Wiper question (wipers suck, esp. in snow)

[SmoothOp]

Is is just me, or does Tundra have some serious problems with the overall windshield cleaning design?

The wipers just seem totally inadequate in winter conditions. They collect snow at the center of the windshield where it hardenes into a block of ice, which then has to be removed manually every 10-20 miles or so (otherwise, they impede the wipers' movement). I have to stop, and squeegee the stuff away. Sometimes I even have to use the squeegee as a hammer just to get that block of ice loose.

Do I need a different set of wiper blades, some special washer liquid, or what? (I am already using the winter formula).

Not to mention that the blades will ice rather quickly, requiring frequent use of washer liguid to de-ice them, which often proves inefficient as well - it tends to de-ice only the lower half of the blade, leaving upper end still frozen, so I have to get out and clean them manually. In heavier snow the heater seems unable to keep up with defrosting the windshield all the way, leaving upper side and edges to collect snow and ice. (I am not even talking about door windows and mirrors - at a bare minimum I should be able to see at least what is directly in front of me ).

Efficiency in rain seems not very good, either. In rain the wipers tend to smear at higher vehicle and wind speeds. Looks like they don't have enough force to press against the windshield. I have tried those little spoilers that attach to the wipers, but haven't noticed much improvement. I have replaced the blades a few times (don't remember which brands/models), not much difference, either. (They seem to do a little better at first, but then the efficiency fades away pretty quickly.) So, it looks to me that there might be something wrong with the overall design, as opposed to just the blades.

Any suggestions?

PS. The above was from last winter's experience. I thought I get a head start before we get some real rain/snow here in NorCal.

[tremo]

Yes, the factory wiper blades suck. New PIAA wiper blades will solve your problems. They're not cheap, but you get what you pay for. I got mine from TruckPerformance.Com for $40 shipped (Black Finish, 18-inch Super Silicone Wiper).

Seee-ya,

Jim.

[keiphers]

Originally Posted by tremo

Yes, the factory wiper blades suck. New PIAA wiper blades will solve your problems. They're not cheap, but you get what you pay for. I got mine from TruckPerformance.Com for $40 shipped (Black Finish, 18-inch Super Silicone Wiper).

Seee-ya,

Jim.

I second the performance and quality of these wiper blades . They're the only wipers I'll let anyone in my family put on their vehicle now.

[sequoiasoon]

Years back CR did a test on wipers and the best ones were factory Toyota blades but still only lasted for about 6 months. Yup you should be changing them a couple times a year. Here's some things to help out. Anco and Trico make winter blades, your local auto parts should have no problem ordering if they don't carry them. The frame is covered by rubber which prevents the snow and ice from building up which causes them to only hit in one spot until you break up the ice. Many people seem to like the PIAA silicone blades but I've never tried them. A HUGE help is either Aquapel or Rain-x to keep the ice from sticking to the window. Here's a really cool thing but I think it was like $200 http://www.buyhotshot.com/default.asp For many years I have had heated fluid but it only works when the vehicle is warm. I took a LONG section of vacuum/washer line and 2 inline fittings. Cut the line coming out of reservoir, hook the new line into it, route over to upper radiator hose, wrap 12-15 turns and return and reconnect. Works EXCELLENT (but sometimes in summer you get a little trail of fluid down the hood due to the fluid expanding as the car sits).

303 also sells this http://www.303products.com/main.php?...wipertreatment so you can put it on the blades. Haven't tried it yet but its on the list.

Also as an afterthought, do you have a bug deflector? All the ones I've tried in the past totally wrecked the airflow for wipers and squirters. Excellent for rock chips and bugs but I could never wash my windshield over 40 mph and wipers always lifted off.

Found these also http://www.everblades.com/pages/2/index.htm

[PagalDesi4Life]

Tremo & Keiphers- I have the Piaa Wiper Blades and I have to say, I am a bit disappointed with them. Whenever it rains during the night, its kind of hard to see because the wipers produce a white glare on the windshield. It must be because of the "wipes" that Piaa had supplied with them. I've put the stock back on (had to buy new stock wipers from Toyota) and they don't produce the white glare as the Piaa's did.

