New Focus Wiper Noise

[stickyfingers]

Hello,

Picked up a new Focus 2 weeks ago, first time driving in the rain today using the wipers.  Even with heavy rain the wipers are making a vibrating noise and juddering when going across the screen.  Seems to only happen at slow/medium speed, then when i speed them up it seems to reduce although is still there.

The rain was quite heavy and didn't seem to make any difference.

Couple videos of the noise, although not much rain at the time it was the same noise with more rain

https://youtu.be/alpf2135wQ4

https://youtu.be/qbQNzASI8d4

Any idea if this is normal or if not what could be causing it?

Thanks

[andypsp]

need new Wiper Blades on car, don`t get the cheap ones go for a well known make like Bosch

[stickyfingers]

The car is brand new though, 2 weeks old, shouldn't i get the Ford garage to replace them free of charge?

[andypsp]

32 minutes ago, stickyfingers said:

The car is brand new though, 2 weeks old, shouldn't i get the Ford garage to replace them free of charge?

in that case then drop it back to ford and get them to check it over for you, will save you some money 

[YOG]

i would first give the screen and Wiper Blades a good clean, using a decent glass cleaner. Sounds more like contamination on the screen/blades, perhaps polish, diesel, etc.

[stickyfingers]

So I just got back from the Ford garage and pretty much got fobbed off.

They said something along the lines off "This is a known issue with the types of blades that Ford uses.  Ford knows about the problem but has not done anything about it.  There is nothing we can do"

Eventually I've got them to book it in for a good clean, the wipers and screen, and then see where we are, although they could only do it in 2 weeks time!  2 weeks to get a clean!

The ford guy also said that its more than likely it will have the same issue after the clean and that if i attempted to return the car as not happy with the issue Ford would refuse as the issue is inherent to all Fords and not a problem with my car specifically.

I noticed, now that the rain is heavier, not only is it making the noise, juddering, but its also heavily smearing the screen quite badly.  They weren't having any of it.

[andypsp]

oh dear, try a good clean with soapy water 1st on the blades, if all else fails i`d go for a new set of blades

i always buy these each yr off eBay trouble free on my focus, eBay item number:201587593929

i don`t think they have changed the blades size on the new focus they should be 

Brand: Bosch
Trade Number: A640S
Quantity Unit: Set (2 front wipers)
Length 1: 725mm / 29”
Length 2: 725mm / 29”
wiper Blade Type: Flat wiper blade

[Trewithy]

I had a similar issue with my Fiesta and took it back several times.  They basically inferred that it was something I had put on the screen.  However I haven't cleaned the windscreen any differently to all the other cars I have owned and never had a problem before.  Anyway, they cleaned the screen with a special trade cleaner they use on secondhand cars and it was improved but not cured. Now at 2 years old it has virtually gone and only get a little bit of judder at the bottom of one blade.

[Jollyandy]

Sorry, but have to agree with the dealer here; my Focus has new Premium blades and has been cleaned with glass cleaner, and they still judder towards the end of the wiper sweep.


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[mjt]

In my experience this judder tends to happen when the blade rubbers don't flip over when the sweep reverses. This can be because the rubber has hardened but can also be due to the arm being at the wrong angle with respect to the glass. In the past I've cured this by giving the arm a slight twist.

[YOG]

Here's the advice I was given a long time ago:

No wiper is going to work correctly, if the wiper blade/arm is u/s, and the blade should also be set up correctly, in relation to the screen:

1.       Switch on the ignition.

2.       Switch on the wipers.

3.       Stop the wipers (by switching off the ignition), just before they get to the end of their vertical position.

4.       Pull the arm away from the screen and then very gently , lower it back on.

5.       The "rubber" blade should now have it's edge touching the screen and be at 90 degrees to it. This can be seen clearly from inside the car.

If the "rubber" blade is tilting either way from the 90 degrees, the flat metal part of the wiper arm needs to be twisted gently to bring it back to vertical. Keep repeating 4., until 5. is achieved.
Do not try and twist the arm by using the wiper blade. If using pliers or "grips", ensure the paint on the flat part of the arm is not damaged, by using something like cardboard (cloth won't work) between the jaws and the arm.
If you cannot achieve 5., either the insert/blade is u/s, or the arm itself is putting too much pressure on the blade.

[mjt]

That more or less sums up what I said. One further point, in relation to 5 above, is that over time the blade rubbers develop a "set" at the angle they rest when parked. In that case adjusting the arm is not appropriate and the blade should be renewed.

I find the best way to adjust the twist of the arm is to use an adjustable spanner with the jaws suitably padded.

