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Driver's side wiper making a thunk noise on the downstroke

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Mike_TV

Active Member
Apr 29, 2020
1,345
1,087
Chicagoland
It's been raining a lot here this week and really the first time using the wipers since picking the car up three months ago. The driver's side wiper is making a thunk or banging noise on the downstroke on all speeds. It's loud and hard enough to feel the vibration inside the car.

I put the wipers in maintenance mode and looked but don't see anything wrong. Took both blades off and reinstalled them but that didn't fix anything.

I noticed a few threads in the M3 forum about wiper noise but it doesn't appear to be any easy way to adjust travel...if that's causing the noise.

Anyone know how to adjust the wipers? Or should i just open a mobile service request?
 
Is the wiper perhaps chattering in that section of the window? Maybe a good clean of the glass to remove contaminants and wipe down the blades? Road contaminants can build up and cause chatter. Also if you have used a tunnel car wash with wax it will obviously spray the windows and leave a film which can cause chatter. As yours seems to be in one spot maybe it was a bird dropping or some resin or something. Other than that hard to say. Maybe open the frunk and then look at the base of them and see if there is any obstruction and that the hoses are not binding (they are attached to the wipers and the water comes out from the wipers when you push the stalk to clean)
 
Is the wiper perhaps chattering in that section of the window? Maybe a good clean of the glass to remove contaminants and wipe down the blades? Road contaminants can build up and cause chatter. Also if you have used a tunnel car wash with wax it will obviously spray the windows and leave a film which can cause chatter. As yours seems to be in one spot maybe it was a bird dropping or some resin or something. Other than that hard to say. Maybe open the frunk and then look at the base of them and see if there is any obstruction and that the hoses are not binding (they are attached to the wipers and the water comes out from the wipers when you push the stalk to clean)

All good points. Yes, I cleaned the blades and cleaned the window plus checked the hoses too. Will double check the hoses again, maybe they are binding up like you mentioned. Probably should check the length and maybe they are bunched up against the bottom of the blade frame (where they clip on).

Realized too that the car stops the wipers if there isn't someone in the driver's seat, so it makes it a little more difficult to see what's happening without a second person.
 
I know what thud sound you are referring too. I noticed it yesterday when it was pouring.

For what I can tell, the sound is from the wiper making contact with the black trim piece where it "parks" when not in use.

I thought it was "tesla normal" but would be interested in what mobile service tells you.
 
My wiper has done an overtravel on occasion, where the drivers side wiper goes PAST the windshield and CLUNKS on the edge of the window/frame gap. Had mobile service adjust the wiper travel (easy to do, youtube). Haven't had a chance to really test the fix yet, waiting for rain.
 
Found the problem and it's on the passenger side. The wiper arm is hitting the top edge of the frunk on the downstroke. Took a chip out of the paint on the frunk edge and the metal part of the wiper arm where it's making contact. Not sure if adjusting the travel position will help as the wipers still have to go under the frunk in the "wiper park" off position. Will see what mobile service can do. Might have to adjust frunk to give them some clearance.
 
Mobile service can adjust. There is usually a hash mark in the windshield glass to indicate if the wiper is in the proper "park" position. It certainly should not clunk on the frunk but it should be a simple fix for mobile tech.
 
Found the problem and it's on the passenger side. The wiper arm is hitting the top edge of the frunk on the downstroke. Took a chip out of the paint on the frunk edge and the metal part of the wiper arm where it's making contact. Not sure if adjusting the travel position will help as the wipers still have to go under the frunk in the "wiper park" off position. Will see what mobile service can do. Might have to adjust frunk to give them some clearance.
Mobile service fixed that for me. The wiper was raised , I was busy when mobile service was fixing it and couldn’t Watch what they did but they did remove the wiper and I think they replaced a nut in there that was raising it high. Service center touched up the paint on later visit .. now next to another small thing. ..solvent kind of smell occasionally... love the car though !
 
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OP here. Still dealing with this issue. Tesla service says the hood is warped and needs to be replaced. This is after replacing the wiper arms with a newer design that is out already. They continue to make contact with the hood on the downstroke.
 
Mine does this. My case is also the passenger side wiper hitting the front hood. The sound telegraphs to the pivot point in front of the driver, making it sound like a driver side issue. I applied bending pressure to the wiper arm at the last bend upwards (where contact was clearly being made) and it has abated although it oddly still happens at random. I’m having the SC come out Wednesday to replace it as well as address the DS “blocked” B-pillar camera. Surprising because I was told the wiper required a shop visit and that the camera would be cancelled as “normal”. We’ll see. It takes the guy 2.5 hours to get here so I’ll make the most of it.
 
Thanks for reminding me to post. Yes. It was the plastic piece that covers the Frunk hinge that came loose and the wiper was hitting it. I didn’t even think to look at that.

He said they are poorly made and they have better ones now. Tighter fit, so if it happens again to call SC and ask for the new ones. He also mentioned they are cosmetic. Not even needed.
 
@Freewheeler How did the remote service work out this week? Any updates?

Thanks for the reminder! The tech was aware this is an intermittent issue. His solution was not to replace or adjust the blade arm but to raise the frunk lid at the hinges. They were ever so slightly lower than the tops of the fenders (maybe 1/16"-1/32"), but now they are dead flush and the wiper arm clears the hood. Another item to look into is the plastic clips that hold the washer fluid tube. If the clip was installed at the tightest clearance spot, it will end up being the piece that hits the hood. If this is the case, you can just slide the retainer clip along the wiper arm so it's no longer making contact. The tolerance in this area is just so tight that any deviation can result in contact.

Insofar as the camera is concerned, he replaced the entire B pillar, camera, glass and all. We'll see how it goes.

Apropos nothing, I asked him what the popular issue has been these days and surprisingly he said the rear USB/C ports. Apparently, they are "smart" charging ports that throttle charge speed based on the status of your phone's battery, and if you use a third-party charging cable that communication may not take place and so it won't charge your device. He's getting all sorts of calls of bad ports when in fact it's incompatible cables. He said to use the exact cables that came with your device, or at least cables by the device manufacturer intended for your device.
 
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