[atrdnut]

I haven't had the priveledge (or pain) of driving in snow, but I was curious if anyone has tried Rain-x for the winter season... does it repel snow as it does rain? I would think it does, but I'm unsure.

[tremo]

Originally Posted by keiphers

I second the performance and quality of these wiper blades . They're the only wipers I'll let anyone in my family put on their vehicle now.

Dude, and based on your recommendation, I got mine!

Jim.

[file014]

How does ice collect on the windshield? Dont you have the defrost on? These trucks have heaters like a blast furnace. Mine is warm after about 2 minutes on a cold day. Unlike my tercel which never heats up. Wipers arent meant for breaking through ice! Mine suck in rain, but Im not expecting miracles out of them for ice and snow either. $40 for wiper blades is ridiculous. I think OEM refills are $3.50 from the dealer.

[PagalDesi4Life]

Originally Posted by file014

How does ice collect on the windshield? Dont you have the defrost on? These trucks have heaters like a blast furnace. Mine is warm after about 2 minutes on a cold day. Unlike my tercel which never heats up. Wipers arent meant for breaking through ice! Mine suck in rain, but Im not expecting miracles out of them for ice and snow either. $40 for wiper blades is ridiculous. I think OEM refills are $3.50 from the dealer.

One of the TS members bought the Piaa wiper blade refills and just used them on his stock blades. Keep in mind for those have a Sequoia, if you want to replace the rear wiper blade with an aftermarket one, consider that a no because the rear wiper blade has a stand that it sits on the edge of the side and its attached to the blade itself. Best bet for the rear wiper is to refill it with the stock insert or an aftermarket one if they make that size. I believe the rear is 14".

[KLS]

Smooth,
1) Take the face plate off the center of the dash and remove the wire from the air control knob assembly. That turns on the air conditioner everytime the air control is in the defrost or floor/defrost position. You'll have hotter defrost air. Any time you want the a/c on to de-fog, just push the a/c button.

2) Buy the rubber-booted winter wiper blades.

3) Buy windshield washer fluid with at least a -20°F rating.


Ken

[Stargazer]

Originally Posted by KLS

1) Take the face plate off the center of the dash and remove the wire from the air control knob assembly. That turns on the air conditioner everytime the air control is in the defrost or floor/defrost position. You'll have hotter defrost air. Any time you want the a/c on to de-fog, just push the a/c button.

I wouldn't do that. You WANT the a/c on when you are defrosting because it dehumidifies the air and removes condensation much more quickly. Just because the a/c is on doesn't mean that it's going to be cold. It's dependent on what setting your temperature control knob is at. By disconnecting that wire you'd have to push two buttons (defrost and a/c--twice as much work) for the same effect.

If you really don't want the a/c on, just turn it off after you press the defrost button. Why bother disconnecting wires?

BTW, all automotive a/c systems turn themselves off when the outside temperature gets too low (usually around the freezing point) so disabling the a/c is redundant in this situation.

[keiphers]

Originally Posted by PagalDesi4Life

Tremo & Keiphers- I have the Piaa Wiper Blades and I have to say, I am a bit disappointed with them. Whenever it rains during the night, its kind of hard to see because the wipers produce a white glare on the windshield. It must be because of the "wipes" that Piaa had supplied with them. I've put the stock back on (had to buy new stock wipers from Toyota) and they don't produce the white glare as the Piaa's did.

I don't use the PIAA stuff . I put it on the first time I got the blades and tried it by spilling water on it after letting it dry for a while. The performance was horrible. I've also tried Rain-X, but I've got a product I like a lot more. Go to West Marine or other boating stores or an RV store and look for a product called Rain View. My family has used it for years on all of our boats and cars. It works amazingly well. I vastly prefer it over Rain-X, although it is a little bit more expensive.

