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Dangerously bad windshield wiper performance in snow/icy conditions

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I'm in my second winter with my MX here in the mountains of Utah. We've had constant issues with our windshield wipers. When it rains, they don't clear the windshield. And the "rain-sensing" modes, where it's supposed to sense how much moisture is on the windshield and adjust the frequency accordingly, is a joke. Sometimes the windshield can be so wet that I can't see out of it at all, and it's not wiping. Other times, there's barely anything on the windshield, but the wipers are going at their fastest setting.

In snow and ice it's even worse. We had a big storm today, and my wife called me because she was driving the MX and could barely see outside the windshield. This is what the wipers and windshield looked like (just after wiping):

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Yes, we are using the windshield wiper heater.

I took the car to service last year. They agreed that the wipers weren't working properly, and they replaced the mechanism and the blades. That seemed to help a little bit, for a little while. But it's as bad now as ever. It's gotten to the point where we don't feel comfortable driving the car in snowy/icy conditions—which is a lot of the winter season where we live!

The first step is to determine whether this is an issue with the MX in general (which I doubt, otherwise I'd have heard about it by now), or with our vehicle in particular. So I'm posting here to see if anyone else is having this problem?

Tesla Mobile Service is coming on Wednesday, so hoping to get to the bottom of it.
 
I live in Chicago and have similar problems with the wiper in heavy snow and ice during long interstate travel. Despite windshield heater, wiper heater, ice builds up and thus the windshield unclear.
I've learned to live with it and intermittently pull over to manually clean the wiper.
The rain sensing is also poor and I frequently manually control the wiper with the stalk button.
 
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Thanks for your reply. I don't know if I'm happy or sad to hear that it's not just my vehicle. The fact that this is an issue for MXs in general means that my problem is unlikely to be solved.

Here's a video of the windshield as I was driving down to Tesla service. It's flat-out dangerous, and if they can't fix it ( I don't think they'll be able to), I'll have to get rid of the car. I will ask them to release me from the lease, given that the car is dangerous to drive, but they probably won't. In that case, I'll just buy out the lease and sell it. Given the used car market, I'll probably make a few bucks on that transaction.

 
Am I the only one that uses De-Icing washer fluid? I've never had this problem. If your wipers can't clear water off your windshield, you either need to clean or replace your blades. You probably need to clean your windshield too. With glass cleaner and a clay bar. I just did this a few days ago... Wipers weren't clearing away rain properly... Cleaned the windshield and cleaned the wiper blades... Now they sweep away the rain perfectly.
 
I should. have included more info in the original post. I've had Tesla service look at this twice. The first time, they acknowledged that the wiper blades weren't making proper contact with the windshield, and they adjusted the wiper arms. They also replaced the blades. It was a bit better after that, but the problem persisted. The second time they just replaced the blades (which was irritating, because I can do that myself). I'm using winter de-icing wiper fluid and have been from the start.

Tesla Mobile Service is coming in a couple of days to completely replace the wiper arms. We'll see what that does.

I also ordered some PIAA Si-Tech blades. I've read good things about them, and I figure I might as well try them.
 
I also ordered some PIAA Si-Tech blades. I've read good things about them, and I figure I might as well try them.
This is actually what I'm running as well, as I replaced the OEM blades like a week after I picked up my car as they had a terrible time clearing the window in PacNW rain. Everyone I talked to swore the OEMs worked fine, so I just chalked it up to the type of rain we had or something. Haven't had any issues with the SiTech (I run PIAA blades on all my cars), until a few days ago when I noticed some hazing on my windshield, so I cleaned the blades and the windshield to remedy the problem. Good as new now. The only thing I didn't realize with the SiTech, was that the wiper inserts are not replaceable... (All my other cars, I use the PIAA SuperSilicone or PIAA Aero Vogue blades, both of which the inserts are replaceable). But if you regularly clean the blades, it shouldn't be an issue. With my other ones, I've gotten 5 years of service from a single set of inserts before.
 
