I have a 2001 Zafira which came with a LHD wiper pattern from new, which sweeps the passenger side right up to the pillar but leaves a wedge of unswept screen on the driver's side. I have noticed that new Zafiras have the correct RHD wiper pattern and would like to convert mine. Has anyone tried this or does anyone know if it is a straight swap of wiper arms - it *looks* like s straight swap. Don't want to spend £££s and then find there's a snag!
I could just ask the Vauxhall dealer, but I value the opinion of the members of this group more!
We had the 'field fix' carried out on our 2002 car back in 2003. While the new wiper linkage made the wipers sweep a bit better arc on the drivers side, (without the wipers colliding) it was not the fix VX should have done. Next time I am in town, I will nip into the showroom and eyeball a new zafira linkage because like you anything is better than the current swept pattern.
Just to clarify - on the new Zafiras the driver's side wiper arm sits on top, whereas on mine the passenger side sits on top. I was figuring that relacing the arms with the newer type would fix the problem without fiddling with the linkage - i.e. the driver's side would start off fusther up the screen. I would be interested to know what the "field fix" entailed though, I have never heard about it, and producing a proper RHD set of wiper arms seems like a much more sensible solution (and an easy switch), although like all things, what seems simple may not be in practice.
I am not sure about the new setup but I gather you are saying that the new arms are cranked in some way so that the passenger side sits below the drivers when parked. I know when I was adjusting the arm position relative to the splined mounting spindle I ended up causing the blades to collide and bend once the glass was dry after a shower of rain. I knew the tips of the blades would be close when tested but in practice ........ :-(
Field fix was:-
Field Remedy : 1384
Subject : Windscreen Wipers - Insufficient swept area at "A" -Pillars Models : Zafira 99 - 2002 Engines : All Options : RHD
Complaint : Insufficient Cleaning Area Cause : Wiper arm has insufficient radius of action.
Remedy : Replacement of the complete windscreen wiper system against an improved one, for RHD vehicles only.
Procedure :
Disconnect negative terminal of battery.
Disassemble wiper arms.
Remove windscreen wiper motor with linkage.
Install modified windscreen wiper motor with linkage.
Adjust the wiper arms in such the way that the distance between lower windscreen trim and the right wiper blade is 32 mm and the distance between lower windscreen trim and the left wiper blade is 88 mm .
Connect negative terminal of battery.
Check operation of wiper with splash water.
Check wiper settings to specification, if necessary adjust wipers again.
Program volatile memories.
Spare Parts : Wind screen wiper motor with linkage and wiper arms.
Part No. : 13105168 Catalogue No. : 90 97 492
Functional Group : N-Electrical Equipment Complaint Group : Poor Performance
The costs for this repair will be covered for vehicles not older than 3 years and a mileage lower than 100.000 km.
The regular warranty procedure should be used for claiming Set-up-time.
Yes - the driver's side appears to be cranked and the passenger side straight - the reverse of the original setup, hence the driver's side is on top of the passenger side - this is from observing several driving towards me in the rain!
That's really helpful thanks. I *think* the sweep of driver's side wiper on mine has got worse recently. There is no obvious play in the linkage, but I have just noticed that the driver's side wiper parks on the rubber surround, so I will try adjusting both arms to the distances advised in the field fix (and bear in mind your comments about blades colliding!). I realise it still won't clear properly, but it may improve things a bit while I figure out if a wiper arm replacement is worth while. At the moment it is dangerous, as I am a tall and have the seat right back - together with the screen pillar it leaves a huge blind spot.
Sorry can't tell you as I now have a Zafira B on which the wipers work as they should have done on the Zafira A. I would have thought that by now there will be lots of Zafira Bs in the scrap yards and hence a pair of wipers could be had cheaply enough to give it a try.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.