Very noisy rear wiper on my 2021 Fabia 95 SEL estate.

[hetty1]

    Hello ,

 

         i have had a very noisy rear wiper since I got the car in July 2022. IT does work every time  as does the rear washer but it sounds awful., a real screeching noise. I didnt bother trying to invoke  the Skoda used car warranty as its a consumable wear and tear item and not covered. I dont use  the wiper that much as I can pick and choose when I use the car as I  am retired but if I was driving in all conditions as I used to be  I would definitely have taken it to my independent. I had to use it today and it sounded like a buzzsaw so I  spent some going  through the various possibilities, The blade didnt look grubby but I cleaned it anyway  between the leaves with an old( but clean) toothbrush. I made sure to use hot water and i regularly dipped the brush into the jug with the hot water.The brush had a black residue afterwards which I couldnt shift. I didnt have any white vinegar nor any rubbing alcohol, they are are not things I have need of  in the house . I did make sure that  the rear screen was really wet and took it out and tried it and it was just more of the s

 

              I used the rear washer a lot when on the test run to ,make sure the screen remained wet and the noise  did improve slightly while the blade was in contact with the wash mixture but it was a very brief improvement.  I went onto an Audi website before posting this and a noisy rear wiper did feature on that site on the Audi A1 and others. Some posters on that site said said the blade fittings were reversible and changing the blade around solved the problem. I tried this but it didnt help.   I am ruling out wiring problems for the wiper because  it has worked first time  every single time I have used the stalk control albeit with an  accompanying infernal noise.     It is definitely the noisiest rear wiper I have ever had.

 

            On the balance of probablities I think   it will be the blade and my cleaning hasnt hit the spot.  I have had no  problems at all with the front wipers and they get used a lot more.  I suppose the fronts could have been changed by Skoda UK as they were the first owner but why not change  the rear in that case? I  looked at the checksheet from the dealership done before i got the car and there was nothing at all about wipers, front or rear. I shall take it into my independent this week as I know they wont rip me off and will be honest with me and if its a new blade so be it.

 

           Look forward to  reading your responses

[Warrior193]

Hello Hetty, treat yourself to a new rear wiper blade - I can recommend Viper or Bosch. Consider new front blades too if you are getting any streaking when they are operating. 

[rum4mo]

Absolutely, I've never waited until wiper blades get that bad, it is one thing expecting quite a few years of use out of wiper blades on a car that gets garaged and is only outside for short periods, but another for cars left outside at all times, sunlight will be the main reason that they go hard.

[KenM]

Our local Halfords have a good range (Bosch, own brand and another I can't recall ATM), and reasonable priced too. My car is parked outside in all weathers, and I replace all wiper blades about this time of year (in the run up to autumn / winter weather).

[jeallen01]

Personally I always use Valeo blades as I've found them to almost always be very quiet.

 

OTOH, could the noise be coming from the wiper motor itself?

 

In which case, dribbling a little thin oil down the shaft might help, or else the motor needs changing. Over the years, I've had a number of faulty VAG motors and had to replace them - but I would advise avoiding replacements from GSF as I had 2 replacements in a row from them before they finally refunded my money, and I then bought a replacement from ECP which didn't give any trouble!

 

PS: In any case, you do have to make sure that the screen is VERY clean as any traces of dirt or grease can result in noisy wiping.

Edited 25 September, 2023 by jeallen01

[rum4mo]

I used to aim to replace like for like, sometimes that meant Bosch and  sometimes that meant Valeo. On my younger daughter’s 2019 SEAT Arona, I thought that they were Valeo, but the price for Valeo wipers for that specific car were crazy when compared with the correct Bosch offering - which were slightly longer than the originals, but fitted and work perfectly.

 

I think that VW Group, for newer cars tend to fit GM or is that MG, ie General Mogul/ Mogul General which include Champion!

[jeallen01]

I've had more noise from Bosch wipers than from Valeo ones - but maybe the Bosch ones bought from general retail outlets, rather than from VAG dealers, could be "somewhat inferior" "seconds"???

NB: our nearest VAG dealers are much further away than retailers like Halfords .

 

OTOH, I didn't seem to have that issue with Valeo blades bought from retail outlets.

FWIW, I won't buy "cheap" blades, as experience showed that they'll probably be noisy and I'd then have to replace them as above - a classic example of "buy cheap, buy twice"!