This is actually what I'm running as well, as I replaced the OEM blades like a week after I picked up my car as they had a terrible time clearing the window in PacNW rain. Everyone I talked to swore the OEMs worked fine, so I just chalked it up to the type of rain we had or something. Haven't had any issues with the SiTech (I run PIAA blades on all my cars), until a few days ago when I noticed some hazing on my windshield, so I cleaned the blades and the windshield to remedy the problem. Good as new now. The only thing I didn't realize with the SiTech, was that the wiper inserts are not replaceable... (All my other cars, I use the PIAA SuperSilicone or PIAA Aero Vogue blades, both of which the inserts are replaceable). But if you regularly clean the blades, it shouldn't be an issue. With my other ones, I've gotten 5 years of service from a single set of inserts before.
Awesome, glad to hear. Are these easy to install? I'm wondering about the wiper fluid hose/attachment and/or the heaters. Thanks.
 
I'm in my second winter with my MX here in the mountains of Utah. We've had constant issues with our windshield wipers. When it rains, they don't clear the windshield. And the "rain-sensing" modes, where it's supposed to sense how much moisture is on the windshield and adjust the frequency accordingly, is a joke. Sometimes the windshield can be so wet that I can't see out of it at all, and it's not wiping. Other times, there's barely anything on the windshield, but the wipers are going at their fastest setting.

In snow and ice it's even worse. We had a big storm today, and my wife called me because she was driving the MX and could barely see outside the windshield. This is what the wipers and windshield looked like (just after wiping):

View attachment 748606

View attachment 748607
View attachment 748608

Yes, we are using the windshield wiper heater.

I took the car to service last year. They agreed that the wipers weren't working properly, and they replaced the mechanism and the blades. That seemed to help a little bit, for a little while. But it's as bad now as ever. It's gotten to the point where we don't feel comfortable driving the car in snowy/icy conditions—which is a lot of the winter season where we live!

The first step is to determine whether this is an issue with the MX in general (which I doubt, otherwise I'd have heard about it by now), or with our vehicle in particular. So I'm posting here to see if anyone else is having this problem?

Tesla Mobile Service is coming on Wednesday, so hoping to get to the bottom of it.
I’m in CO with seriously cold temps and snow and my windshield looks exactly like the images you posted. I know that I am due for new blades - were you able to find a solution that works for you? I appreciate you sharing your experience.
 
I’m in CO with seriously cold temps and snow and my windshield looks exactly like the images you posted. I know that I am due for new blades - were you able to find a solution that works for you? I appreciate you sharing your experience.
I'm still waiting for Tesla Mobile Service to come replace the wiper arms (the full arms, not just the blades). I ordered and received the PIAA Si-Tech Wiper Blade Kit, but haven't installed them yet because I want Tesla to replace the arms first. I'll keep you posted.
 
I'm still waiting for Tesla Mobile Service to come replace the wiper arms (the full arms, not just the blades). I ordered and received the PIAA Si-Tech Wiper Blade Kit, but haven't installed them yet because I want Tesla to replace the arms first. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for the update. My passenger window belt broke (window stuck down for 2 days) so when the mobile service came I had them install new blades. I think we are getting some weather today so I will get a chance to check them out. Thanks again and good luck!
 
Tesla came and replaced the wiper arms yesterday. We're going through an unusually warm and dry spell here in the mountains of Utah, so I haven't had a chance to test it in really bad conditions. But I can already tell, just from cleaning the windshield with the wiper fluid, that it is much better. I hope this has solved the problem!
 
Tesla came and replaced the wiper arms yesterday. We're going through an unusually warm and dry spell here in the mountains of Utah, so I haven't had a chance to test it in really bad conditions. But I can already tell, just from cleaning the windshield with the wiper fluid, that it is much better. I hope this has solved the problem!
I hope so too! And CO is crazy warm and dry as well.
 
I'm having the same issue with wipers not cleaning properly and erratic moves on the controls. I live in SW Ontario. The car is 1 month old. I had the Mobile Service replace the blades, no change. PIAA Si-Tech are out of stock, no joy.
 
I'm so glad I live in a climate that this isn't an issue....why people up north live up north is so intriguing to me....seems miserable. In Alabama I have my Tesla, Great Food, Great Weather, Beaches, NASA, Alabama Football, 10 Bitcoins, and Southern Belles....what else could a man want?