hi

Ive noticed when i clean my windows with the window washers its very smeary while wiping them and leaves a lot of smear marks after wards until it drys off , do you think im in need of new wipers ?

even when it rains it leaves a lot of smear marks while the wipers go back and foward.

what do you think and also where would you say the best place to get new wipers is?

thanks

Hi

Yeah I noticed that on my Fiesta a few months ago, very 'smeary' whilst wiping with lots of smears afterwards and until they dried out. Even after washing the car, the wiper performance was still the same next time it rained. I normally would have said that maybe the wiper blades needed replacing but, my car is only 7 months old.

How old is your Fiesta?

Sounds like the blades.

I also use Comma ProVision Rain Clear Gel on my windscreens - have for past 2/3 years. Put in on every couple of months and it helps visibility massively for me.

Give the blades a good clean, sounds to me like they have crud or something on them. Its worth a try before shelling out for new blades. I used vinegar & water on mine, and it helped

Hi

Thanks for your responses.

I can only comment on my particular case and with reference to cleaning the blades & screen, this was done using a vinegar and water solution but that made no difference so I'm beginning to think that the screen is actually scratched.

How, after only 7 months? I've no idea.

hi again

well my car is a 09 plate , when i wash my car i always wipe the blades with a wet cloth or kitchen roll to get the black rubber dust build up off , so im a bit miffed why there so smeary.

i think i might try some new blades , should i get official ford blades or are there third party blades which are just as good?

thanks

You need to replace the wiper blades. All of you :D

I need to do mine too, but putting it off 'til it get's unbearable. Just buying the bit of rubber is the cheapest way to go. Try Halfrauds, Motorworld or any other car shop.

The smearing is caused by small cracks, cuts and other imperfections in the rubber, which causes the rubber to not make a smooth contact with the windscreen, therefore not clearing all the water, so bits of water gets left behind in streaks and smears. You should notice a dramatic improvement after changing.

Having dirty wipers/screen can also cause smearing, but if it carries on after the car is clean, or during alot of rainfall. Chances are you need a new set.

You need to replace the wiper blades. All of you :D

I need to do mine too, but putting it off 'til it get's unbearable. Just buying the bit of rubber is the cheapest way to go. Try Halfrauds, Motorworld or any other car shop.

The smearing is caused by small cracks, cuts and other imperfections in the rubber, which causes the rubber to not make a smooth contact with the windscreen, therefore not clearing all the water, so bits of water gets left behind in streaks and smears. You should notice a dramatic improvement after changing.

Having dirty wipers/screen can also cause smearing, but if it carries on after the car is clean, or during alot of rainfall. Chances are you need a new set.

thanks , is it easy to change just the blade , cant get on halfords at the moment to check them and im unsure what i need from that motor world website?

If you go in they'll usually help you. I had to change mine on a Mk6.5 Fiesta which has a slightly different set-up I think. You usually have a choice, you can buy the rubber bit pre-cut the right length, (give them your car make/model/year and they should be able to find the right size) Fitting involved bending a few metal arms to release the rubber, placing the new rubber, and bending the metal back to hold the new rubber. This is the cheapest way. (though im not sure on how the Mk7 is set-up. I imagine the same, I've never had a look though).

Or you can buy an entire set of arms with the rubber already attached, this is meant to be easier to change, but I felt it was pointless, cus it's only the rubber that's worn. Doing this is like buying a whole alloy and tyre every time one tyre get's worn!?

I went down the first route, took me and my mum about 5 minutes to do in the freezing cold.

I think you can also just buy a strip of rubber and cut it to size, but I wouldn't trust myself to cut it to the right length :D

If you go in they'll usually help you. I had to change mine on a Mk6.5 Fiesta which has a slightly different set-up I think. You usually have a choice, you can buy the rubber bit pre-cut the right length, (give them your car make/model/year and they should be able to find the right size) Fitting involved bending a few metal arms to release the rubber, placing the new rubber, and bending the metal back to hold the new rubber. This is the cheapest way. (though im not sure on how the Mk7 is set-up. I imagine the same, I've never had a look though).

Or you can buy an entire set of arms with the rubber already attached, this is meant to be easier to change, but I felt it was pointless, cus it's only the rubber that's worn. Doing this is like buying a whole alloy and tyre every time one tyre get's worn!?

I went down the first route, took me and my mum about 5 minutes to do in the freezing cold.

I think you can also just buy a strip of rubber and cut it to size, but I wouldn't trust myself to cut it to the right length :D

When my '58 reg Mk6.5 was over a year old, I had new Valeo blades fitted by our local Citroen mechanic, but less than 6 months later, the passenger-side one started "skipping" across the screen. Poor performance from the top French brand, that is fitted to Toyotas. I went straight up to our local car acessories shop, and got his best ones fitted, for less than £18. He was once the top mechanic in our own Citroen garage, and only stocks reputable products. I have since had a new rear one fitted, also from there, all bubble-packed items. He also sells Haynes manuals cheaper than on-line.

I also cleaned the glass with Autoglym Fast-Glass, after trying Sonax Clear-Glass:- Autoglym wins.

I have just bought summer-grade Prestone Bugwash Screenwash (use it neat), at £6 at Tesco, £1 more than in Autoexpress feature article. Halfords charge another 99p above this, for this 4 litre of highly reputed American brand.

P.S., I don't think renewing rubbers alone is worthwhile, as I recall getting "flip-flop" noises from the old blade frames, as they get older,-- just as annoying as skipping.

I didn't have any such problem when I changed mine, They wiped the screen perfectly clear, no noise/rattling etc. Maybe the rubber blades were different sizes. I then later had one rubber blade replaced at an MOT, once again wiping improved, no noises. The Mk7 Fiesta wipers shouldn't make much noise compared to older fiesta's thanks to it's aerodynamic windscreen wipers.

I plan to change all my wiper blades over the next week or so, they're all worn now. I'll buy just the rubbers and post back with any experiences. These new aerodynamic wiper arms/blades are pretty expensive to buy. (£40! from a quick google shopping search, compared to ~£8 for the mk6)