How do you make the windscreen wipers wipe properly?

[Keith Scarfe]

Does anyone who uses their cars in all weathers have any tricks to make the wipers work properly. Mine only seem to contact the glass in the 4 points that the arms attach to the blade with the remainder (75% of the screen) left un-wiped. This is worse on the drivers side (UK) where the blade has to curve round the screen.
I have tried to increase the pressure by shortening the spring but this doesn't seem to do much. Is there any technique to bending the arm to make it better. Can you remove some of the rubber in these places with sandpaper or will this make it worse? Anyone have a similar problem?
The rubber blades are relatively new (maybe a year or 2 old) and in good condition (hardly ever used).
Thanks.
Keith.

[billwill]

The holder for the rubber itself has to be able to slide to & fro in the clamps, except at one end which is fixed. Is that your problem?

Have you got the type of blade which has one central flat portion which supports two smaller holders at its ends?

Photo?

[gherlt]

Hello,
you are not alone !
Bending the arm will not help, the force the spring holds the arm against the screen is important.
This presses the wiper-structure against the screen.
Second problem is that this force should be distributed evenly to the rubber.

If the wiper (holding the wiping rubber) is metalic you have the posibility to bend it as needed for even distribution of the pressure. If it is plastic I don't see any possbilities...

I would not touch the wiping rubber, this will only worsen the wiping results.

At least in my car, this helped a lot, the result is still bad compared to modern wipers.
The corners can not be wiped, there is no wiper that could do that.

Regards

Guillermo

[billwill]

Your blade rubber may have hardened. While finding the picture above I found a recommendation that the rubbers be changed at least once a year, sometimes every 6 months.

I know that the rubbers that I fitted just over a year ago (only 600 miles) have already split lengthwise & I've bought new rubbers to install.

[Jason1]

Speedblades seem to work better as they are more bendy.

[jk952]

Check also that the frame is square to the glass, sometimes they are canted to one side causing the squeegee not to flip, the arms can be twisted a bit relatively easily to correct.
Jack

[richardcox_lotus]

Rain-x