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
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