Is there any way to increase the pressure of the rear wiper blade on the window -- short of buying a new wiper arm? It's a little too short to bend. ('97 Outback)
Sheldon
Weak rear wiper
Jan 17, 2008
5 Replies
Hi, Arm pivot may be sticky. Free it up.
While I was able to simply repaint my front wipers after getting rid of the rust and get better wipers (8-point supports rather than just
4) to keep them from skipping while driving, I had to replace the rear wiper because it would not apply sufficient pressure against the window even with the better wiper. Even applying oil to lube the pivot didn't help. Bending the arm didn't help because that did not increase the pressure of the blade against the window. I had to buy a new wiper arm. Ever since my rear window gets cleaned a lot better.
You want Snuggies. They clip onto the wiper arm and press it against the window. It worked like magic on the rear window of my old Loyale.
However, I tried it on my mom's '96 Legacy wagon several years ago and the wiper motor had a tough time moving the arm with the extra tension.
Anyway, I found them at Napa. You may be able to find them elsewhere.
Regards, Dave Riesz
Found those described at
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but I couldn't find them at
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when searching on "snuggies". I did find them by just searching on "wiper" and guessing that "tensioner" might be it. Looks like they're listed at:
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Thanks for the tip. I found them at NAPA, and while it's a bit difficult fitting them to the shorter rear wiper it does work better. Two on a card and only about $4. I'm sure I saved a bundle over a new OEM arm.
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