Replacement wiper arms for S2
Discussion
The S parts list shows that Nissan Micra K11 rear hatchback wiper arms should fit an S2. I found this Ebay listing in Poland which says "Different from the original but fits 100%" , but without saying what that difference is. The brand is Goodrain. Does anyone know if they are suitable? The price seems very competitive - about £20 including postage.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293135719664
Alternatively, this listing from Lithuania claims it is "genuine design", but also says it is aftermarket. The design looks different, with a thicker arm and the bend in a different position. About £29 including p&p.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183207197493
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293135719664
Alternatively, this listing from Lithuania claims it is "genuine design", but also says it is aftermarket. The design looks different, with a thicker arm and the bend in a different position. About £29 including p&p.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183207197493
Edited by frontfloater on Wednesday 9th March 18:35
I want new arms to replace my rusty ones. As the relevant Micra model is 1992-2002, that would mean wipers from a breaker car could have been sitting out in the rain for 20 - 30 years.
This older thread says that original Nissan arms fit easily. The question is, do the aftermarket copies also fit TVRs without modification?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Today the Polish seller replied to my question, saying that the difference is that his are metal, not plastic as the originals. Another main difference between the two aftermarket arms is the attachment of the arm to the hub. The Polish GoodRain arm has tabs which fit on the outside of the hub, as on my TVR arms ; so the hub itself is fairly slim. The Lithuanian item shows a fatter hub, with the arm fitting inside tabs on the hub.
This is what I have at present :
This older thread says that original Nissan arms fit easily. The question is, do the aftermarket copies also fit TVRs without modification?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Today the Polish seller replied to my question, saying that the difference is that his are metal, not plastic as the originals. Another main difference between the two aftermarket arms is the attachment of the arm to the hub. The Polish GoodRain arm has tabs which fit on the outside of the hub, as on my TVR arms ; so the hub itself is fairly slim. The Lithuanian item shows a fatter hub, with the arm fitting inside tabs on the hub.
This is what I have at present :
The METAL arms are correct, the plastic ones are for the next model of Micra which has a different rear wiper position.
There is certainly still a supply in the EU where there were far more Micras sold than in the UK. But you may have to keep a 'search' going on ebay .
I wouldn't write off second hand ones, if described as good on ebay you have a return guarantee if not as described. The metalwork can easily be tidied and the blades are readily available.
There is certainly still a supply in the EU where there were far more Micras sold than in the UK. But you may have to keep a 'search' going on ebay .
I wouldn't write off second hand ones, if described as good on ebay you have a return guarantee if not as described. The metalwork can easily be tidied and the blades are readily available.
The Polish seller has been helpful, and asked for a photo of the attachment point and length of the arm. I found that the driver's side arm is 36 cms from the centre of the hub, but the passenger arm is 37 cms. The latter has a couple of cms overhang when the wiper is parked, so a shorter one wouldn't be a concern.
I had a look at the hub attachment point (for the first time in 25 years of ownership). I had always assumed they were just a splined push-on fit, but there is a lift-up plastic cover concealing a nut. Irritatingly, those also turned out to be different sizes - driver's side is imperial, half an inch ; passenger side metric, 13mm. Perhaps one of the motors or bolts was exchanged at some point during a service.
At £36 for a pair, including blade-arms & postage, the Polish items are cheap enough to make messing around cleaning up a used item not worth the hassle ; so if he comes back and says the size is ok, I'll take a risk. The equivalent arms alone from Racing Green would be £59.12 including postage, with no blade-arms. I already have new Bosch blade-arms and blades from a recent service, so I can swop those onto the Polish arms to have a quality item doing the actual work.
I had a look at the hub attachment point (for the first time in 25 years of ownership). I had always assumed they were just a splined push-on fit, but there is a lift-up plastic cover concealing a nut. Irritatingly, those also turned out to be different sizes - driver's side is imperial, half an inch ; passenger side metric, 13mm. Perhaps one of the motors or bolts was exchanged at some point during a service.
At £36 for a pair, including blade-arms & postage, the Polish items are cheap enough to make messing around cleaning up a used item not worth the hassle ; so if he comes back and says the size is ok, I'll take a risk. The equivalent arms alone from Racing Green would be £59.12 including postage, with no blade-arms. I already have new Bosch blade-arms and blades from a recent service, so I can swop those onto the Polish arms to have a quality item doing the actual work.
Spindle threads should be M8, with 13mm nuts.
Will the nuts go onto the opposite spindles (thread the same)? Not a lot of difference between 1/2" and 13mm could one just be a bit undersize?
If wiper arms are tight on the splines you may need some form of puller rather than damage anything . . . . . .
https://whiterosetools.com/products/bluespot-winds...
Thanks. I certainly won't be using this suggested method ! (1m 30 > )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJK3o2vZuZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJK3o2vZuZs
I decided to take the risk, and ordered two of the Polish seller's arms & blades. He uses economy shipping, so it will probably take at least a week. It's only a £37 spend if they prove to be hopelessly wrong, minus whatever I can re-sell them for.
