rear wiper blade

i just got my car a month ago.. with 1700km on it and the back wiper blade doesn't really clean.. the top part of the blade is not cleaning.. don't think the blade is touching the glass.. i notice it does that in very cold weather or after washing.. do u guys have that problem or is it only me?
 
yup on both of the 5's, and none of the local blade books list the rear blade, just going to have to measure it with a measuring tape and go pick one up at walmart...it used to clean ok, but wears out quick because in all the salt collects on the back and destroys the blade quickly. Also, if you have a trunk monkey they can clean it for you while they hide in your trunk, but make sure you are driving at a low speed when he is cleaning it.
 
but i'm surprise.. the car only have 1700 km on it and the blade is worn already.. i kinda doubt the dealership will do anything about it
 
Probably not. most of the rubber is not on their warranty guidelines (tires etc). You may be out $6 if you can find one that small at walmart. It does get old letting it smear around..but ive found that if i waste a gallon or so of washer fluid you can get it clear enough to see out of it for a couple minutes before the salt gets all over it again. Its just the way the aerodynamics force all of the dirty air to stick back there. Still a good car though...just a minor annoyance.
 
Its just the way the aerodynamics force all of the dirty air to stick back there. Still a good car though...just a minor annoyance.
Wedge aerodynamics... bad for your read windshield cleanliness, excellent for fuel economy! The Mazda5 slices through the wind with a fabulous drag coefficient of only 0.29.

Back on topic, my wiper also misses the 1" at the top of the swipe, has since day one. Take some windex-dampened paper towel and give the rubber a pass or two... it should restore the wipe quality a bit anyway. I think the issue with the rear wiper is more of a problem with pressure against the glass... doesn't seem to be much there. Oh well :)
 
u're lucky u're only 1"... i'm more like half of the blade...

i'll try cleaning the rubber with windex and see how it goes... i pour gallons of washer fluid down the back....

i work at a car dealership.. so i get washer fluid for free.. hahahahaa
 
I didn't realize the Cd was so low! I thought I read somewhere around 0.31 which I thought was still pretty good.

On the topic... I have the same problem with the top not touching. That's what side mirrors are for. I think it has to do with the design of the wiper holder. I don't think it flexes enough.
 
I picked up a replacement for mine at a Ford dealer... it is very similar to the prev gen Focus rear blade (size is slightly bigger). Works great on both the 3 and the 5- much better than the OEM and was less than 10 bucks.
 
mine also missed the same top area since day one. and that was 4 month ago. after 9000kms...
i never did anything about it till last week.
i call my dealer and service guy ordered me new blade. 3 days later he gave me a new one and it's not perfect, but much better than orignal one.
 
My dealer gave me a new blade and it did help as it will eventually wipe completely.

I bought an Anco brand wiper at Walmart and disassembled it. I used the stainless steel strips from the OEM blade to replace the Anco stainless steel strips, cut the Anco rubber down to size and installed it on the OEM frame. It seems that it will work, but haven't installed it yet.

We'll see....

Dave
 
Did you replace only the blade or the entire blade holder?


I replaced the blade holder- from the arm to the glass if that is what you mean. It looks a bit different than the OE blade (old school skinny vs aero style), but the glass is clean... most important in my winter driving. (wiggle)
 
had my blade for a year and a half....and no problems here. That being the case if your blade wasnt making proper contact then the blade holder (or whatever its called) should be covered under warranty. Sounds like a case of wiperitis to me. ;)
 
Now that I think, weather may be to blame as well. I have not changed it on my 06 and is still decently wiping (albeit that 1" on top that everybody mentions, but the 08 does the same thing). We get snow here but is not as frequent nor as cold as you guys up north.

Regardless, ask for a replacement for free. One of my liftgate struts failed 1-1.5 years after buying my 06 and they replaced under warranty. Yes, it is a moving part but regardless how much you use it should not fail that early IMO.
 
Wiper blades are covered 12mo/12k miles.

Otherwise the dealer can sell you a rubber only insert for $6.20

I think I used the Mazda value refill and cut it down to fit mine, they're only like, $4.00 or so.
 
I left the rear wiper on 'intermittent' mode for a week. The 'untouch' area is now greatly reduced. The rubber must have adjusted/worn to the shape of the glass.
 
my wiper is on random right now.. sometime it cleans, sometime it doesn't.. i just give up now...

on a side note.. my front windshield just had a kissie-kissie with a flying pebble on the highway and chip a tooth... small little scratch/crack.. have to bring it in to have them take a look and see if it's repairable.. i only have 2000km on it... damn it!!!!
 
now that the gravel-magnetic field has been broken by the first pebble hit, it won't attract any more pebbles until you replace the windshield ;-)
 
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