Wiper Blades

[Ussrcossack]

Ever since I got my 2022 Kia 18 months ago the front drivers wiper has not worked as I'd expect

Replaced original wipers within a week of getting the car
Bought Marchel blades OK but the blade seemed to wear and left a streak

Recent went to Bosch, but not aeroglide as the fitting is different

Made an improvement but after a week or so they give a streak on the up wipe but leave clear on the down wipe.

I washed and glass cleaned the screen and keep blades in a clean condition too

Any ideas is the wiper arms lacking tension?

[Mr Ben]

With one moving part and 2 components to your issue (the windscreen, the wiper) I'd suggest by trial and error (replacing parts) you may have answered your own question old chap

Only other suggestion I'd make is checking the angle of the arm itself, is it making full contact with the screen? Can you slightly bend/manipulate the arm to match the contour of the windscreen/making sure all of the blade is in full contact with the windscreen?!

[alangla]

I had a streak on the screen caused by a Bosch aero blade last week. Lifting and cleaning the blade revealed a small bit of tree debris that had fallen onto the screen and got caught against the blade. At this time of year there’s going to be a lot of that & it’ll be especially dependent on where you park and how windy it is. Maybe lift the blades and wipe them off before doing any more investigation?

[DannyScene]

Seems odd that bosch don't do a set of aero blades for your kia, what model out of interest?

If a Sportage I believe you'd need a bosch ap26u and a bosch ap18u (based on a generic search of a 2022 sportage)

[ChocolateFrog]

I don't rate Bosch at all.

OEM all the way which is currently Valeo. Although annoyingly most places list the identical ones they sell to the dealer alongside the universal fit ones and it's not always obvious which is which.

[Chris_i8]

What did you clean the glass with? generic spray cleaners and something like Autoglym Glass polish isn't man enough to deep clean glass.

Give Carpro Ceriglass a go before replacing blades, arms etc.

[119]

We always have Bosch Aeros and they are brilliant on all the cars to date.

Must admit, i would have thought they would have blades available for every make of car on the road.

[speedking31]

I use PIAA silicon. No issues.

[BunkMoreland]

Ussrcossack said:

Any ideas is the wiper arms lacking tension?

Probably

Buy new arms and report back!

[norush]

Blade needs to be perpendicular to the glass; adjust by gently bending the arm.

[Smint]

Some may scoff at this, but it helps keep your blades in good quiet condition for longer.
Inevitably when you switch off the wipers the blades 'park' leaning one way, every now and again when you remember lift the wipers and park 'em leaning the other way.
Wifey complained about the skittering of the blades on her Forester couple of weeks ago, she's now doing this and all is quiet again.

[Ussrcossack]

Thanks for the replies

The Marchal blades were actually Valeo
Bosch Aero can be fitted as a retro fit and don't look too good
Glass cleaner was first Autoglym, then topaz

Looks like a bit of steady fiddling with the arm to see if it improves

[Belle427]

I moved over to Bosch some years ago but Valeo were once seen as the best, moved to Bosch as Valeo didn`t seem to last that long but its would seem quality may have gone down in my experience.
Wondered how long blades are lasting for people generally, seems to be around a year for me at a guess.

[Smint]

Belle427 said:

I moved over to Bosch some years ago but Valeo were once seen as the best, moved to Bosch as Valeo didn`t seem to last that long but its would seem quality may have gone down in my experience.
Wondered how long blades are lasting for people generally, seems to be around a year for me at a guess.

Roughly 3 years on our cars, helps to 'flip' them every now and again as noted in my above post, generally Bosch.
Truck wipers last longer are heavier built and larger all dimensions overall compared to car wipers, again 'flipping' them helps keep them in good nick.

Using wipers sensibly, ie not expecting them to shift ice/frost or baked on insects helps.
Lubing the wiper mechanism now and again helps too, smoother sweeps.

[normalbloke]

Smint said:

Some may scoff at this, but it helps keep your blades in good quiet condition for longer.
Inevitably when you switch off the wipers the blades 'park' leaning one way, every now and again when you remember lift the wipers and park 'em leaning the other way.
Wifey complained about the skittering of the blades on her Forester couple of weeks ago, she's now doing this and all is quiet again.

Many VAG cars do this automatically.
I’ve always stuck with Bosch aero,decent screen wash (Decosol) and the occasional clean with methylated spirits, and have never had an issue with that combo in all my years driving. I have had a counterfeit set of Bosh blades once, so am a bit sniffy about where I get them from.

[Smint]

normalbloke said:

Many VAG cars do this automatically.
I ve always stuck with Bosch aero,decent screen wash (Decosol) and the occasional clean with methylated spirits, and have never had an issue with that combo in all my years driving. I have had a counterfeit set of Bosh blades once, so am a bit sniffy about where I get them from.

Clever VAG indeed.
Flipping the blades has become a bit of an OCD with me, juddering skipping wipers drive me to distraction.

I give the screen the odd blast with Mixra, which can still be found online under the Simoniz rather than Holts brand, its still excellent for rapid shifting of gunge.

[Pica-Pica]

Smint said:

Some may scoff at this, but it helps keep your blades in good quiet condition for longer.
Inevitably when you switch off the wipers the blades 'park' leaning one way, every now and again when you remember lift the wipers and park 'em leaning the other way.
Wifey complained about the skittering of the blades on her Forester couple of weeks ago, she's now doing this and all is quiet again.

I also pull the wash-wipe lever gently, it triggers the wash but not the wipe, and the washer fluid runs down onto the blades. That helps with a dirty, but dry screen.