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Wiper blade lengths.

Hi all,

I bought a pair of new wiper blades yesterday and apparently the reg lookup database suggested a 2004 Meriva 1.6 'Life' takes a 22 and 24" blades (on the front), so that's what we were given.

When I went to replace them I noticed the old blades were both 24" (and had worked fine for years) and that's also what most on-line suppliers seem to suggest?

The guy who supplied them replaced the 22" with a 24" ... but seemed convinced he had provided the right (asymmetric) combo in the first place?

So ... and really only OOI (as what we have 'works' again as such) anyone able to shed any light on what is the *correct* setup and why please?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m
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What is correct is what works for you. If it can take 24" and it clears without colliding, then that's perfect.

Reply to
johannes

Ok.

(As happened on my mates Saab 900 when one wiper blade ripped the other off the arm and threw it onto the pavement!). ;-)

Sweet. I was just making sure there wasn't something I'd missed (especially as the shop parts system suggested the different sizes).

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Unless you have a crack near the edge of the sweep: IIRC the MOT fail is a (big enough) crack within the swept area :-)

Reply to
newshound

;-)

However, the story continues ...

On the way home this evening we set off in a hailstorm and after some maybe 5 minutes of constant wiper use (and after a good bit of use since replacing them in all sorts of conditions (barring hail)) they got caught up and did so another couple of times before I could find somewhere safe to stop a check them. ;-(

The end of the n/s blade had been damaged but luckily I still had the old / good blade in the boot so swapped them over and the old blade was fine for the rest of the journey.

I'll put the old and new blades side by side just to see if there is any real difference and if there is, maybe try to get another set of the original (24") ones (as they have been on there and fine for years).

So, maybe the guy ('s system) at the parts place was right in giving me a 22 and 24" blade but being 6'2" and looking out of the top of the screen really appreciate that bit being swept.

I wonder if the splines on the arms are fine enough for me to take the o/s blade up one notch to get it further away from the other blade (and still not have it hit the o/s edge of the screen)?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

different makes of blades can vary from the nominal size by a half inch or so, maybe before you had something shorter, this time something longer. The adjustment is infinite, they are not directly splined.

Reply to
MrCheerful

That was my thought.

Oh, I thought they were? I'm pretty sure daughters Corsa C had definite positions as I marked the windscreen with tape prior taking the wiper mech out to fit the pedal-box-leak and when I refitted the arms they defiantly went back into the original positions or not (that placed it a good way off at the end of the blade). I though it was the same on the Meriva but I can't remember what I took them off for? Pollen filter change possibly?

Or do you mean the wiper arm drive is splined but the arm itself not (from new), effectively creating one as you bolt the arm up?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

the steel drive is 'splined' but the aluminium arm can be put on anywhere and will take up the splines at any location, certainly there will be marks from the last fitment, but you can over-ride those.

Reply to
MrCheerful

Check. Thanks.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Never realised that, learn something new every day.

Reply to
newshound

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