Is there a solution to chattering/skipping wipers

[PhilDavid]

I'm going a bit crazy with the wipers when it rains and wondering if there is a solution to chattering wipers.

It seems they chatter in all but heavy rain. The rain sensing AI is sometimes too enthusiastic in clearing the windshield or not enthusiastic enough causing the wipers to chatter in both situations. The thing is if I operate the wipers manually when just the right amount of rain is on the windshield, I can actually get the wipers to operate without chattering but that's not a solution because it distracts me from paying attention to the road when I operate the wipers manually.

The last time I brought this issue up, they replaced the wipers, and it's not an issue with the windshield because when I last had my car detailed, they completely decontaminated and cleaned the windshield. Still it's not a fun experience to drive the car in the rain with loud chattering sounds as the wipers skip and chatter all over the place.

So what are my options for a solution?

Anyone else have wiper chattering issues and any success in getting it fixed? I'm wondering if the tension/downward force of the wiper arms can be adjusted to fix this issue.

 

[Simon_Emes]

Had the same on other vehicles. Usually new rubber helped, sometimes only that. So I guess they need to see whether the wipers can be adjusted.

I understand your pain. Bought new wipers one week before selling my last car because this drove me crazy.

 

[PhilDavid]

Had the same on other vehicles. Usually new rubber helped, sometimes only that. So I guess they need to see whether the wipers can be adjusted.

I understand your pain. Bought new wipers one week before selling my last car because this drove me crazy.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Yeah the chattering drives me crazy when it rains.

The thing is the previous Volvo and Mercedes cars I've owned all had flawless wipers and they all wiped cleanly with no drama or noise.

There must be something with the tension of the wiper arm that is causing all the chatter because the rubber was replaced and the windscreen has been meticulously decontaminated and cleaned.

Has anyone adjusted the wiper arms to fix wiper chatter/skipping?

I feel if the rain sensing AI makes the situation worse as oftentimes it is trying to clear a windshield that is not wet enough. Seems the rain sensing AI is either too fast or too slow....

I heard the new rain sensing AI is called Deep Rain and I hope it is released soon and perhaps has some integrated logic to reduce chattering. I can manually time the wipers to significantly reduce the skipping drama.

 

[Helieng]

The chatter is caused by the wiper blade not rocking with a change in direction of the wiper blade. This is because the angle of the blade on the windscreen is incorrect. By twisting the wiper arm to ensure the blade is able to flip flop will rectify this condition. The blade must trail the direction of movement of the wiper arm.

 

[webbah]

This is also often a case if someone uses a car wash the has a wax program for the car. Wax gets on the glass. If I use one of these car wash tunnels (safe with PPF) I make sure not to use a program that includes wax.

 

[PhilDavid]

This is also often a case if someone uses a car wash the has a wax program for the car. Wax gets on the glass. If I use one of these car wash tunnels (safe with PPF) I make sure not to use a program that includes wax.

Only hand wash for my baby

 

[Magellan55]

I had chattering wipers when my S was new, and took it in for service. They did something to fix it so there is something adjustable.

 

[jerry33]

RainX can cause chattering with the OE wipers. Changing to either a different blade or using a different hydrophobic window coating can help.

 

[cgiGuy]

Bosch ICONs did the trick for me. This was on a 2015 S, so you'll have to look up your year and make sure they haven't changed anything.

 

[jdw]

What I've done sucessfuly (YMMV):

1-Seriously clean and polish the windsheild using CarPro Ceriglass w/ glass polishing pad & Eraser (IPA) wipedown with clean microfiber, wash & dry.
2- Apply and polish RainX - following the directions(!)
3- Bosche Icon OE wipers
4- Ditch the factory washer fluid and use RainX washer fluid

In my experience, there is some high friction coating or gunk on Tesla windscreens from the factory. Polishing it off makes the biggest difference. Properly applying RainX means applying a heavy coat, letting it flash, applying a second heavy coat and letting that flash, then polishing with a few drops of water. An orbital polisher with a clean polishing pad works great for this, but you can substitute a lot of elbow grease with a waffle weave towel. Finally, the factory washer fluid seems to degrade any polishing/coatings and make the window stickier, so a slippery washer fluid that reinforces the coating helps.