[biff55]

this all sounds like shoddy design and quality control from ford to be frank.

 

[iantt]

So I just got back from the Ford garage and pretty much got fobbed off.
They said something along the lines off "This is a known issue with the types of blades that Ford uses.  Ford knows about the problem but has not done anything about it.  There is nothing we can do"
Eventually I've got them to book it in for a good clean, the wipers and screen, and then see where we are, although they could only do it in 2 weeks time!  2 weeks to get a clean!
The ford guy also said that its more than likely it will have the same issue after the clean and that if i attempted to return the car as not happy with the issue Ford would refuse as the issue is inherent to all Fords and not a problem with my car specifically.
I noticed, now that the rain is heavier, not only is it making the noise, juddering, but its also heavily smearing the screen quite badly.  They weren't having any of it.

Get the garage to check and adjust the angle of the arms with the ford special tools to the correct angle for your particular vehicle. they should have these for this purpose. Ask for the before and after angles. Be interesting what they say. Lol

[stickyfingers]

Thanks for all the replies.  I'm not happy with it at all, as I've never been in a new car with wipers making that noise before.

Will give the screen and the wipers a really good clean at the weekend, but I'm not going to mess around with actually adjusting them, shouldn't have to on a new car.  If the clean doesn't fix the issue will take it in to Ford and leave it there until they fix the issue

[Ford Owners' Club]

Useful link..... http://elta.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/d/00A4AE33C433F7FD

[Linds]

I've had my Focus 2.5 years and never has it made the irritating noise you are suffering.  If it had I'd have been a screaming lunatic by now!  Totally unacceptable.

Periodically had a tiny judder at the bottom of the offside wiper at the point it changes direction ... but no noise!

[Phil21185]

I hate that "oh they all do that" line. My dealer tried to tell me that with a vibrating panel on mine during a test drive. 

When we were back in the showroom chewing numbers he dropped that line on me.  I simply raised my voice a little so the other customers in the showroom could hear and said "oh, they all make that horrible noise from being badly put together, do they? I hope the people over there looking at the £35k Kuga know that as it might influence their purchase decision!"

I was swiftly assured that the panel should not rattle and a tech would sort it before I picked up the car.

[stickyfingers]

I agree, its not acceptable.

Sent a message to Ford on Facebook, who logged a support case for me with the customer service team.  Received a call from a very helpful lady this afternoon who is going to liaise with my dealer directly on my behalf to get it sorted out.

Will let you know how I get on

[jeff-d]

My wipers were also noisy when the car was brand new. I cleaned the screen with washing up liquid.

[stickyfingers]

Just a quick update:

After applying some pressure via the Ford Facebook page, the car finally went back into the garage yesterday to be looked at.  I had tried cleaning the windscreen and wipers with soapy water and it hadn't made any difference, but the garage tried some "special" cleaner and it initially fixed the issue.  Few hours later the problem was back and worse.

Long story short, they replaced the wipers and the problem is 80% gone!  The noise is still there a bit, but there is MUCH less juddering and vibrating when they move across the screen that its something I can live with or ignore.  Assume the original wipers must have been faulty

Noise before and after the wipers were changed over

https://youtu.be/7vOeP5HYN-U

https://youtu.be/BAkhSwUV1nU

[Micro]

On 29/06/2017 at 4:28 PM, Linds said:

I've had my Focus 2.5 years and never has it made the irritating noise you are suffering.  If it had I'd have been a screaming lunatic by now!  Totally unacceptable.

Periodically had a tiny judder at the bottom of the offside wiper at the point it changes direction ... but no noise!

Mine have "skipped" after i've applied a rain-x like product, and i'm not going fast enough for it to blow the water off, wipe and juddddddddder.

I seem to have more issues with mine smearing like crazy, even after cleaning with every product under the sun. Brand new windscreen, brand new wipers, first raining episode, wipe and smear -_-

[Trewithy]

I have had the judder problem ever since my car was new and despite taking the car back for new wipers and to have the screen cleaned it has never totally gone away.  My daughter has also recently had some sort of deposit across her windscreen that couldn't be removed with normal glass cleaner.  I posted the problem on here and someone suggested using toothpaste. I googled it and it seems to be a well used remedy. So I cleaned her screen with toothpaste and it removed whatever was on it.  I was so impressed I used it on my own windscreen and in the rain yesterday I had to really study the wipers to see the faintest trace of judder. I guess there was something on the screen which has now finally been removed.

So if you have wiper judder give it a go. You only need a small amount of toothpaste, a wet microfibre  cloth, elbow grease and water to rinse off.