S40 wiper chatter

After some six month and some ten visits to the dealership, the dealer
through in the towel on nmy wiper chatter problem and said they don't
know what's causing the problem.

They have already replaced the wiper assembly, wiper arms and blades
and cleaned the windshield with every chemical known to man.

As the last resort, they have finally called the specialist from Volvo
canada to investigate the problem. His professional opinion was that
the chatter is "within acceptable" limits! Like the wipers are
supposed to chatter!!

Well, I have asked them for this in writing. I'm planning to give them
one last chance to fix this before I take the matter to court or
arbitration. In the meantime here are the symptoms:

-The wipers chatter when (and only when) there's water on the
windshield. When it's dry it's fine.
-When the windshield is wet, you can hear the blades sticking to the
glass while moving.
-The same effect can be felt when I use a wet towel on the glass.
Again, it's smooth when it's dry.
-Using the washer fluid, the wipers go smooth for a while, then back
to chattering.

 

Maybe it's your windsheild. My wipers chatter (a little) on the windsheild
when it is dry, and they glide nicely when it is wet (when there is just a
few drops the wipers make a lot of noise, and make some streaks)... Try
different brands of blades too. The only time I have seen chattering as you
describe is, is doing about 150kph on a highway with rain coming down, and
only on my Golf TDI, the Volvo 960 doesn't do it (its probably a vehicular
aerodynamics thing here, as both have bosch wiper assemblies with wind
deflectors on the drivers side wiper arm).

.... You mentioned taking legal action... you MUST live in the USA, don't
you? (because I don't know anyone in Canada who sues over wiper
blades).......... I almost broke out into laughter at that... Just
intentionally crack your windsheild and get the insurance company to replace
it for free or something ;-), or drive behind lots of gravel trucks.

I would first experiment with new blade types, ask them to test all the
blades on another identical S/V40, then to try on yours. If all the blades
chatter on yours, and don't on the other car (spray the cars with a hose to
simulate rain) then it could be something about the windsheild... maybe its
defective.

 

Heh heh heh. Good old Volvo Canada. Well, I'm not surprised, they've
put you in the category of, "It'll cost more to make this guy happy than
just finding some other new customer sucker to replace him." Welcome to
the club. And good luck getting your problem fixed.

 

Try some Rain-X on the windshield. That seems to make the glass
"slipperier".

 

No,No,NO!!!
RainX makes the situation even worse. That's one product to avoid at all
costs.

 

I've been a car valet for over for over thirty years I often came across
your problem I found wiping the glass with neat washer fluid cured the
problem

KP

 

I agree. Probably, a treatment with a product like that caused the problem
in the first place. What is happening is called stick-slip friction. Part
of the coating has worn off. leaving bare areas between the areas still
coated. A new treatment would help, perhaps, but only for a time.

 

I live in Vancouver, Canada where it rains quite a lot. My vehicle is
still under warranty and "ANY" problem needs to be fixed by the
dealer/ manufacturer. Warranty is a legal contract and they have to
abide by its term. If they don't, legal action is called for, and it
doesn't matter what the fault is as long as you can prove there is
one.
The way I see it, driving a car with faulty wipers in a city like
Vancouver IS unsafe and "prevents the vehicle from being utlized for
it's intended purpose".

I don't give up that easily and will keep you guys posted.

 

I don't know how many of you drive S40s but this is a common problem
on all S40s (and some S60s). Check out
http://www.vvspy.com/frameset.php?bn=volvospy_sv40
and look for the wipper chatter post...

 

I commend you on your efforts to get your car fixed, you are right, you have
every right to... I just get kinda mad when people mention getting lawyers
involved... it seems stupid to me, but then I don't know what you have had
to put up with.... Try getting them to intall a new windsheild, yours might
be flawed.

 

Long shot but worth a try.
I've found the "hot wax" treatment at drive thru car washes builds up on the
glass causing chatter. (Some of the 'all in one' car wash/wax stuff you use at
home does too.)
Clean the screen with Bon Ami or Ajax powder (be sure to wet the glass first.)
Don't worry, it won't scratch it but it will get all the wax buildup off.
Then apply _several_ coats of Rain Ex. imo, great stuff.
We use it on the glass on our boats. No wipers on these and you'll never see
rain like the spray off one of them....
http://ulrs.org/photos/2002/02Issaquah/UL-15UL-38.jpg
You won't even need the wipers after doing this.
The Rain Ex does wear off. Need to recoat every month or so or as required to
keep it working good.

 

Then apply _several_ coats of Rain Ex. imo, great stuff.

I use Rain Ex and it works great! It makes a real difference when
there's a heavy downpour. However, I've heard that Rain Ex causes the
treated glass to be brittle (i know, it doesn't make much sense) and
after a while this causes the windshield to shatter easily. I never did
believe it, but any comments / experiences?

The other thing is, I've been told not to get rain ex on the wipers
during application as they will eat into the rubber which then may cause
more 'wiper chatter' because of the uneven blade surfaces.

 

I would believe that. I think RainEx is silane or dimethylsilane in
some kind of organic solvent. Silane cannot be too kind to siliconized
rubber.

Beverly

 

I find rain-X useless except in a tropical down pour combined with highway
driving. In a drizzle there is a fog like smear of microscopic water droplets
left behind the wiper blade as it passes. It dissipates rapidly but is a real
hazard at night because of light scattering. My windshield is brand new and so
are the blades. How to take it of?



Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs http://www3.sympatico.ca/borism/
Aurora, Ontario

 

From a point at sea, to the circles of your mind, this is Dr. Spin:

If by 'treated glass' you mean toughened glass, I don't suppose there
has been a toughened front windscreen fitted to a car anywhere in the
world for twenty or more years. They're all laminated now.

Well, maybe the Trabant was an exception; I expect RainEx would cause
the whole car to become brittle in that case.



--

Stewart Hargrave

A lot faster than public transport


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

Considering that it was "fiberglass" body, it wouldn't surprise me if
a good dousing in RainEx caused the body to soften and dissolve

Do you know they're planning to make them again now - as the AfriCar?

Beverly