Windscreen Wipers LOW Speed?

[achristo]

Hi, alex again here,

I travelled to Belgium last weekeend and it rained a lot.

I noticed then that my wippers are good for up to about 70 Mph, then useless because just not fast enough!

Anyone else found that their wippers had that slow lazy swing? I imagine it probably is a fault with the motor in mine...

Cheers

Alex.

[bengie]

i find with mine that above about 75mph the aerodynamics of the car lift the blades off not that they slow down or are less effective.

[bosnjo]

My wipers are Flat Blade (factory fitted). If yours are not Flat Blade but classic type, they HAVE TO HAVE spoiler (near side) as they have when car gets out from the factory. Spoiler doesn't let them lift up from the windshiled on high speed and controls aerodynamics so they wouldn't change the speed. My experience with VAG cars is almost 30 years long and when I got Golf Mk3 at 1994 it was the first that came with spoiler wipers so I have never had speed problem again. After that car all cars were comming with spoiler wipers with same result. My new Octy is my first Flat Blade type. I know some people having problem with wipers on VAG but only after buying aftermarket wipers and without spoiler. So, here is my advice for non-Flat Blade wipers:

- Always get the wipers size that factory advice. Nearside can be a bit longer but be carefull not to colide with other wiper.

- The best would be to get them from the dealer but if not, buy Valeo wipers and be careful with the size and spoiler. 2nd choice is Bosch. There is no other brand on the european market at this point that would give satisfactory response on VAG cars.

[bengie]

can't agree with that mate, my wipers were useless at 90mph before in the rain even with the blades with the little spoilers on them. i have some aero wipers now which are miles better in every way

[bosnjo]

can't agree with that mate, my wipers were useless at 90mph before in the rain even with the blades with the little spoilers on them. i have some aero wipers now which are miles better in every way

Were those put by dealer or did you get them from dealer?

[octavia5]

Rainex or similar screen treatment means you do not need your wipers on above about 50mph as the rain just sheets off leaving perfect visabilty

[cheezemonkhai]

For a MK I the aero conversion is a stunning upgrade

[bengie]

i got the aero wipers through a group buy on here and fitted them myself, an easy 10 minute job all in

[cheezemonkhai]

I think that upgrade is still available at group buy prices which saves you about £20 off the purchase price.

Details are under the group buy section.

[freemansteve]

Hi, alex again here,

I noticed then that my wippers are good for up to about 70 Mph, then useless because just not fast enough!

Anyone else found that their wippers had that slow lazy swing? I imagine it probably is a fault with the motor in mine...

Cheers

Alex.

I don't know if you are referring to Octavia I or II, but if the latter, you are correct that it does have slow wipers when on max speed compared with many other cars. "Speed 2" is only marginally faster than "speed 1", and nowhere near double speed as you'd expect.

I think this is another area where Skoda skimp on non-immediatley-obvious details compared with the Golf (like the really bad radios, no gas struts in the bonnet, creaks and rattles - perhaps the wiper motor is a bit cheaper. My previous MK4 Gti 1.8T was certainly much better than my current Octavia II in these respects).

As for the aero profile wipers, although they look interesting, they don't really press onto the screen at high speed any better than my Golf traditional-style wipers did. To be honest though, I have found most cars are not good at 75+ at clearing screens in certain types of rain.

As for Rainex type products, in my experience, these are best avoided. They are great for a while, but when crap from the road, and the wiper action starts to break down the chemicals, you end up with a horribly smeary mess on the screen that you need solvents to remove. Just keep your screen properly cleaned to avoid smearing.

[achristo]

Hi there,

yes VRS MK2.

Skoda's reply: "Legal speed is 70Mph so the wippers are within spec"!

Well in that case refund me the other 70 MPh please or

[ednmra]

Hi there,

yes VRS MK2.

Skoda's reply: "Legal speed is 70Mph so the wipers are within spec"!

Does that mean you are not allowed to take the car to Germany?

[cheezemonkhai]

Interesting reply that, was about to say the same myself

[freemansteve]

Hi there' date='

yes VRS MK2.

Skoda's reply: "Legal speed is 70Mph so the wipers are within spec"!

Does that mean you are not allowed to take the car to Germany?[/quote']

If this was relevant, why are the tyres speed-rated at various levels all well over 70 MPH?

[ednmra]

Don't worry - if this government stays in much longer, probably no vehicle in the UK will be allowed on the public roads without a 70 mph limiter.

[achristo]

I disagree about that last comment

We'll all just be taxed for speeding over 70 Mph to Gordon Brown's content. Oh hang on, that is called speed camera isn't it?

[ednmra]

Yeah - down here they get you if you stand still [called parking meters], get you if you forget to move your car between 10am and 11am, or 7pm and 8pm [light touch parking scheme], go into town for an evening meal [