Hiya last couple of days my wipers have gone really slow even on the fastest setting? any ideas

thank you in advance:)

9 times out of ten its the mechanism siezing up, cheap part to replace, the existing mechanism can be spilt and relubed splines are held in with circlips but sometimes they sieze in, or you can try some wd in the mechanism to try and make it last abit longer,

thanks:) looks like im going scrappy at the weekend

Thanks alot

Easy enough to clean up your existing mechanism. Remove the linkage, remove the circlips, sand down to remove the corrosion, pack with grease and reassemble. Refit, job done!

Hardest bit will be getting the wipers arms of the spindles and removing the scuttle panel.

If you have access to a grinder, once you have stripped the spindles out, grind a small flat along the length of the spindle. This will allow you to get a bit more grease inside when you put it back together and should help it last longer.

I must have fixed mine 4 years ago and they are still going strong (120k+ miles I would guess).

iirc there is a brass (?) bush at the top and bottom of the linkage with a gap in the middle so it should be possible pack a fair amount of grease in

This is one of mine after I cleaned it up:

I can remember I raised the issue with Skoda UK, and they wrote back to me explaining how corrosion occurs on exposed metal. I think they kinda missed the point!

I don't remember seeing a bush in the one I stripped, just the steel spindle running in an alloy casting which is a recipe for corrosion if ever there was one.

My little mod was something that an old mechanic friend (not one of these new fangled "technicians" ) told me that they used to do to prevent steel parts seizing up in alloy castings years ago. Seemed like a good idea so I did and seemed to work.

The mechanism that I took apart was from a 1998 A3, so perhaps by 2001 they had modified them, although obviously not that successfully as yours had obviously seized.

I know I did mine in a rush job, so maybe my memory is rubbish - was back in Dec 2006 according to those pictures. I had my car low-loaded back home from Porton Down in the rain one evening, fixed it and then had to drive up to Yorkshire the next day for work. I was getting worried and thought I might have to take a hire car and miss out on my 40p/mile :'(

I know I did mine in a rush job, so maybe my memory is rubbish - was back in Dec 2006 according to those pictures. I had my car low-loaded back home from Porton Down in the rain one evening, fixed it and then had to drive up to Yorkshire the next day for work. I was getting worried and thought I might have to take a hire car and miss out on my 40p/mile :'(

Porton Down you say...

I'm glad they finally resurfaced that road going across Porton Down. It must be one of the rare occasions when they actually raise a speed limit!

I can't believe we've never spotted eachother, because I travel between there and Yorkshire too! I'll keep my eyes peeled from now on...

Porton Down you say...

I'm glad they finally resurfaced that road going across Porton Down. It must be one of the rare occasions when they actually raise a speed limit!

I can't believe we've never spotted eachother, because I travel between there and Yorkshire too! I'll keep my eyes peeled from now on...

I don't work at Porton Down anymore, I am over at Boscombe Down on the airfield now... (I managed to remove a pheasant off the road around the side of the runway while travelling at approximately the NSL one morning when I was driving a company Focus ).

My trips to Yorkshire are somewhat limited now, no family up there, and no more company funded trips. You are much more likely to see me between Weymouth and BCE instead

I don't work at Porton Down anymore, I am over at Boscombe Down on the airfield now... (I managed to remove a pheasant off the road around the side of the runway while travelling at approximately the NSL one morning when I was driving a company Focus ).

My trips to Yorkshire are somewhat limited now, no family up there, and no more company funded trips. You are much more likely to see me between Weymouth and BCE instead

I've taken this way off topic, but yeah...

I've stuffed a Volvo 480 through that perimiter fence at Boscombe Down! You know the long sweeping off-camber bend at the end of the runway? Took out three of the concrete posts and a load of fence about 8 or 9 years ago. I see people still seem to do it most weekends!

I did some work experience in the rotary test wing at Boscombe, when it was still DERA.

Small world! Sorry to the OP, I'll switch to PM's now!