You could probably substitute any "polishable" window treatment for the RainX. Note: Improperly applied RainX will cause all kinds of patchy foggy uneven sections aggravating the problem ...you do need to re-apply a RainX coating every few weeks in rainy weather.

 

[BrownMS]

clay bar and razor blade your windshield. then apply a glass coating such as rain-x or one of the many others

 

[Kevin Bohacz]

The 28" blade on my car was nearly unusable and drove me nuts too. I had Telsa look at it a half dozen times and no joy. I tried everything you can imagine and every wiper blade imaginable. I even tried a $250 dollar professionally installed ceramic coating.

Nothing worked, then I solved the problem for my car. I switched from a 28" blade to a 26" blade. Magic! My problem went away, There is no assurance this will work for anyone else but it worked for me. This is the blade I use now:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BT6N8Y
PIAA 97065 Si-Tech Silicone Wiper Blade - 26" 650mm

 

[PhilDavid]

clay bar and razor blade your windshield. then apply a glass coating such as rain-x or one of the many others

I've completely ruled out the glass surface, as I had the car's windscreen professionally decontaminated and cleaned.

It seems others have been able to fix the wipers by having the Service Center make the necessary adjustments.

 

[pgkevet]

I recall a post somewhere about the angle between blade-arm and screen needing to be 6Degs ? and that SC's have a little tool to get that adjustment. And another post about rocking wipers due to excessive length and a change by tesls to a shorter wiper blade being factory fitted to later models.
Bosch wipers tend to be the most expensive but most reliable.
Anyone old enough to remember the TV ad's for tripleX wiper blades guaranteed for life? They've vanished..

 

[David29]

I belong to the Mercedes Benz Club of America, and was amused and interested to see a letter in their September-October issue that discussed the same problem, namely wiper chatter. The writer apparently also is a member of this forum, and gave a link to this or some other thread here, and recommended the Icon wipers as the solution that worked for his car.
Then this month (November-December issue), someone else wrote in and described various fixes he had tried on his GLC300. What he found worked is a specific window cleaner made for Mercedes Benzes (they always seem to have their own branded products for every need!). He bought a bottle and said it "immediately cured the shuddering problem." The product is called "Mercedes Benz Intensive Window Cleaner," and costs $20 for an 8.45 ounce bottle. The first application had lasted 6 months as of the time he wrote.
So, it would be interesting to see if that cleaner would work its magic for any Tesla owners....(my wipers do not chatter but otherwise i'd give it a try).

 

[nativespinner]

No chattering here, I use the Rain X washer fluid and do normal hand washing or power washing. Nothing fancy.

 

[aerodyne]

Too complicated for me. I decided to never drive Tessie if the chance of rain is more than 10%, and use the old ICE car instead. Problem solved.

 

[ucmndd]

I've completely ruled out the glass surface, as I had the car's windscreen professionally decontaminated and cleaned.

I think you’re ruling things out prematurely. Can’t say I have this particular problem and don’t do anything particularly out of the ordinary to the glass, but I can easily envision a scenario where a perfectly “clean and decontaminated” glass surface actually makes things worse vs. some manner of appropriate coating or treatment.

 

[Magellan55]

Why are Tesla windshields so unique that they need all this special care / polishing / coatings? I've owned a dozen cars in 40 years and have never had this issue except with really worn (like 2+ year old) wipers. Only thing I've ever applied to my glass is Windex.

 

[jdw]

It's a big wiper on the S at 28 inches, plus the arm/spring is on the light side of average. Combine that with any friction on the windscreen and you get chatter. Tesla also has some kind of coating on the windscreen, that, without lubrication or polishing, contributes to the problem