My neighbour works for Quickfit and has a puller tool, in the likely event that the arms are reluctant to come off the splined hub - I suspect they are the 1989 originals.
Other arms may well fit, but I have no mechanical knowledge and didn't want to start trying to modify something and then find it doesn't work ; particularly as I'm trying to sell the car at present. I expect the dealers will try to beat me down on price for every little fault, so the rusty wipers need to go ...
The car and I are in Blackpool, about a mile and a half south of the old factory. Sadly, not much of it left now, apart from the façade.
My neighbour works for Quickfit and has a puller tool, in the likely event that the arms are reluctant to come off the splined hub - I suspect they are the 1989 originals.
Other arms may well fit, but I have no mechanical knowledge and didn't want to start trying to modify something and then find it doesn't work ; particularly as I'm trying to sell the car at present. I expect the dealers will try to beat me down on price for every little fault, so the rusty wipers need to go ...
The car and I are in Blackpool, about a mile and a half south of the old factory. Sadly, not much of it left now, apart from the façade.
Edited by frontfloater on Sunday 20th March 22:38
Nah - as can be seen in the earlier photos, they're all blistered and bubbling. So it would have meant either hours of work to flat them down properly, or having black blisters & bubbles instead of brown ones, which would look just as bad.
The old saying "spoiling the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar" comes to mind.
The old saying "spoiling the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar" comes to mind.
Edited by frontfloater on Monday 21st March 18:12
Sadly, a total fail on the Polish aftermarket wiper arms. The seller asked me about the diameter of the bolts, and I gave him the 13 mm / half-inch measurements. But when the arms & blades arrived today, it was obvious that the hole for the bolts is far too small - about 8 mm. They are also about 3 cms longer than the 36 cms arms currently on the car.
The arms were in blank plastic packaging, so I have no way of checking which model they were supposed to fit. The blades were in packets which listed the models ; but that did not include any Nissan Micras.
The arms were in blank plastic packaging, so I have no way of checking which model they were supposed to fit. The blades were in packets which listed the models ; but that did not include any Nissan Micras.
Edited by frontfloater on Saturday 2nd April 16:29
frontfloater said:
Sadly, a total fail on the Polish aftermarket wiper arms. The seller asked me about the diameter of the bolts, and I gave him the 13 mm / half-inch measurements. But when the arms & blades arrived today, it was obvious that the hole for the bolts is far too small - about 8 mm. They are also about 3 cms longer than the 36 cms arms currently on the car.
The arms were in blank plastic packaging, so I have no way of checking which model they were supposed to fit. The blades were in packets which listed the models ; but that did not include any Nissan Micras.
Raise the issue with ebay - photo the list of models on the package - you should get your money backThe arms were in blank plastic packaging, so I have no way of checking which model they were supposed to fit. The blades were in packets which listed the models ; but that did not include any Nissan Micras.
Edited by frontfloater on Saturday 2nd April 16:29
OK, my fail rather than his. The Polish arms do fit onto the spindles ; I was misremembering what the 13 mm related to.
They are a little longer than the originals, and this does cause a slight overhang on the passenger side, as I had feared. The main problem is positioning the arm at rest - I found I couldn't install the nearside arm as low/flat as the offside because it would foul the edge of the bonnet. So visually the two positions don't match. I could have raised the offside arm a little to reduce the difference, but I thought the arm might then be in my vision when driving. The original arm is 1 cm shorter on the passenger side to reduce this problem.
The Bosch blades fitted a few months ago by XWorks went onto the Polish arm without any problems, so the parts which do the job are still a quality item, with the Polish blades as an emergency reserve (being a skydiver, I like this idea ....).
The plastic fold-down nut cover on the Polish arm is much flimsier than on the original, and one of them snapped off during the installation, but it will still push on and the break isn't visible.
Overall, the hassle involved probably wasn't worth the modest saving ; but at least this arm is now a known quantity in case the "originals" sold by Racing Green - whatever those parts are/were - become unobtainable. Photos follow ...
They are a little longer than the originals, and this does cause a slight overhang on the passenger side, as I had feared. The main problem is positioning the arm at rest - I found I couldn't install the nearside arm as low/flat as the offside because it would foul the edge of the bonnet. So visually the two positions don't match. I could have raised the offside arm a little to reduce the difference, but I thought the arm might then be in my vision when driving. The original arm is 1 cm shorter on the passenger side to reduce this problem.
The Bosch blades fitted a few months ago by XWorks went onto the Polish arm without any problems, so the parts which do the job are still a quality item, with the Polish blades as an emergency reserve (being a skydiver, I like this idea ....).
The plastic fold-down nut cover on the Polish arm is much flimsier than on the original, and one of them snapped off during the installation, but it will still push on and the break isn't visible.
Overall, the hassle involved probably wasn't worth the modest saving ; but at least this arm is now a known quantity in case the "originals" sold by Racing Green - whatever those parts are/were - become unobtainable. Photos follow ...
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