

I also notice the micro beading of water droplets when the wiper blade passes over the treated windshield. This REALLY bothers me and makes me feel that the visibility is reduced for a fraction of a second, but that can be a critical amount of time when driving in bad weather.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Good observation about RainX.

I also notice the micro beading of water droplets when the wiper blade passes over the treated windshield. This REALLY bothers me and makes me feel that the visibility is reduced for a fraction of a second, but that can be a critical amount of time when driving in bad weather.



The biggest problem is that all those little droplets act as lenses at night and can blind you.