Driver Side Windshield Wiper Arm

[xHeart]

April showers are here. The new pair of Volvo wiper arms are fabulous.
I like comparing parts before installing. After the arms were fully seated. Ran it. Turned-off, and tighten the nut down 1/2 thread at a time to remove any wrinkle/shake on return. You should see it smooth out on third tightening.

[viper69]

I may got with a new arm then. I just don't know.

What do people think of Volvo's new (to me) Volvo for Life Plan, in general that is?


Maybe I'll get my arm replaced by the dealer, so when the new one goes bad, they have to replace it for free! That might be something worth doing.

[dosbricks]

The problem is caused by the angle of the shaft distorting (wiper motor housing twists with age) just as much as the weakening of the of the arm causing the wiper arm to change geometric s. Notice it is always the driver side arm that is the problem, not the passenger side where the motor mechanism/housing is more robust. So a new arm is not going to make the wiper system like new.

Grinding the nubs is a cheap, easy, even repeatable process--BTW, still on my original grind after two years. But if throwing money at a problem makes one feel better that is always ones prerogative.

[viper69]

The problem is caused by the angle of the shaft distorting (wiper motor housing twists with age) just as much as the weakening of the of the arm causing the wiper arm to change geometric s. Notice it is always the driver side arm that is the problem, not the passenger side where the motor mechanism/housing is more robust. So a new arm is not going to make the wiper system like new.

Grinding the nubs is a cheap, easy, even repeatable process--BTW, still on my original grind after two years. But if throwing money at a problem makes one feel better that is always ones prerogative.

True only driver side is the problem child. I thought someone else said that grinding it down is only a longer "solution"? If that's the case, I could have Volvo replace it, and w/their Volvo for Life program, they'd have to replace it for free forever.

For grinding, I still don't have a good idea of how much to grind despite looking the pictures and my car. I'm a visual learner and this is something I'd pick up by doing, not so much by reading.

[misha]

Don't bother to grind it,you will get nothing.I tried and it got worse than before.
All i said stands for flat wipers,standard ones are wiping excellent before and after grinding the arm.

[erikv11]

Don't bother to grind it,you will get nothing.I tried and it got worse than before. ...

It's clear from reading the thread that grinding works for some people but not for others.

I never understand posts like this, they are strangely pretty common in the forums: even the most experienced people sometimes make statements that basically say "well I looked at one car, and this is what I saw, so it will always be that way ... " It's counter to the whole point of a forum, to listen to what other people have to say, have a conversation.

... For grinding, I still don't have a good idea of how much to grind despite looking the pictures and my car. I'm a visual learner and this is something I'd pick up by doing, not so much by reading.

I think you're not alone on this. I would just dive in now. Start by grinding off a little bit, just a few mm. Observe the surfaces and how removing material should change the angle of the wiper blade. If that first pass does nothing then grind some more. Or if that fixes it or makes it worse, then stop.

[abscate]

On our camper forum, the funniest thread was the one about "Does cooking in your car create odors?"

50% of the posters insisted they could deep fry chicken and onions without having cooking odors in their car.

OT, I just finally got my driver arm wiper to wipe the whole WS without hitting the A pillar for the first time in 3 years.

[dosbricks]

Don't bother to grind it,you will get nothing.I tried and it got worse than before. ...

It's clear from reading the thread that grinding works for some people but not for others.

Start by grinding off a little bit, just a few mm. Observe the surfaces and how removing material should change the angle of the wiper blade. If that first pass does nothing then grind some more. Or if that fixes it or makes it worse, then stop.

Just 1-2mm should do it. It only minutely changes the angle of the wiper arm against the windshield. What it does do is let the arm press against the windshield with slightly more force (depending on how much is ground off) resulting in a clean wipe.

[xHeart]

Don't bother to grind it,you will get nothing.I tried and it got worse than before. ...

It's clear from reading the thread that grinding works for some people but not for others.

Grinding doesn't work on 1997 850.
Replace the arm, and enjoy the downpour while driving through the storm on I-35, OK - TX.
I can drive in April Showers year-round now.