I've been considering removing the rear wiper arm from my car for a while now, and was just after a few opinions from others.

The reason is because I think the car would look a lot cleaner without it (mk1 octy vRS), and that I rarely use it anyway.

The method would be to completely remove the arm and motor, and fit a black glass plug into the round hole left behind (something aimed at VW modders, but the plug should fit the octy). I would then be tempted to do something funny with the spare washer hose! Or something useful, or just plug it off.

I just think the wiper is ugly as hell and ruins the back end! What do you think?

FYI the pre-facelift mk1 octy didn't have a rear wiper, just the facelifted ones (including all vRS's).

Do it. Do it. Do it.

Done it, done it, done it. :P

My 02 RS came without a rear wiper. I was pretty gutted at the time when I found out it was an option, but managed without it.

Done it, done it, done it. :P

Dammit I wanted to be first! Is there anything you haven't done to your car!?

Do you ever miss it (the wiper)?

My 02 RS came without a rear wiper. I was pretty gutted at the time when I found out it was an option, but managed without it.

Oh right I thought they all came with one (standard option). Do you have the hole in the rear screen for it then? Or just a solid screen with no hole?

Do it. Do it. Do it.

Your enthusiasm scares me! So I better do it!

Ive been considering this as i never use it and it seems like its likely to cause problems. is the plug an available part from VAG?

You can get glass ones here:

Venom Motorsport Performance Car Parts - EBC Brakes, Black Diamond Brakes, FK Suspension, Eibach Suspension, Weitec Suspension, Supersport Suspension

Yes i've done it too and you won't miss it it to be honest,the rear window doesn't get grimed up like it does on a fabia,also i used the rear wash function too and it is now a basic water spray system for my fmic

I'd say it depends. The back of an Octy hatch doesn't really get wet above about 30mph, so how much time do you spend reversing in the rain?

I'd say it depends. The back of an Octy hatch doesn't really get wet above about 30mph, so how much time do you spend reversing in the rain?

Yeah that's exactly it Ken, once I'm moving I never touch the rear wiper as it just seems to avoid water! On the motorway for example, even in really really heavy rain, the rear screen just stays clear.

I only ever use the rear wiper if I'm sat in a carpark in the rain and I want to spy on somebody behind me! (that makes me sound weird! anyway....).

I think I can live without it, but I guess I can always put it back if I can't.

dsmithmobile - like the water spray idea! I was thinking maybe an extra water jet for the front screen. Rally style! Or inject loads of water into the exhaust, so I can blind people behind me with a cloud of steam (in a James Bond type fashion! (joke!)). Or headlight washers, or nothing probably.

dsmithmobile - like the water spray idea! I was thinking maybe an extra water jet for the front screen. Rally style! Or inject loads of water into the exhaust, so I can blind people behind me with a cloud of steam (in a James Bond type fashion! (joke!)). Or headlight washers, or nothing probably.

..or you could mount a jet under the nearside edge of your rear spoiler and squirt pedestrians as you drive past them....

(I've never done anything as immature as that myself, obviously)

As you've eluded to, go the who hog and get a pre-face lift bootlid and glass, spray it and fit and you're fully deleted without a gromit or stuck in bit of glass! If not, make sure you take out or block up the washer tubing so this doesn't leak water behind the scenes!

Some RainEx on the screen will help bead off water once you get some speed up.

If you want i can post a pic of mine as i don't have one.

My car is a import so they didn't come with one as well as a few over changes.

If you want i can post a pic of mine as i don't have one.

My car is a import so they didn't come with one as well as a few over changes.

Yes please mate. Does it have a metal/plastic/glass bung, or is the glass just solid?

Good idea Leeboy, but that sounds like alot of effort! Isn't the boot handle on the pre-facelift cars a different design? I'd remove the hose at the pump end of the pipework, and do something with it there so there was zero water in the hose to the boot. RainEx also a good tip. I polish my glass with AutoGlym glass polish, and that seems to make the water bead off beautifully. The water just blew off this morning!

Also, does anyone know how big the hole is in the glass? After reading a few how-too threads on mk4 forums, it looks like the mk4 golf hole is an inch in diameter. Am I correct in assuming this will be the same?

Cheers

..or you could mount a jet under the nearside edge of your rear spoiler and squirt pedestrians as you drive past them....

(I've never done anything as immature as that myself, obviously)

Jonathan .......Thats not stricly true is it now :rofl:

Shall I tell them ?????

Hahahaha yes tell us!

Anyone know the hole size then?

Beyond "big enough for the mount"? No.

Practical tip from when I despoilered a BX; Seal down the blanking plug with a smear of epoxy resin.

Here you go.

http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/jaymd1970/?action=view&current=IMG_1436.jpg

http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/jaymd1970/?action=view&current=IMG_1435.jpg

That looks so much better without the spazzy wiper!

Oh right I thought they all came with one (standard option). Do you have the hole in the rear screen for it then? Or just a solid screen with no hole?

It was an option on the 02 RS (Irish spec). There was no hole in the rear screen either. My 04 RS came with the rear wiper, but as I bought it when it was 6 months old, I don't know if the previous owner added it as an option.

Do you ever miss it (the wiper)?

NO!!

Can't see out the back anyway.

HTH

OK so I need a 25mm grommet then.....

Screw paying £25 for a fancy one, I'm going for the £1.50 pikey version for now! (Halfords Blanking Grommets 25mm from Halfords Was £1.59 Save £0.10 Price £1.49)

I'll pop up a photo hopefully this week, since the car is looking very clean right now.

I also found some other fancy aluminium ones too (Stopfen - Design - Heckscheibenwischer entfernen! gecleant - de-wipering plug). Might get one made up with a Skoda badge machined into it for 15Euros. But that sounds like effort....

Righto I've gathered all the bits I need now, but I can't pull the codding wiper arm off the wiper spiggot!

Can anyone recommend a good little 2 arm puller for pulling wiper arms off?

Halfords don't do one, and I can't think of anywhere else that would.

Merci!