Friday, June 7, 2013

oops that didn't work... Rear Aero Wiper Mod

So obviously, not every mod I do goes well.  Here is a prime example.

After upgrading the front windshield wipers with the awesome Bosch Aerotwin wipers, people reminded me that I hadn't done the same to the rears.

Unfortunately, I haven't found a model from Bosch that works for the rear window yet, as the air is coming in the opposite direction than for the windshield. So I suspect to have an aero effect, the shape of the aero blade would have to be reversed.

I did stumble upon, however, an "aero" blade on Rakuten here in Japan, for a very cheap price - around 1000 yen! Recalling that when I measured the OEM rear wiper, it was 450mm, I ordered it, figuring it would be an easy mod to do (and a way to complete the Bosch wiper blades post).

It arrived quickly (the green is a clear plastic cover protecting the rubber blade):


 But I immediately noticed that there was a difference:

The clip area on the Bosch wiper is much nicer - no weird holes, and enclosed. I guess this is why the non-Bosch ones are "universal"?  But "who cares" I thought, these will be in the back, no one will notice. 

Comparing with the OEM rears, the length looks pretty good!


Now to check to see how they fit.  Good news was, they fit on the "J hook" perfectly, without drama. The BAD NEWS was - after the J hook fit into the universal clip - the wiper itself was too long!
oops....
The OEM wiper is a comfortable 2cm away from the spray nozzle.  This photo shows the new aero blade just grazing the spray nozzle, but in actuality the blade would rest on top of the nozzle a bit more. So even though the blade LENGTH is the same, the location of where the arm meets the blade is different.  If I were to order another of the same series, to be safe I would order the shorter 400mm.

But there MUST be a Bosch for the rear, and this mistake only cost me 1000 yen, so I will keep looking...  oh and as for the rear nozzle, it appears to be stuck somehow to the glass, so I'm not going to mess with it. Stay tuned!

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