After getting in my car when it was raining last night, I switched on the rear wiper to clear the screen, whereupon it moved about 2 inches and then stopped. The washer bit still works, but I had to manage with water on the rear screen until the heater cleared it :S

Is this a common thing / easy fix, or should I take it down the stealers to check it out? Hardly seems worth a special trip for a wiper...

After getting in my car when it was raining last night, I switched on the rear wiper to clear the screen, whereupon it moved about 2 inches and then stopped. The washer bit still works, but I had to manage with water on the rear screen until the heater cleared it :S

Is this a common thing / easy fix, or should I take it down the stealers to check it out? Hardly seems worth a special trip for a wiper...

do a search on here for rear wiper, covered many times.

yes it is common, it will be the rear wiper asm failing due to water ingress on the electrics inside it.

I would not take it to the dealer...£££.

Find a secondhand one or buy one new and fit it.

Mine has done this for over a year now. usually it gets to half way and then stops. i find that by taking it away from the window (i.e. bending the arm up as you would for changing blades) and then trying the wiper again, that it works as there is no resistance.

It is an intermittent problem and will come and go on my car. i'm sure i will have to bite the bullet and replace it at some time.

Mine has done this for over a year now. usually it gets to half way and then stops. i find that by taking it away from the window (i.e. bending the arm up as you would for changing blades) and then trying the wiper again, that it works as there is no resistance.

It is an intermittent problem and will come and go on my car. i'm sure i will have to bite the bullet and replace it at some time.

Yes still linked to the same issue. All you are doing when lifting the arm is causing the contacts in the wiper motor asm to shift slightly and then move past the point that caused it to stop.

They are a crud design. New ones cost arounf £90 which is a rip off, but most second hands ones will have the same problem or soon will have.

Mine had this.

If you're lucky, you will be able to open the gearbox, admire the brown crud in there, clean it up and regrease it.

I did this with mine, as it was practically stopping mid stroke. The gears inside are quite badly pitted and corroded though - Looks like screenwash has got in there at some point.

I stripped out the gears on the left, degreased and wirebrushed them and re-packed with high speed bearing grease.

Worled a treat.

This is a pic of one, not mine, think it's a golf. Mine was a lot worse.

Did the same twice to mine. still came back with the original problem after a while. The inner part has a metal pipe that takes the water to the washer jets that just corrodes and lets water in the mechanism.

Yep, that's what mine has done.

It's good to keep it going, but you will have to get a new one eventually.

From what I've heard, the golf has an extra brass pipe in the middle, because they have a different spray jet (golf stays still, octy spins with arm.), so won't fit the octy.

Isn't it fun having an older car? Not going to get rid of it though!

Just take the wiper asm off and plug it. That is what i am going to do next time mine fails.

See, I was gonna do that.

but... (me being a bit obsessive)

When it rains, you can see where the wiper used to be, and that would really bug me.

See, I was gonna do that.

but... (me being a bit obsessive)

When it rains, you can see where the wiper used to be, and that would really bug me.

Jez that is more obsessive than me, and that is saying something...

If you use some polish and then rain x should not get that wiper mark anymore.

I had this too and got inside the mechanism, cleaned it with WD40, waited for it to evaporate and plugged it all with grease. Never had a problem since.

I don't have to worry about it now anyway since the Superb doesn't have a rear wiper