Rubbing down a rubber wiper blade.

Replace them, a year is good for a wiper blade.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks. But i dont use the car much about 5K a year, so they have not had much use at all. And it has sort of got my curiosity going now about how I might fix them.

IME that's more likely to be a greasy deposit on the screen, rather than a blade fault.

Use an abrasive glass cleaner if you have some, or an abrasive bath cleaner such as Cif.

Chris

I think you would have to know how important (to good wiping) a clean, sharp (square cut?) edge was, plus, what (negative) impact any 'set' in the rubber itself had (that you probably couldn't do much about)?

The only way I can think of re ensuring a consistent edge would be to run it longwise over some very fine 'wet', wet an dry on a flat surface. The problem would be getting the pressure consistent across the whole blade but if you got the pressure 'right', the natural pressure equalisation of the blade design itself should help.

Never done any of the above myself but you have little to lose by trying stuff eh. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Are you sure the wiper hinge is free to move? If the blade is not pressed to the screen as it should be then you will get streaky bits.

I'd a feeling wiper blades are coated with something which wears off rendering them near useless. As I've never been able to see any difference between a good one and one which judders, etc.

I knew there would be something:

It's not much to do with the amount of "use" they get. UV light affects them.

Replace them. Wiper blades are dirt cheap.

^^^^This. We have two cars. Mine does 16-18k a year, a depressing amount of it using wipers. SWMBO's does probably under a thousand, and her wiper blades need replacing about half as often as mine, despite them being obviously rarely used by comparison.

I can recommend

Some blades - definitely Valeo, probably others - have a little sticker on one blade. Peel the cover off when you fit 'em, and when it changes colour, it's time to replace them. I've seen people say "oooh, WAAAAAY too often, just a money-making scam" - but the last set I had with the dot, it was bang on the money. When it changed colour, they were definitely going off.

Going slightly OT ... I had 4 motorcycle inlet manifold carb connector tubes that were rubber and supposed to be 'rubbery' but had gone hard. A mate had a container of something pretty nasty he dipped them in for a few seconds and they came out all rubbery again. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Thinners will do that or gunk hydro seal, but it is only temporary. I used to sell loads of those inlet rubbers for Suzukis. Cars rarely have them, but polos with carbs did, and they split, old porsches too.

I first saw this on genuine Ford blades about 15 years ago. I also thought it a scam, but agree that it worked out about right.

Chris

I'm pretty sure it was none of those things as he was very careful when lifting the lid off the container and not touching the liquid when dunking the tubes (he threaded them on a wire to do it then washed them in the sink straight afterwards). It may have been a liquid with another liquid floating on the top to keep the stuff underneath 'covered'?

I've not checked them lately to see if they are still flexible and this was a good few years ago now. ;-)

This was an old Kwaka GPZ550.

Sounds about right.

Cheers, T i m

Loudspeaker people - faced with the rubber surround to the cone going hard

- swear by brake fluid.

Hydro-seal (or something like that), 4 gallon steel container with a steel lid, liquid on top to keep the nasty stuff hidden and safe, the stuff underneath is seriously bad for breathing, eyes etc. I used to know what the chemical was and had some many years ago when dismantling engines was common, it was as good as blast cleaning on pistons, con rods etc. also useful to expand cush drive rubbers for sprocket carriers. I don't remember getting rid of it, so it may stll be hidden away somewhere.

Yup, that sounds like the stuff then.

Ah, yes.

Have you checked in your (suitably marked and locked) 'chemical store' MrC? .

Cheers, T i m

It's amazing how many people don't realise that there often are 'special lubricants' (and treatments) and 'solvents' for most things.

Like, how many grab the WD40 instead of a 'proper' lubricant or penetrating oil.

I have most lubes for most things (ooooh missus ) including Red Rubber grease and I think I have something for cataput rubbers. Now, the latter could easily be brake fluid in a fancy can ... ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. I used some very waterproof grease, designed for prop shafts and steering tubes, on the washing machine I got off Freecycle 7 years ago. From the factory the bearings lasted 13 months. After I rebuilt it (using said grease) it lasted a further 7.5 years and we only just had to replace it because the steel drum had sheared off it's mount. ;-( (I used sealed bearings but removed the seals facing each other and half filled the void in between with said grease). No chance of the bearings becoming starved of lube and a pinhole halfway up the bearing casing ensured any water that did get in there ran off. ;-)

I shall do that if I ever replace my wm bearings again. they tend to last 5 years or so at present and the machine is now over twenty, so if anything major goes the machine will be replaced.