aero wiper arm rivets - excessive play

S

stevebootes

Member
Hi All,

I have a fair amount of play in the bracket on the end of the aero wiper that's riveted onto the arm itself, causing it to droop and make contact with the screen when going over big bumps.
I've read lots of threads on here about the issue and people fashioning various rubber parts to protect the windscreen.

However, is there a fix for the excessive play itself? Has anyone had any success "tightening" the joint, perhaps using E-clip washers or something similar to take up the play?
Or is the fix just a new wiper arm? Was trying to avoid that expensive if at all possible.

Thanks
 
Erik Götherström said:
Took the arm of and then bent the end part to compensate for the wiggeling
Click to expand...

Do you mean bend the arm, or just the bracket that the blade attaches to? Still seems that the problem is with the play in the bracket rivets. This must be affecting the angle of the blade against the screen too which isn't going to help with juddering.
 
Mines got the same problem. I've tried bending the bracket that the 2 arms are riveted to but that probably just results in more play in the joints. It's all quite corroded too, so am resigned to getting a new one.

Mine's so bad it has scored a 6 inch arc in the windscreen. I'm expecting it to fail the MoT, and am thinking of 'arranging' for a stone to hit it so I can claim on the insurance for a new one. I still need to sort the wiper arm though. Apparently there's supposed to be a rubber bung that prevents contact with the screen, but mine must be long gone! some people on here have managed to fashion a replacement using silicon sealant, but I haven't tried it.
 
Barryt0 said:
Mines got the same problem. I've tried bending the bracket that the 2 arms are riveted to but that probably just results in more play in the joints. It's all quite corroded too, so am resigned to getting a new one.
Click to expand...

As Barry rightly says, the best option with the wear and tear decribed here is to buy a new wiper arm. Its about £70. Definite must if you do replace the screen. I did the blob of silicone repair and bent the two arms so the joint lifted off the screen, but it settles back into position again, and the silicone marks the screen; then when it eventually wears away, you get the tapping noise and potential scratching of the windscreen.

Be careful too if you do replace the screen. Some of the non OEM parts that the window fitters supply do not fit very well.
 
I've bitten the bullet and ordered a new aero wiper arm. I tried Stoke Audi who quoted £71.74 plus £12.60 P&P (£84.34 all in), but found a seller of genuine Audi parts on eBay to be cheaper; £68.50 inc P&P. The sellers eBay name is 'boustieltd' in case you're interested (I have no link to him). I'm also buying a rear wiper motor for my A3 as he was cheaper for that as well. The aero wiper arm part no is 8Z2 955 407C.

By the way, even with the heavily worn arm I've got, I get no judder. The blade is pretty new though, as the one on the car when I bought it must have been years old and didn't clear the screen effectively at all and has actually caused millions of hairline scratches on the screen which really show up after dark with oncoming headlights. I might post some pics when I get a minute; I can't believe the previous owner didn't change the wiper blade sooner; the car needs a new windscreen now!
 
Sounds great, that's a good price for the arm. I'll drop him a line I think.
By the way, not sure if something like this would clean up the scratches on your screen for you. Cheaper than a new screen at least, but you may need to use it with a machine polisher to get the full effect.

Thanks for the info.
 
I have successfully polished out even deep scratches from a windscreen. I used "selenium oxide" powder.(As recommended by Mike (Skipton) ) You can find the product on Ebay and the method on the Internet. So there is no need for a new screen!

David
 
Thanks David (and sorry to Steve for hijacking your post!),

I'm sure that either of the suggested polishes will do the job on the millions of tiny hairline scratches caused by the old wiper blade, but my screen also has a really big score line caused by the lower pivot point of the bracket where the 2 arms joint the blade being in contact with the screen for the last 6 inches before it reaches the park position (due to the rubber spacer being lost and excessive play in the pivot points). Over time this has literally scored an arc into the lower part of the screen that is 3mm wide and about 1.5mm deep.

I'm a little concerned that a decent sized pothole might cause it to crack at this weak point, hence me thinking a new screen is in order (from a pre-emptive safety & hassle point of view as well as a potential MoT failure).
 
By the way if you want to contact the guy I found on eBay his name is Pete Boustie and his email address is [email protected].

I would repeat that I have no affiliation with him, just want to share a potentially good contact with other members of the Club.
 
DJ 190 said:
I have successfully polished out even deep scratches from a windscreen. I used "selenium oxide" powder.(As recommended by Mike (Skipton) ) You can find the product on Ebay and the method on the Internet. So there is no need for a new screen!

David
Click to expand...

Hi David, can you confirm, `selenium oxide`, I`m having problems with confirming use and availability as I also have a few side window scratches which need sorting

Thanks
 
Resurrecting an old thread I know, but thought it may be useful for anyone with same problem. My wiper arm was really worn with lots of movement in the rivets, I had previously bent the end of the wiper arm to stop it banging on the bottom of the screen, but that put too much pressure on the aero blade and left an unwiped part just in your line of vision.

Today I fitted a tiny e-clip to the back of each of the rivets which has stopped the 'play' and pulled the bottom of the arm further away from the screen, which had meant I can bend back the wiper arm now and the wiper seems to be perfect. Not sure how permanent as the e-clips are really small and thin, but at a couple of quid for a bag full not too bothered for now even if I have to replace every few months, only takes a few seconds.
 
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