Preventing and curing wiper chattering

[SvenG]

Had really bad wiper chattering that I tried to cure for a while with no sucess. Finally solved the issue and want to share so that others do not have to make the same mistakes I made.

The issue was 100% self-made. I used a windshield coating (Glassparency in this case but this likely happens with any other hydrophobic coating). Initial results after the coating were great with nearly all water simply "flying" of the windshield. The wipers however were having a minor chattering issue that progressively got worse. Applying the maintenance solution would make it slightly better for about 10 minutes of wiper operation. It got to the point where I was worried that the wiper arms would be damaged given the strong chattering. The hydrophobic coating allowed for no water film to form and that causes the chattering. I tried different wipers (Michelin XT, Bosch Icon) and it made zero difference.

My learning is to not coat the windshield. The water bedding is nice but not enough to never have to use your wipers and these will likely not run smooth with the coating applied.

Getting the coating off was really hard (speaks to the durability). I tried IPA, other cleaners, clay bar with no luck.
Final solved the issue by using Griot's fine glass polishing and their glass polishing pad on a random orbital polisher. Made three passes. Did not apply any new coating to it and just cleaned the windshield after polishing with an IPA & water mix.

The wipers are now running super smooth, no noise, no chattering and the windshield looks super clear. Clearer than it has ever been.

So, if you have chattering wipers, give glass polishing a try.

-Sven

 

[MY1stEV]

The manual mentions this exact scenario. (p 172)

 

[SvenG]

The manual mentions this exact scenario. (p 172)

View attachment 712006

It does. Also the reason I stated it being 100% my fault. "Fluids" includes any coatings in this context.

 

[my8888]

I got this same issue when I applied Rainx. I wish I knew about it before hand.

 

[Genie]

I had Glassparency windshield treatment applied a month ago and so far so good, no wiper chatter at all but I haven’t needed to use them really. Just if I’m only going under 35ish. Actually so pleased I’m having the whole MX treated with their graphene on Monday.

I learned 40 some years ago not to use RainX on windshields, but it was the sh!t for boat windows back then.

 

[NikolaTs]

Anyone know why this occurs/ this is an issue on this particular car ? I’ve never had this issue with other makes of vehicles, but searching the forums I see threads on all tesla models related to skipping / jumping / chattering wipers.

If it helps anyone there’s a 3 year old model S thread that concluded the wiper blade angle needs to be exactly perpendicular to the glass in order to “drag” the wiper blade itself in both directions. Otherwise if it’s not the right angle to the glass the arm pushes the blade instead of dragging it, which causes the skipping. Think of an uppercase “T”

Best explanation I've seen for fixing noisy/chattering wipers

I've had about car for about a year and even after two service center visits to fix the chattering/noisy windshield wipers, I still have noisy wipers. Just came across this video that seems to explain exactly what causes the issue and how to fix it. Each time I took the car to the service...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[LoneStarEve]

I found this thread today after experiencing the worst chattering I’ve ever heard during a massive downpour today.
Using the washer fluid seemed to help for a few wipes but it always came back. As others have said, I was worried I was damaging the wipers.

So have a Stek stone chip protection film on the windshield and wondered if it might be the cause, however it certainly wasn’t an issue this last winter.

I also use RainX windshield cleaner but I have used it for 20 years in more vehicles than I can count and never had an issue.
I’ve also used it in the at dice it was new and again never had a problem until now…

About the only difference I can think of is how hot and dry it has been this summer but I’ll switch to another product and see if that helps…

 

[ilovecoffee]

I also use RainX windshield cleaner but I have used it for 20 years in more vehicles than I can count and never had an issue.
I’ve also used it in the at dice it was new and again never had a problem until now…

I've also only ever used exclusively Rain-X Windshield Cleaner (not the rain-x only fluid) in our many seasons up here in Canada. Never had an issue with chattering.

 

[csrpenfab]

When I applied my Avalon King ceramic coating, I did all the glass. No issues with any wiper chattering, and I have no idea if the coating actually lasts on the glass, but it seems to bead water really well.

 

[Dmitry Gurvits]

I just applied Adam's Graphene Coating to my MYP and decided to do the glass

Huge Mistake on the windshield, Wiper chatter was unbearable, just spent a few hours removing the coating from the windshield using polish. Much much better. i did leave it on all the other windows and the beading is fantastic, i do have to warn that Adam's Graphene coating will cause extreme wiper chatter, don't do it.

 

[volodymyrd]

I found this thread today after experiencing the worst chattering I’ve ever heard during a massive downpour today.
Using the washer fluid seemed to help for a few wipes but it always came back. As others have said, I was worried I was damaging the wipers.

So have a Stek stone chip protection film on the windshield and wondered if it might be the cause, however it certainly wasn’t an issue this last winter.

I also use RainX windshield cleaner but I have used it for 20 years in more vehicles than I can count and never had an issue.
I’ve also used it in the at dice it was new and again never had a problem until now…

About the only difference I can think of is how hot and dry it has been this summer but I’ll switch to another product and see if that helps…

Any update on this? I have Stek DynoFlex film on my windshield too and the chatter is horrible… I even started thinking about removing the film, but if you are saying that you didn’t have such issues last winter with the film on, maybe there is something else to check first… I am getting a pair of new blades this week to see if it makes any difference, mine are over 12 months old. Also, I am thinking about wiper angle adjustment

 

[agmonaco]

I got this same issue when I applied Rainx. I wish I knew about it before hand.

I just applied rainx and I have the same problem

 

[antair]

This can be adjusted, but you either need schedule a service appointment or buy an adjustment tool.