Sucky Wipers

Originally Posted by jordanM3

Solution - live in a sunny place where it is 75 degrees every day and doesn't rain.

Problem solved!

San Diego???

Originally Posted by TopDownInFL

San Diego???

Definitely not Florida.

How are those wipers doing for those affected by hurricane Sandy?

Has anyone received a no-sh** answer from the dealer? Same here... drove home from the dealer in a downpour and the driver side wiper action was pure ****e... that's the British term... for sh**....

Originally Posted by TopDownInFL

San Diego???

nah, LA.

Originally Posted by Ace535i

How are those wipers doing for those affected by hurricane Sandy?

I spent the whole summer p!ssed off about the crappy wipers. We've just started getting some cold weather, and I'm adoring my heated seats and steering wheel. I've had these features before, but they've never been as well executed. The car's much more adept at handling the cold than the rain.

Originally Posted by southern6er22

I spent the whole summer p!ssed off about the crappy wipers. We've just started getting some cold weather, and I'm adoring my heated seats and steering wheel. I've had these features before, but they've never been as well executed. The car's much more adept at handling the cold than the rain.

What are your winters like in your region? Do you have to switch to winter tires?

So the wiper motors themselves are low grade compared to previous generation BMWs?

I haven't seen my house covered in snow since I was in the 1st grade (1996). We get some frost on the grass and rooftops for a couple months in the dead of winter, but it hardly ever gets below 25. Last week I froze my a$$ off fishing with 40 degree weather in the AM, but by noon it was pushing 75-80. Temps in the 50s and 60s mean winter to me. No snow tires for me, and xDrive is more important for the yearly rainfall than the winter months. Disappointing that the car handles so well in our daily summer deluge but loses those bonus points and fails because of, in the words of the great philosopher, JONNYCHIRO, "sucky wipers."

I haven't spent much time in other Bimmers in the rain, but I've driven Chevys and Toyotas that do a superior job on the windshield in the bad storms. As great and secure as xDrive is in the rain, I think an accident is more likely to be the result of poor visibility rather than the car losing control without the aid of xDrive. Seems like BMW made a mistake here that could've easily been prevented.

Very unfortunate.

I asked a legit question if anyone's come up with better replacement wipers. All I got were BS answers to move to the Left Coast where it doesn't rain much (funny, no mention of the smog).
Typically this forum has some great information IMO, other times.......?

Originally Posted by Hofstet

I asked a legit question if anyone's come up with better replacement wipers. All I got were BS answers to move to the Left Coast where it doesn't rain much (funny, no mention of the smog).
Typically this forum has some great information IMO, other times.......?

My issue is more with the mechanics of the wipers rather than the blades themselves. I think they do a perfectly satisfactory job on my car with mild to moderate downfall. They're quiet, make good contact, etc., but they just don't move fast enough to keep pace with the heavy storms I encounter regularly in the summer months. I'm not to the point where I'd be willing to retrofit different motors, wiper assemblies, etc. but I have thought about looking into it. Luckily the worst of the season is behind us now.

Southern, thanks for the intelligent thoughtful answer.

They changed their wiper motor a couple of years ago. The high speed setting sucks. I have a 550i that was the same exact way. I was accustomed to being able to see perfectly during a downpour. Now I'm the slowest car on the road. You have to Rain-X or you're screwed.

Originally Posted by todthebod

They changed their wiper motor a couple of years ago. The high speed setting sucks. I have a 550i that was the same exact way. I was accustomed to being able to see perfectly during a downpour. Now I'm the slowest car on the road. You have to Rain-X or you're screwed.

I wonder how much the bean counters increased the profit margin for BMW?

Is the application of rain-X easy, and long does it last on the windscreen?

RainX is the answer. Especially in rainy season here in Florida.

Originally Posted by Ace535i

I wonder how much the bean counters increased the profit margin for BMW?

Is the application of rain-X easy, and long does it last on the windscreen?

Just rub the solution in using a circular pattern. Can probably do the entire car in 20 to 30 min. depending on how much Zoloft you require to control your OCD. For me, probably about 35 minutes lol.

are rain sensing wipers standard? Ill prob sound really stupid right now, but when I use the wipers, Its either really fast, or really slow, I cant get anything in between... Am I doing something wrong?

Rain-sensing is standard, at least for US models. At first I thought this system wasn't registering the serious deluge, so I tried turning that off and setting to the fastest manual setting. Unfortunately, that was the same speed as the auto setting. Since then, I've just allowed the rain sensors to do the work and spend my energy cussing like a sailor because of my disappointment.

Thanks all, will try the Rain-X tack...

But... to answer the question, has anyone changed the OEM wipers with a better wiper solution (wiper motor changeout discussion tabled for the time being...)

Originally Posted by mdkeltz

Thanks all, will try the Rain-X tack...

But... to answer the question, has anyone changed the OEM wipers with a better wiper solution (wiper motor changeout discussion tabled for the time being...)

md, I really believe that this has to do with uneven pressure on the glass by the wiper arm/blade assembly. Everyone who has this issue needs to contact their dealer and "put pressure"(no pun intended) on them to do something about this via their BMW rep. my 2013 Jetta SE`s system is damn near perfect. No reason that this should be occurring with our Bimmers. I just hope that the shape of the windshield doesnt add to this problem.

Originally Posted by greenie99

md, I really believe that this has to do with uneven pressure on the glass by the wiper arm/blade assembly. Everyone who has this issue needs to contact their dealer and "put pressure"(no pun intended) on them to do something about this via their BMW rep. my 2013 Jetta SE`s system is damn near perfect. No reason that this should be occurring with our Bimmers. I just hope that the shape of the windshield doesnt add to this problem.

How does your wiper system on your guys' non-BMW vehicles?

I find that theToyota and GM systems work better as wipers, but they are noticeably noisier. I prefer Bimmer'sfor light showers, but I feel safer in the Denali when it is really coming down - and only part of that security is attributed to the high driving position and bigger vehicle