Windshield Wiper Chatter

[RVhiker]

What makes new windshield wiper blades chatter on a clean windshield?

[Grit_dog]

Wadcutter wrote:
Rain-X makes wipers. Walmart and similar places carry them. Best wipers I've used. I've swapped them out in all my vehicles. The wipe really well and no chatter. They're not expensive either. Priced a couple of dollars more than the cheap off brand makes and lower price than most brands.

Good to know, but I’ve seemed to have the opposite experience lately. Keeping wipers on 4 vehicles here in the rainy state, I’ve run a few sets of Rain X (marketing, likely made by someone else) because they’re cheaper and they don’t seem to last as long as others.
Had a set on the Didge truck that sits in the garage 350 Days a year. Truck couldn’t have had more than 3-4K miles since wipers replaced last winter. This past fall, got into rain and they were toast already. Was on a road trip and literally had to stop and get new wipers. They may as well have been 2 pieces of cardboard!
JME, but wipers are wipers. Now if you could actually still replace the wiper blades for $5 a pop instead of buying the whole assembly.......

[D_E_Bishop]

I live in CA and not TX so my experience is from here. Wipers, even new ones will take a set in our hot sun. When they do take a set it does take time for them to start flexing again. Dry glass as mentioned really does cause the blades to chatter but is inevitable.

The chatter should go away after a few minutes of use, if not an adjustment of the arm to put the wiper blade in a position that allows the rubber to flex and move from side to side as the blades go back and forth across the windshield.

In my opinion the wiper systems are the most archaic system in a vehicle. Not easy to develop and completely new system.

[Wadcutter]

Rain-X makes wipers. Walmart and similar places carry them. Best wipers I've used. I've swapped them out in all my vehicles. The wipe really well and no chatter. They're not expensive either. Priced a couple of dollars more than the cheap off brand makes and lower price than most brands.

[gmw_photos]

I use something of a little of all the above. I apply old fashioned rain-x to all the glass regularly. Use rain-x windshield washer fluid in the tank. And I keep a spray bottle of rain-x WW fluid in the tool box of the truck. I like to start each day out with a clean windshield, so I use the spray bottle and a old terry towel to clean the windshield before hitting the road for the day.
Been using rain-x since the 70's.

[campigloo]

A little off topic, but I’ve started using windshield washer fluid with rain-x in it. It works. I haven’t hand applied rain-x for three years and water beads right off.

[Grit_dog]

Move up here where they wipe rain and not sunshine off the windshield!
And get some new wiper blades.

[Vintage465]

If you clean the new wiper blades and armor-all them and let it soak in then wipe it off you will likely eliminate chatter. It will smear just bit for a little while. If you do this in addition to the Rain-X on the wind shield the rain will literally fly off the glass and be real quiet about it.

[SweetLou]

garyemunson wrote:
Be sure the window and windshield is really clean. I've had good luck cleaning both the glass and the blades with a little ammonia mixed in with some water.

Add 3-4 drops of Dawn to the mix. It will do a better job

[p220sigman]

The other possibility is that the springs in the wiper arms are weakening and not keep proper tension on the blade. Not even sure how you would check that, but we had a wiper that did that on one of our vehicles and by chance (meaning a limb managed to fall and hit right on the wiper arm bending it badly), had to replace the wiper arm and the problem went away. If all else fails, you might look at them.

[TurnThePage]

VERY politically correct answer! I think you got us all! 🙂

[RVhiker]

Thanks for all the ideas; although the windshield looks clean (and was recently washed thoroughly) it's a real possibility about the tiny drops of tree sap. I've got some Rain-X to try, too. The arms look like they are oriented properly to the glass, and if all else fails I'll tweak them a bit.

Thanks.

[TurnThePage]

I think you should revisit the Rain-X thing. If you take the time and elbow grease to put the "original" version on your windshield, you rarely even have to use your wipers. When you do, they are smooth as silk. At least that's my experience. I've been carpooling with another person for about 8 years now. I use Rain-X, they don't. Night and day difference. I'm sure there are similar products that work just as well too.

Rain-X Original

[amxpress]

To carry the clean windshield theory a step farther, I’ve had vehicles with pine sap which did not come clean with ammonia mixture. It was difficult to see, but if you ran your fingertips across the glass, it felt like very fine sand paper. Ended using a Mr Clean magic sponge to make it smooth again. Stopped the wiper blade noise, too.

[garyemunson]

Be sure the window and windshield is really clean. I've had good luck cleaning both the glass and the blades with a little ammonia mixed in with some water.