Michelin Stealth Wipers

[tsarlsy]

My stock Bosch driver side wiper started stuttering after I had Opti-glass applied to my windshield. It was driving my wife crazy so I decided to try the Michelin Stealth wipers available at my local Costco. I figured it's half the price of the Bosch Icon and I'd return it if it didn't work well. Good 'ol Costco... Thought I'd share my experience so far.

The package came with all sorts of connectors. I used the Top Lock connector for the Model S.

There are two main differences between the Michelin Stealth and the stock Bosch wipers. First, the Bosch ones were curved while the Michelin ones were straight. Second, the Bosch ones had a lower profile than the Michelins - about 7mm difference.

Stock Bosch - Driver side wiper blade

Michelin Stealth - Driver side wiper blade

I've had it for less than a week and it is raining most of the week here in Toronto. This new wiper doesn't stutter on my Opti-glass coated windshield so Happy Wife, Happy Life. My wallet's also pleased. =)

 

[CHG-ON]

Oy. I just spend 50 bucks for new Bosch Icon wipers. They work great. But the cost...Do these really work as well?

 

[tstafford]

Glad you figured out how to eliminate the stutter. That happened to me after applying Aquapel. I will never do so again.

 

[chriSharek]

I've used RainX religiously in Florida and have never had any issues with studdering wipers.

 

[tsarlsy]

Oy. I just spend 50 bucks for new Bosch Icon wipers. They work great. But the cost...Do these really work as well?

They work just as well as the old Bosch wiper minus the stuttering. I haven't noticed anything different.

 

[Max*]

Oy. I just spend 50 bucks for new Bosch Icon wipers. They work great. But the cost...Do these really work as well?

I had these on my old car, besides looking aesthetically pleasing, I didn't see any real improvement in real world conditions.

Still on the original Tesla wipers, though should replace them soon...

 

[eye.surgeon]

Thanks for the report, helpful.

 

[rpo]

Tesla has replaced my wipers four times, the arms twice, and have essentially given up on fixing the stuttering. They don't know what else to do. The driver's side wiper goes up fine, but then skips back down in about 5 hops. It is ridiculous. You can hear it on the freeway in the rain and over the radio even with the volume up.

 

[gabeincal]

Tesla has replaced my wipers four times, the arms twice, and have essentially given up on fixing the stuttering. They don't know what else to do. The driver's side wiper goes up fine, but then skips back down in about 5 hops. It is ridiculous. You can hear it on the freeway in the rain and over the radio even with the volume up.

I live in the SF Bay Area and so I hardly ever use the wipers on my cars (except for the occasional wash&wipe). Today it has been raining and my 2 month old car seems to be having the same problem that you mention. Going up reasonably well, but jumping 5-6 times coming down. My passengers were like yayyy we get to ride in a Tesla, but then they were asking me what is going on with my wipers. I feel embarrassed. Another item on my 'fix-it' list.... Did you ever find any solution to this rpo?

 

[FlatSix911]

I live in the SF Bay Area and so I hardly ever use the wipers on my cars (except for the occasional wash&wipe). Today it has been raining and my 2 month old car seems to be having the same problem that you mention. Going up reasonably well, but jumping 5-6 times coming down. My passengers were like yayyy we get to ride in a Tesla, but then they were asking me what is going on with my wipers. I feel embarrassed. Another item on my 'fix-it' list.... Did you ever find any solution to this rpo?

I have found that the stuttering is usually caused by dirty wipers and a film on the windshield.
Due to the drought, this is a very common condition in California with infrequent rain storms.
Try cleaning both the blades and the glass with alcohol for a good solution to the problem.

 

[gabeincal]

I have found that the stuttering is usually caused by dirty wipers and a film on the windshield.
Due to the drought, this is a very common condition in California with infrequent rain storms.
Try cleaning both the blades and the glass with alcohol for a good solution to the problem.