Edited 25 September, 2023 by jeallen01

[rum4mo]

My point wrt the pricing of Valeo wipers for the SEAT Arona was that they were unusually more expensive for the "exact fit" aftermarket versions for that specific car when compared with the price of Bosch "exact fit" aftermarket ones, for most cars Valeo aftermarket and Bosch aftermarket are the same price or close, just what I discovered when pricing new aftermarket wipers for that Arona.

 

Also, but not relevant here, the recently released Valeo bacterial pollen filters for that specific car are seriously more expensive than the similar established item from Mann - but I put that down to just because that model of car and its other VW Group stablemates, are reasonably new to the market place and so prices might level out given time.

 

I too don't plan to buy cheap or not so cheap "fit all using suitable adaptors" wipers, in fact I've found that buying NOS genuine VW Group wiper blade packs, can mean not paying much money - but doing that involves a bit more time and patience than I'd normally have.

 

Remember Bosch is or was, or can be, a factory supplier of wiper arms and blades, just like Valeo can be.

 

 

Edit:- my additional comments about "Valeo bacterial pollen filters" is probably total ba--ocks - I was thinking about Mahle's newish offerings, so ignore that bit.

 

Valeo, in terms of their at least rear lighting assemblies that they manufacture for SEAT, have a very high failure rate in that they end up leaking, now you could say that that is down to SEAT desiring classy/stylish rear lighting cluster designs, but most smart manufacturers would try to force their customer to change their designs if it looks like the final assemblies will end up failing and so, in some way give the supplier a bad name.

Edited 26 September, 2023 by rum4mo

[Warrior193]

On 24/09/2023 at 16:53, Warrior193 said:

Hello Hetty, treat yourself to a new rear wiper blade - I can recommend Viper or Bosch. Consider new front blades too if you are getting any streaking when they are operating. 

A correction, Vipa brand (not Viper)

[hetty1]

  Thanks for all of your posts. I did get a new blade fitted by my independent but it unfortunately hasnt cured the problem.   I am reluctant to use WD 40 or white vinegar  on brand  new rubber and am thinking its the motor playing up. It was like that when I bought the car in July 2022 and it hasnt got worse or better. If it is the motor I havent got the  skillset to repair it or fit a new one.

 

         I have been on the internet to get an idea of part prices and labour costs ( both including VAT) and it is about a hundred pounds  minimum, quite possibly more which I really dont want to pay.    I dont want to bore the life out of you but money is tight for me( as it is for many others of course)  and I will probably do nothing and only use the rear wiper in really foul conditions.  I will also have to remember that if I am backing out of my drive and  it is raining and I put the front wipers on the rear wiper comes on automatically even in very light rain. . So I will not use the front wipers until i have finished backing out. 

 

             This is the first time I had any problems with  rear wipers and I had them on both my previous Fabias and the three Vauxhall Corsas I had before them, going back to 2003.   Just saying.

 

               

[rum4mo]

It does sound like being quite a bit early in the life of a car to have a faulty rear wiper - I hope that your garage fitted a suitable "like for like" replacement - as most of these small wipers are.

 

My wife's previous car, a 2002 VW Polo did end up at maybe 8 years old, with the washer fluid spray bar rotating with the wiper arm, but I managed to sort that out with a repair kit of bits, so far, that is the only car with a rear wiper that I've ever had trouble with with the rear wiper.

[CapstanPlug]

I used have this problem on the rear hatch my Fabia Estate too. Always when I used Skoda branded wiper blades. Fitted Bosch ones - and never a problem since.

What did your independent use ? They are easy to change - so might be an idea to do it yourself - at least you'll know what's on the car.

[jeallen01]

9 hours ago, CapstanPlug said:

 

..... They are easy to change - so might be an idea to do it yourself - at least you'll know what's on the car.

Quite right - I don't think I've EVER had to give that task to a dealer, garage or retailer - in 50+ years!

Edited 28 September, 2023 by jeallen01

[hetty1]

 They fitted a Bosch, they  swear by them, they have a lot of Bosch products in stock. I will have a really good go at cleaning the rear screen and see if that helps. It looks clean but I will  try cleaning it with plenty of warm water and a sponge, dry off with my chamois then use  my Autoglym  glass cleaner .

[Warrior193]

20 hours ago, hetty1 said:

  Thanks for all of your posts. I did get a new blade fitted by my independent but it unfortunately hasnt cured the problem.   I am reluctant to use WD 40 or white vinegar  on brand  new rubber and am thinking its the motor playing up. It was like that when I bought the car in July 2022 and it hasnt got worse or better. If it is the motor I havent got the  skillset to repair it or fit a new one.

