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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - cleaning wiper blades?

any tips for what to use to remove traffic film and general accumulated muck from the rubber blades please, that won't smear the screen when next used in rain?
David Smith

screenwash then drag a razor blade along the rubber
Mick - still wiring!!

David,

try meths - if you're pushed it also works as an antifreeze for the washers in winter.

Jeremy
Jeremy 3

David,
I normally clean wiper blades with (Autoglym) (blue) Glass Polish

if the wiper blades are new(ish) it could be rubbish rubber I bought some new Tex in November for the midget and they were useless from the start, one in particular left arches of rain water on the screen

also the Borsch set I put on my wife's car around the same time has one that gives dry scape noises even when screen though the screen is wet

both windscreens I 'cut' with (Halfords) cutting polish stuff to check it was the rubber as both screens have always had Rain-X (or Halfords equivalent last time as the original wasn't on their shelves at the time) - my wife's car is on it's third screen and the Midget was replaced

this weekend I put another new set of Tex wiper blades from a different supplier but it's been sunny since so I don't know if they're better, they looked rougher than the ones I took off

Nigel Atkins

Washer fluid plus a thumbnail down each side and the edge. The only really important bit is the corners of the edge.

My experience is that RainX works without wipers, but wipers suck with RainX. Spray on car wax from car washes is awful, if you indulge in that.

If the glass is old, it gets micropits from road dirt, which harbour oil, which smears forever. Worth having an "accident" if you have insurance, or even if you have to pay if you drive a lot. Some insurance companies have figured out that it is cheaper to pay for a pitted screen than for the wreck you have because you can't see. I've been surprised several times when I replaced a cracked screen that was "good", because the new one was so much better - and the same wiper blades were suddenly healed!

FRM
FR Millmore

thanks all - it was meths that I was after, remember now!
It's for a racer (of course) - we're doing a 6 hour endurance in the Porsche 924 in a couple of weeks and I'm expecting it to be wet so into final preparations.
Should have said NMC...
David Smith

I heard a CRAZY tip this weekend you might try

Mayoniese... Yepp the hamburger spread

I heard you smear it on over bugs, bird poo, and tar... Let it set up for about 15 minutes then buff it off... If it works on the car body, id try it on the wipers

Anyway crazy i know, give it a try and let us know

Seriously... Im not kidding or trolling, but heck i belive anything... I do have blond hair

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

mayonaise is oil and egg mixture

wouln't put oil on the glass or wipers
Mick - still wiring!!

...and you normally find it in the rocker box !
David Cox

To add to Nigel and FRM's comments about the importance of a clean, smooth glass surface and its role in the effectiveness of the wiper blade performance:

A super clean windscreen is what you want to start with.

I don't know if you have a kitchen product in the UK called Bon Ami, but it is what GM and Toyota use in their wiper labs to prepare windshields for wiper testing (GM even has a part number for it so you can buy it from the dealer, and I've seen several owner's manuals which refer to using it to treat poor wiping quality before deciding whether to replace the rubber inserts).

In Japan, there is a product called Kiro Been (I don't know the correct spelling, but that's how it is pronounced, keero been), which is essentially Bon Ami in a paste form. It comes in a bright yellow bottle, is sold in auto parts stores for cleaning windshields. Nippon Denso uses it before their wiper testing (Denso is one of the world's largest wiper suppliers).

The advantage of using Bon Ami over, say, a fine auto body paint polish is that there is no soap, or any wax in it, just a very fine powder that is controlled to a very small particle size so that it will only polish, and never leave a scratch and no residue. It is important not to use just any kitchen scouring powder, as most have soaps, perfumes, oils and or poor particle size control and WILL scratch or leave behind residue you don't want. Only Bon Ami is recommended for glass (although it says on the label, "not for glass", which makes me laugh, knowing that we've used in for our wiper testing for over 20 years and I know for a fact that other car companies have used it for far longer than that). I use it on my own cars any time my wipe quality suffers, and usually find that even old rubber wipes well after using it.

After cleaning a windshield with Bon Ami, one that has collected tree sap, diesel exhaust paraffin and car wash wax on it from the outside world, the improved water beading and rubber wiper wiping performance can be quite amazing to behold.


Norm
Norm Kerr

Thanks Norm,

Bon Ami is avaialable in the UK - costs about £5 for a 14oz jar.

Jeremy
Jeremy 3

Thanks for that Norm, where were you 40 years ago? Could have saved me a lot of hours!

Bon Ami is feldspar, and there is quite a wonderful side trip for folks in New Hampshire - the whole top of a mountain which was the former one and only mine for Bon Ami. Great place for rock freaks!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruggles_Mine

FRM
FR Millmore

until the last 12 months I've not had windscreen wiper problems and I've been using Rain-X on different cars for a good few years now

with the older cars the windscreens don't lay back far enough for the Rain-X to bead the water off enough until higher speeds, it does reduce the use of the wipers though, it’s main benefit is keeping the screen cleaner for longer and making the screen easier to clean when required – I also put Rain-X on all exterior glass to help them keep cleaner longer and easier to clean

to clean the screen and other exterior glass I use cheap paper towels (expensive ones are too absorbent) and a spray bottle containing an expensive magic formula, well that’s what I tell people, it’s actually 95%+ tap water with some standard screen washer/antifreeze and a small squeeze of Rain-X rejuvenator (from a much higher concentrate than they sell now, I’ve had the bottle years)

I also add a splash of the Rain-X rejuvenator to the car’s washer bottle and never use the wipers on a dry screen and as has been put thorough clean glass before applying Rain-X the first time

my wife lets me know when the windscreen on her modern car needs replenishing with Rain-X as she finds it very useful

with her present (new 5 years ago) car it’s the first car we’ve ever had to replace the windscreen on, it developed a stress fracture, not that the car manufacturer would admit it, then a month after that the new windscreen got a chip that caused the screen to crack so that was replaced – the Midget screen was changed by choice as it was so pitted
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 16/04/2012 and 17/04/2012

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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