[e_j_m]

I spent more winters in upstate NY than I care to admit, and sometimes, there's nothing you can do to keep the ice off your windshield.

Rain-X is a good start, but after a storm, there's dirt on the windshield, and the next snow/ice sticks to that, and it just builds up from there.

Wipers aren't meant to act as snow shovels, and using them that way shortens their useful life span.

1) Clean the heck out of your windshield
2) Apply Rain-X
3) Buy a remote starter, and leave the defrost on high when you turn car off
4) Start car remotely 5-10 minutes before using, and let the defroster do it's job
5) Go to car, get window de-icer from inside truck, apply to ice on windshield
6) Use squeegee/scraper to get off any remaining ice
7) Use a good de-icer in your windshield reservoir

[akauth]

Actually, I've disconnected the a/c from my defrost setting and I'd suggest that to everyone. In actual use I've found that the drying effect is not really needed beyond the first 15 to 30 seconds most of the time when it is actually needed. And having the A/C dry the air definitely does take away from the heating effect and will show up in the gas mileage. (Though a lead foot shows up a lot more.......)

There are times (usually on damp and cold rainy days with lots of people in the vehicle or wet gear) that you'll need to keep the A/C on to keep drying the air to pull the condensation off the windows but that's not very often and you can just leave the A/C on in those cases. Other than that you'll find you only need to have the A/C on for at most a minute to dry the air hitting the window on startup. After that it's a drag on the heating.

But other than those specific high humidity cases, it's very noticable when you turn the A/C off while the heated defrost is on. You need to bump the defroster heat higher to compensate (or turn off the A/C). The vehicle does heat up faster inside if you don't have the A/C on when defrosting. The only way you'd know this is would be if you disconnect the defrost tying functionality.

The A/C is like an runner fast out of the blocks and the heat is quite a bit slower out of the blocks. If you let them both go at the same time the AC over powers the heat and the vehicle takes longer to heat up. Eventually the heat overcomes the headstart the A/C has and wins in the end. So I prefer to just turn my air on manually the few times that I actually need it to dry the air hitting the windshield (which isn't often). And when you do, just pop the air on and it's dry in about a minute and you can then shut the A/C off for the rest of the trip.



Alan

Originally Posted by Stargazer

I wouldn't do that. You WANT the a/c on when you are defrosting because it dehumidifies the air and removes condensation much more quickly. Just because the a/c is on doesn't mean that it's going to be cold. It's dependent on what setting your temperature control knob is at. By disconnecting that wire you'd have to push two buttons (defrost and a/c--twice as much work) for the same effect.

If you really don't want the a/c on, just turn it off after you press the defrost button. Why bother disconnecting wires?

BTW, all automotive a/c systems turn themselves off when the outside temperature gets too low (usually around the freezing point) so disabling the a/c is redundant in this situation.

[tremo]

Originally Posted by KLS

Smooth,
1) Take the face plate off the center of the dash and remove the wire from the air control knob assembly. That turns on the air conditioner everytime the air control is in the defrost or floor/defrost position. You'll have hotter defrost air. Any time you want the a/c on to de-fog, just push the a/c button.

2) Buy the rubber-booted winter wiper blades.

3) Buy windshield washer fluid with at least a -20°F rating.

Ken

I assume you mean "turns OFF the air conditioner" when you disconnect the wire?

I noticed the following during late summer this year...

If you put the air control on Defrost/Floor and have the A/C switch OFF, you still get cool (variable via temp control) A/C air from the far left and right vents and not air from the middle vents. This is perfect for those "in-between days" like we often have here in CO during the late summer/early fall.

With this setting, the A/C comes on (despite the switch being OFF) as the truck will idle a bit higher/oscillate as it normally does when the A/C switch is on.

So, the Defrost setting on the air control already uses the A/C.

Seee-ya,

Jim.