 

         I have been on the internet to get an idea of part prices and labour costs ( both including VAT) and it is about a hundred pounds  minimum, quite possibly more which I really dont want to pay.    I dont want to bore the life out of you but money is tight for me( as it is for many others of course)  and I will probably do nothing and only use the rear wiper in really foul conditions.  I will also have to remember that if I am backing out of my drive and  it is raining and I put the front wipers on the rear wiper comes on automatically even in very light rain. . So I will not use the front wipers until i have finished backing out. 

 

             This is the first time I had any problems with  rear wipers and I had them on both my previous Fabias and the three Vauxhall Corsas I had before them, going back to 2003.   Just saying.

 

               

Have you tried lifting the blade off the rear window (so that it's in the change/wash position) and operating the wiper - is it still noisy then?

[jeallen01]

TBH, I would have thought that that would have been one of the first steps the OP ( and anyone else!) would have taken to try to work out where the problem lies!

[hetty1]

 No, I havent tried that but will try it.probably tomorrow.  it makes sense, I  dont know  why I didnt think of it myself. If it is noisy in that position then its not the screen being dirty causing it its something else, the motor maybe or the wiring. Not noisy means the screen is the issue. Thanks to both of you. 

[Warrior193]

I have seen from other posters (although never experienced it myself) that some screen contaminants are extremely difficult to remove - even sometimes requiring a (very) mild abrasive product. Use extreme caution if considering this.

Personally, I would only recommend some type of solvent like (in ascending order) white spirits, thinners or acetone - but keep all of these well away from paint!

[jeallen01]

9 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

I have seen from other posters (although never experienced it myself) that some screen contaminants are extremely difficult to remove - even sometimes requiring a (very) mild abrasive product. Use extreme caution if considering this.

Personally, I would only recommend some type of solvent like (in ascending order) white spirits, thinners or acetone - but keep all of these well away from paint!

IsoPropyl Alcohol  (IPA) can also be useful, and doesn't really damage paintwork unless left on for a long time - it's also a very useful general purpose solvent for many household cleaning tasks and so I always keep a can or two in the house.

Edited 29 September, 2023 by jeallen01

[Warrior193]

3 minutes ago, jeallen01 said:

IsoPropyl Alcohol  (IPA) can also be useful, and doesn't really damage paintwork unless left on for a long time - it's also a very useful general purpose solvent for many household cleaning tasks and so I always keep a can or two in the house.

For 'medicinal purposes' only, of course 😆

[jeallen01]

7 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

For 'medicinal purposes' only, of course 😆

I REALLY hope not!🤣

[hetty1]

 I did take the rear wiper off the screen and did operate it as suggested. It was quiet, not noisy, just a hum. So it is the screen. I have taken note of the comment about  some screen contaminants being very difficult to remove.  I do not want to use even a mild abrasive and am  not happy with using alcohol etc. I have used Autoglym   Fast Glass on the screen  and had hoped the noise would go or, at least, be much reduced but its the same as it was before using the Fast Glass. I have just got it out of the bag hoping to see the composition of it  but no luck ,theres nothing on the container at all which is a bit disappointing.

 

    I will try it again and if it still hasnt, at the very least, improved the situation, I will revert to just using it occasionally in really bad weather conditions. I am not going to go over and over the screen. If it hasnt at least  improved after two applications  I am calling it a day on this particular problem  Many   thanks to everyone who posted.

[jeallen01]

I wouldn't worry at all about using relatively mild alcohol based cleaners on vehicle glass - that  glass was designed for relatively "hostile"  environments, and I've never experienced any signs of damage using whatever cleaner came to hand, and that was often IPA!

 

As for the source of the noise itself, please understand that it still could be the motor itself because putting the arm and blade in contact with the screen causes a "side loading" on the motor shaft. If the top bearing for that shaft has become damaged then the shaft will rotate unevenly in that bearing and so come into contact with the motor stator as it rotates - which could then be the source of the noise (I think it usually is if the motor is faulty).

Edited 29 September, 2023 by jeallen01

[Warrior193]

As @jeallen01 suggests, the noise could be only while the wiper motor is loaded - try putting gentle hand resistance on the wiper arm while it is operating away from the glass. If no unusual noise while doing this, I would suggest using a pot scouring pad (not brillo!) - the type with sponge on one side, and a very gentle abrasive pad on the other - start with dish washing liquid and work up to meths, or alcohol. Good luck.

Edited 29 September, 2023 by Warrior193
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