Vinegar smells bad. But I had a detail guy at a Porsche dealership tell me to use it, and that the carbination bubbles help it take the film off better. It's not a clearer, it removes the film left from road grime, bug residue, etc. It DOES work...been doing it for years!

 

Rain-X and stock wipers work fine for me. I live in CA and it did rain here once.

Other than disintegrating in the middle of Kansas, I haven't had any issues with the OEM (or whatever brand I replaced them with when it started snowing in AZ)

 

Bon Ami is what most manufacturers (auto/glass) reccomend.

Bulletin Number: 61 02 94 (3990)
Noisy Wipers, Poor Cleaning: Group 61 Electrical

Woodcliff Lake, NJ
May 1994
Product Engineering

SUBJECT:
Windshield Wipers Are Noisy Or Do Not Clean Properly

MODELS:
All

Situation:
Windshield wiper blades may start to make noise, or fail to clean the windshield properly, even though the blades are not worn and are properly adjusted.

This can be caused by contaminants on the glass, such as oily road deposits or wax residues from car washes. These contaminants can cause the blades to chatter across the glass or fail to wipe cleanly.

Correction:
Common contaminants that are not removed by conventional glass cleaner can be cleaned with Bon Ami(R), a household cleaning product.

The cleaner should be applied on a wet cloth or sponge and the windshield must be thoroughly and evenly scrubbed. Wipe off residue with a clean,dry cloth before the product dries on the glass.

Warranty Status:
Information only.

 

Thanks Yucca Patrol & Liquid for the breakdown of what it does.

 

Never had the streaking problem w/the OEM, but when I recently replaced my wiper blades, I purchased the Bosch ICON wiper blades. They work well.

 

I've had my car for almost 2 years, and have only had issues with my wipers once. I got into a pretty intense snowstorm on the way back from california and the snow piled up pretty heavily under the wing on the driver's side wiper, rendering it useless. Other than that (very distressing and dangerous) incident, mine have been fine.

 

do you still have the stock air in the tires?
do they use metric air up there in Canadanada?

 

 

the wipers on our cars are like toys, but they do the job well.

 

maybe its not the wipers but the angle of the windshield... it is fairly upright if you compare it to most cars on the market today.

 

I'm kind of surprised about this thread...
A couple of weeks ago I came home after a nice driving during a heavy rainstorm in NJ and I was telling my wife that my MINI was the best car I've ever driven in the rain.
(Yes, I know the time delay option is kind of marginal)
No problem whatsoever with the OEM wiper blades. I have RainX in the reservoir but very seldom use it. (I wash my MINI too often).
I dry the windshield with chamois afterwards, though...
So far, fine with me...

 

I used Rain-X once on my first car wash from when I got my car last fall and it is still working really well.

 

I don't know about rain, but while driving my new car from Utah to Seattle, the wipers + fluid did nothing for the many bugs stuck to the windshield. We had to stop every couple of hours at a gas station and clean off the windshield. I hope these things work better for rain, but judging by other people's problems, I don't have my hopes up.

 

I've never had problem one with the performance of MINI wiper blades. Their longevity isn't the greatest, but they work super in the rain. Based on that, I'd be suspicious about someone (a rookie at the dealership?) applying wax (or something) to the windshield...that'd really goof things up. Even if that weren't the case, I'd still suspect the glass as much as the blades.

 

I keep my wipers clean and the windshield nicely waxed so not too many things have a chance to stick on it. For the summer bug months most retailers will sell a slightly different windshield washer solution...usually greenish in color...to aid in the removal of bug guts. The differnece between the solutions is the point at which they freeze and the bug removal additive.

 

I use Fantastik Orange, or the Zep equivalent, on my wiper blades. Spray it on a clean rag or paper towel. Cleans off the accumulated grime very well, and unlike glass cleaner, you don't have to be as careful about it getting on the paint (although I try to keep it off). Glass cleaners? Ammonia and paint do not go together.

Zip

 

^^^^ Yep, Silblades do suck. 3 cars worth of experience on that.

 

What did you hate about Silblades? I'm considering what to get, and wondering about the extreme opposite opinions on Silblades. There are many rave reports and a few completely negative, and it seems nothing in the middle.

 

go here, read:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...39#post2536439

 

No one has mentioned windex and newspaper to clean the windscreen, Window cleaners swear by newpaper instead of rags or or paper towels. They say there is a chemical in the paper (ink?) that makes it completely streak free. I have always used it and it works a treat. Peter

 

I've been using Rain-X. But this is rainy season how. It's difficult to keep a layer of Rain-X on my windscreen all the time, and from time to time, it is necessary to use my wiper blades. The blades also take the Rain-X off so as it wears, it leaves streaks on the windshield. So it's either clean all the rain-X off the windshield or keep applying it on.

I am using the stock windshield wipers, but everytime I bring my car in for oil service (once a year), the dealer automatically replaces the rubber blades (refills). I like the looks of the stock blades and they work adequately.

 

+1. Used to detail cars when I was in college, and this is all we found that really worked for cleaning. I wish the car washes today used it....

 

It rained the first week after I picked up my MINI and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the wiper blades worked. The rear blades are tiny (I have a Clubman, so the windows are teeny, too...) but they seem to do the job, too.

I have to agree about the bug guts, tho... The stock wiper fluid and wiper combo seemed to create a permanent blob on the window.