Thanks, will give it a try. I only have rubbing alcohol and whiskey at home, will try the rubbing alcohol first

 

[KublaConn]

Thanks, will give it a try. I only have rubbing alcohol and whiskey at home, will try the rubbing alcohol first

If you go straight to the whiskey, it may not stop the stuttering, but it will most likely fix your "give a *sugar* about it".

 

[Canuck]

Oy. I just spend 50 bucks for new Bosch Icon wipers.

$50 for the stock wipers? Well, at least that makes the 4 year service plan cost look a bit better.

 

[BrokerDon]

$50 for the stock wipers? Well, at least that makes the 4 year service plan cost look a bit better.

Are new wipers included in the pre-paid service plan? If so I'll have them change mine since they didn't change them during the 12 month / 18,000 miles service recently... and the driver's wiper chatters.

 

[Max*]

$50 for the stock wipers?

I'm not sure if the stock ones were Bosch Icon's or not... But I also recently changed my wipers for the Bosch Icon, no complaints besides the price tag.

 

[Lightmatrix]

Is the height difference even noticeable when the wipers are "parked?"

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

I've always thought the Tesla ones were under powered.

The wipers on my Tahoe and Mazda, and Wrangler never had this issue...

Just had the wiper motor replaced in mine... it's better but still skips...

Guess i'm glad I'm not the only one...

 

[Fresh Start Detail]

Windshield wiper skipping or chattering as has been described in this thread (one direction only) is usually caused by the wiper blade itself not "flopping over" when it changes direction.
Some quick clarification of terms:
* The wiper "blade" refers to the rubber part that actually wipes and the structure that holds/supports it, sometimes this support is metal and sometimes it is the plastic beam style.

* The wiper "arm" is what the blade attaches to. It has a spring that controls the pressure that the blade will exert onto the glass.

A wiper is supposed to drag along the glass surface, then flop over and drag along on it's way back. If it doesn't flop, then the wiper edge is "shaving" along the glass surface which often creates uneven friction/tension so it chatters and skips along surface.
Applying a coating like Opti-Glass/Rain-X/AquaPel etc. can make this non-flopping problem worse because you've changed the friction coefficient between the glass and the rubber. In other words, you've made the glass so slick so that there isn't enough friction to cause the wiper edge to flop over.
However sometimes a non-flopping blade still functions ok and doesn't chatter. Here's how you can tell if your blades aren't flopping. Next time it rains, pay attention to see if the wiper clears better in one direction than the other. If so, you can bet they aren't flopping. Just as an experiment, try manually flopping the blade with your fingers when the wiper is stationary, then turn on your wipers and watch. did it flop over when it changed direction? You gotta watch closely and quickly! Maybe it didn't flop over and now it chatters in the other direction, or clears better in the other direction. Also, sometimes they flop fine when the glass is dry so don't be fooled if you're doing this experiment without wetting the glass. Either way you've confirmed your problem.
The solution?
* Experiment with different blades like the OP has done.
* Try different glass coatings as mentioned above, or none at all.
* Many times the issue is also influenced by the amount of pressure that the wiper arm itself is exerting upon the wiper blade and therefore the glass, so just changing to a different blade may not solve the problem. Unfortunately this is not easily adjustable since it's a pre-installed spring from the factory. If you trust your abilities, try stronger or weaker springs within the arm itself.

I hope this at least sheds some light on what's going on when you hear wiper chattering.

 

[green1]

That's the first time I've read an explanation that makes sense.
Now the question is, which of those things did Tesla get so wrong compared to every other car on the road that makes Tesla wipers so ridiculously susceptible to coatings like Rain-X and Aquapel when every other car windshield benefits greatly from them?

 

[Canuck]

Are new wipers included in the pre-paid service plan?

Yes. This is from my last annual service invoice:

WIPER BLADE ASSEMBLY - PASSENGER SIDE (1051496-00-A) 1
WIPER BLADE ASSEMBLY - DRIVER SIDE - BOSCH 700MM MODEL S LEFT HAND DRIVE (1051495-00-A) 1