2002 kia rio wiper motor

They are notorious for breaking/springing a 'sprocket gear' or some sort thing; mine has been replaced twice ~$30 the second time; first was under warranty. Mine broke under heavy ice buildup at edge of window. You have to keep the back pressure on the arm at a minimum for these cheap gears, I guess ?????

luckily i just had to tighten a bolt this time. it came loose after heavy snow...

i hope i won't have anything else go on with this....

thanks for the info though....

The wiper arms on the Rios (at least on our 2002 Cinco) seem to be intentionally made to "strip" out of their driver mounts to help prevent ruining the gearing or motor for the wiper system.. We have had to replace an arm twice now, but the replacement is no big deal (once you get the part).. (about a 5 to 10 minute job)

Interestingly, my parents new Cadillac has the same sort of problem, and they have had to replace a number of wiper arms in the winter.... (They now carry a "spare" new arm in the trunk of the car...)

Overall, we have been very pleased with the Kia, and I have to say that they have stood behind their warranty in the few instances we have needed it, including the road side assistance..

We just purchased a second smaller car, a Hyundai Sonata, based on our experiences with the little Kia..

JM