I think it's due to the "baby" wiper on the passenger side being poorly thought-out, but I get annoyed with the wipers whenever I use them. There's the way the baby wiper doesn't completely wipe into the path of the larger one when it swings left above the driver's field of vision, which results in stray drips running right down the middle of your line of sight, and there's the way the larger wiper simply tosses water off to the right (above the baby wiper), which is into the passengers line of sight.

It appears that the baby wiper should have been wider and it should swing across the window further to the left so it doesn't leave so much water close to the edge of the big wiper (causing it to just be tossed right back when the larger wiper swings down.)

Does anyone else experience this or were my wipers just installed a little off? It's driving my nuts.

 

Don't know about yours but shouldn't be much different from my '08. I changed blades to RainX Latitude, which I find does a better job than the conventional ones. Does your right wiper slap your windshield right edge? If so then you might want to adjust it a few notches towards the left. If not then maybe your blades are just a bit worn out.

 

We use the Rain-X blades on our Subaru, but my car is so new that there's no point changing blades yet.

The right wiper doesn't hit the edge of the window. My last car had little marks on the windshield to note where the blades were supposed to park. I don't see those on this car. I guess I could just move the small wiper up a little. It's not like those arms aren't meant to be removed, anyway. Now, getting around to it is another thing. ;-)

 

Yeah, just a few minutes tops. Not that complex. Pop the plastic cover, unscrew the nut and move the arm a few notches. Tighten and recheck sweep coverage. Then readjust as needed. That's what I did.

 

You make it sound so easy. (Read: quick) I seem to remember the Fit that I took on a test drive last year might have had the small wiper parked further up. Ugly, but maybe moving it will solve one of my gripes. Maybe I'll be able to find a replacement wiper that's wider, too.

 

Yeah not that big of a deal really. Careful on switching to a longer length though. The blade will stick out the side and top of your windshield. After you unscrew the nut, the wiper arm might not pop right off so you might have to wiggle it a bit. Good luck!

 

Very frustrating....

Besides the fact they only lasted 2 yrs (and I barely use them), the drivers side wobbles way too much, and is annoyingly noisy. I think there was a thread about the wiper assembly being loose and the dealer fixed it.

This is why I use Rain-X, so I don't have to use the wipers much.

 

Not frustrating. But I don't have ice and snow to contend with.

Down here they do a fine job. Replacement blades from Honda are cheap (about $5).

 

Well wipers don't wear out per usage only. They get brittle over time from exposure. That's when they become noisy. I use Rain X on my headlights also, besides the windshield.

 

Good point - BraytonAK if the blades don't seem to be positioned well a trip to service might just get them adjusted free [warranty]. Some of those assemblies were not secured properly. That shows up as a wobble on the pass blade. Some see it at idle. Positioned correctly they do a good job. Like Subie says, careful upsizing - better off w/ OEM sizes.

I use rainx washer fluid - OEM blades and replace them w/ OEM inserts yearly [$8/pair]

K_C_

 

Even the replacements I bought (brand new) are noisy. The passenger side shakes when in neutral at a light, then stops as I drive, the driver side doesn't shake anytime, but when it's on it's floppy.

On my old Acura hatch, I had the factory blades on for atleast 4 yrs before I had to replace em. I just cleaned em regularly.

I'm sure some of us have loose assemblies, I forgot to mention it when I had my Lost motion spring recall. I'm gonna bring it up the next time I bring it in along with the MPG service bulletin.

 

FitStir- i change my inserts (refills) very 6months on my dd's... that's the recommended change cycle. yours lasting 2yrs is phenominal!

as recommended above already, use some RainX on your glass to help rain water sheet off. it also helps the wipers from hopping. i found that some glass cleaners clean glass well that the blades catch the glass.

a quick and smear-free way to apply rain-x is:
1. clean the glass as you normally do.
2. spray rain-x into a paper towel and wipe onto glass in a circular motion. dont touch any of the seals cause they can turn white.
3. spray a light amount of water (i use distilled water) on the glass and wipe off haze using a glass MF towel.


i posted this in the fit blog a week or so ago, linky in the sig.

 

The nut tends to loosen over time specially when not tightened enough the first time. Just pop the plastic cover, loosen the nut, adjust the wiper arm as needed then tighten the nut. Just make sure the wiper arm is at it's rest position so you know how much to adjust to. Happened to me. Passenger side stopped working. Then had to readjust position after tightening the nut coz it was hitting the side rubber molding on the windshield.

 

Yeah, I think it was me (referring to using Rain-X), the others mentioned the Rain-X wipers (which I've heard mixed reviews about). I think the Rain-X is actually making the jumping occur more frequently could be my imagination though . I usually let it haze after applying, and buff it out w/o using water. My plastic trim and edges are slightly white in some spots, but that's due to my rushing the first time I waxed the car, I'm slowly geting rid of the spots though. lol

My problem I believe is either the arm is loose, or the wiper itself is not snug enough? It's not the end of the world, so when I have time I will look at it and see if tightening will fix anything.

When I was in HS (many many yrs ago), I had a summer job at an autobody shop (wished I learned more ), and my boss at the time said that an easy way to extent wipers life is to regularly clean the blades (tips) with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol. I'm sure this can't be good for the rubber (wrt drying out, etc.) I haven't been doing it to the Fit, but I'm guessing that's what made my old wipers (on my Acura) last over 4 yrs. Might try it with the next set of replacement inserts I just ordered and see what happens. Funny thing is that after the 2 yrs, the blade tips were still good, it's just the rubber was ripping away from the rest of the inserts.

thanks for the suggetions kenchan, and Subie.

 

Blades wore out, took it to Wally World ask the Tech what was the brand of blades he used on his car, told him to put the same on the Fit, work great, installed free. Will do the same next time.

 

Two things I've learned the hard way regarding wipers:-

During freezing rain, water lodging into the crevices of the wipers joints etc and get frozen during sub zero temperatures, the ice lodging in the wipers joints will expand rendering my wipers less than perfect condition the next time I use it.

I've never use wax if I use the touchless car wash because the wax solution being sprayed by the automatic car wash to the whole car will also cover the windscreen with wax creating streaks when activating wipers that are almost impossible to rectify.. this happened to my former accord and I've learnt my lesson. I will never use any automatic car wash on my FIT, period, be it touchless or otherwise

My 2 cents

 

I use RAIN-X regularly. I reapply RAIN-X to all car windows every month. I also use the same paper towel that I applied RAIN-X to wipe the wiper blades. This will extend the life of the wiper blades. However, I usually change the wiper blades every year (Summer).

 

doesn't rainx make washerfluid with a mild mix of their product? can't you use that instead?

i dont want to get rainx on the seals and plastics cause it turns them white so that's the only thing preventing me from trying their washer fluid...

 

I apply RainX to the Windshield about twice/year (usually before we take a trip somewhere) and then use RainX washer fluid in the winter (DeIcer). The rest of the year I use regular washer fluid. I find that the RainX lasts about 3-5 months without needing another coat and when commuting, I often don't need to use the Wipers at all. In the winter, it also helps with preventing Ice Build-up. My OEM blades have lasted me two full years so far and when it's time, i'll switch over to the RainX Latitude blades. Snow build-up is a pain when it freezes inside the frame of the wiper. Other than that I find the OEM blades last at least 3-5 years. finally changed the '06 Ridgeline blades out this summer.

~SB

 

I've used RainX for years and never had the white buildup you mentioned. Before RainX had washer fluid, I used to apply about 1/8 of a bottle to a gallon of washer fluid and it did the same thing.

~SB