about to fail Inspection for rear wiper
 

might sound silly but I cant seem to get my rear wiper on my wifes x5 3.0 to make / stay in contact with the rear glass . Therefore its not cleaning the windshield . I thought no big deal until my mechanic fails me for inspection ( in PA you have to get a mechanic to pass you for inspection .) ANyone have any thought here -- I tried adjusting the arm cleaned the spiral shaft and with a small brush but I still cant get it to stay in contact with the windshield .

Look for another Mechanic that willing to "Work" with you.

New blade maybe?

tried new blade -- nothing ? Wondering if the wiper arm might be bad . Cant see how a wiper arm would malfunction but who knows . Clearly the old and new blade arent contacting the window-- ive tried bending it but doesnt seem to work!

Loss of spring tension over time. New wiper arm should take care if it. Find a cap for the nut at the base end of the arm to prevent rust.

thanks boramkiv -- just wanted to make sure that was the problem before ordering the part. I appreciate the help

just lubricate the hinge on the wiper blade if it gets a little rusty some wd-40 will work wonders.

Ditto that. I had same problem with our '02. Hinge was rusted, and wouldn't hold blade against glass. Used WD-40 and flexed hinge joint until it moved freely. That was over a year ago, and it still works as designed.

Spray white lithium greese underneath on the spring. I had the same issue and usually happens every other year. Lithium greese cures the problem. And find a cap for the bolt so not to cause damage to the arm. Another trick is take a plastic bag sleeve like what a newspaper is delivered in and slide over the arm to keep the rain off the spring.