- #3569 of 3752
-
Rear wiper wearout too fast? [shrifty]
by bpeebles
-
Nov 09, 2009 (6:26 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: shrifty (Nov 09, 2009 6:20 pm)
I agree with the last question... a REAR wiper usually lasts about 3 years because it is used very rarely. Whilst at speed, the REAR glass hardly even gets wet in the rain.
Perhaps you used the wiper while there was grit on the glass... that will wear a wiper AND scratch the glass too! Grit on the glass is best removed using other means besides rubber wiper.
|
- #3570 of 3752
-
Re: Rear wiper wearout too fast? [bpeebles]
by cosmo
-
Nov 09, 2009 (7:16 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: bpeebles (Nov 09, 2009 6:26 pm)
Station wagon's, SUV's, vans and fastbacks have rear wipers BECAUSE road spray accumulates on the rear window/hatch due to draft at speed and hinders visibility. This is not a problem on sedans because of draft dynamics. I, for one, am not going to park every mile, get out, and remove the road spray "by other means" in pouring rain. VW was smart enough to equip wagons with rear wipers so I don't have to. My Passat wagon is 5 1/2 years old, and amazingly, I don't have scratched glass. However, I do go through two rear wipers a year just so I have a full view of what is behind me in rain and snow.
|
- #3571 of 3752
-
Re: Rear wiper wearout too fast? [cosmo]
by altair4
-
Nov 10, 2009 (7:09 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: cosmo (Nov 09, 2009 7:16 pm)
Gotta agree with you, Cosmo. The rear window is always wet with road spray, even if it's not raining. If the road is wet, the rear window is also wet while the car is in motion.
I got through a rear wiper a year, and the last couple of months only provide marginal wiping ability.
|
- #3572 of 3752
-
Re: It is not the car... it is dealership [shrifty]
by jogousa
-
Nov 10, 2009 (8:15 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: shrifty (Nov 09, 2009 6:20 pm)
From my past experience, rear wipers last for appx 1 year in almost year-round sunny conditions (had that problem with many other rear wipers on various models). As a matter of fact, it is common that you should change rear and front wipers with each oil change (the "old" change; i.e. every 3000 to 5000 miles).
They are still there but they do not wipe rear window clean and they squeek.
|
- #3573 of 3752
-
Re: Rear wiper wearout too fast? [bpeebles]
by jogousa
-
Nov 10, 2009 (8:20 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: bpeebles (Nov 09, 2009 6:26 pm)
In my climate, rear (and front) wipers do not last 3 years - if you squeeze 1 year out of them consider yourself lucky!
Each and every morning (in humid FL climate) you have to use both, front and rear wipers. Glass is ALWAYS wet!
Your remarks remind me of an attitude that Audi had several years ago when their cars accelerated without any reason....always blame the driver, right?
That cost Audi a lot and they almost had to pull out of the US market...
Therefore, no - I did not use them when there was grit on glass....
|
- #3574 of 3752
-
Re: It is not the car... it is dealership [shrifty]
by jogousa
-
Nov 10, 2009 (8:35 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: shrifty (Nov 09, 2009 6:20 pm)
I would think that another question isn't what happened to the wiper but rather where do you find replacement, when VW does not have them... anybody out there with an answer?
|
- #3575 of 3752
-
Re: Rear wiper wearout too fast? [bpeebles]
by jogousa
-
Nov 10, 2009 (8:45 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: bpeebles (Nov 09, 2009 6:26 pm)
Another issue is that rear wiper automatically turns on, when you use front wipers and you shift into rear gear when staring the car ... on all 2009 Jetta Wagons... just F.Y.I.
|
- #3576 of 3752
-
"unintended acceleration"
by elias
-
Nov 10, 2009 (9:51 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: jogousa (Nov 10, 2009 8:20 am)
joqousa, it turned out that those 1980s audis accelerated for a good reason - the driver in each case pushed down on the accelerator instead of the brake.
back then, the pedal-offset on some audis was a little different than most cars sold in USA, probably contributing to the errors. but there is no doubt that it was driver error that caused all the "unintended acceleration".
|
- #3577 of 3752
-
Re: "unintended acceleration" [elias]
by jogousa
-
Nov 10, 2009 (11:20 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: elias (Nov 10, 2009 9:51 am)
It may very well have been the case but the approach and the attitude that Audi took at that time cost them a lot - Audi is still recovering from that ill-advised approach blaming the driver initially even before they thoroughly investigated the reasons. I vividly remember that case - I had a few Audis at that time myslef.
|
- #3578 of 3752
-
Re: "unintended acceleration" [jogousa]
by Mr_Shiftright HOST
-
Nov 10, 2009 (11:28 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: jogousa (Nov 10, 2009 11:20 am)
If the victims had stated that they hit the brakes and the brakes were smoking but couldn't quite stop the car, I'd have believed the unintended acceleration theory (we hear this account today with certain modern cars today, and it's believable). But the Audi victims insisted that their car accelerated AND the brakes completely failed at the same time. This stretched my capacity to believe them.
|
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Sedans 
