2017 Front Wiper Problem After Dealer Repair

[Sport17]

Ok, long story short, I had rat damage to my engine.  Took it to a dealer and they ultimately had to pull the engine out (to replace the firewall insulation).  Worst dealer ever.  They damaged my custom front Ford emblem (scratched), didn't properly attach the radiator hose to the reservoir (blew off 5 minutes after leaving the dealer).  They had to re-splice wire harnesses, which they didn't do correctly (triggered about 20 sensor failures and shorted the battery).  And finally, after picking it up the wipers have a HORRID squeaking/chopping effect.  They literally "skip/chop" over the window, leaving splatter all over and they obviously don't remove everything.

 

This is all an insurance job so we ultimately took it to a new shop to fix what the dealer screwed up.  They inspected the wipers but said they didn't see anything wrong and they mentioned that the steel the arms are made of is incredibly strong and you would see clear signs of damage if they had been tweaked.  I tend to agree but here we are.  I bought brand-new blades (rain-x best model) and at first it was fine but after a week, the problem returned.  They come with some type of conditioner, I think, so they don't dry out or whatever.  Anyway, today the shop I'm working with put on yet another new pair of blades.  Issue persists.

 

So, my question is - is there any type of adjustments that can be done?  This shop mentioned they played with the "tension" on the arms (this was on my first visit) but no help there.  It almost seems like they don't cycle as far in the up-swing as they should (stop at the top is about 3 inches from the edge of the window.  Would it be worth a try to remove the arm, rotate it slightly, and put it back on?  If it isn't in the proper location when you put it on, could that cause excessive squeaking?

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Xtra]

If new wipers do not fix the problem the next thing to look at is the windshield itself. Sometimes an invisible film can form on the glass . This could be from a car wash spray coating, RainX, detail spray, car wax, environmental debris or even rubber from the first wipers that chattered. Try a good deep cleaning on one part of the windshield that has this problem and see if the wipers settle down in that area. If they do then proceed to deep clean the entire windscreen. You might need more than just a household spray glass cleaner to remove the film. I have had wiper chatter from spray wax and detail spray over spray. Cleaning the glass fixed the problem. I cannot remember what products I used to clean the glass, I do remember the elbow grease required. It was not just a spray and wipe type of thing.

Edited June 26, 2019 by Xtra

[CARR142]

I have used glass stove top cleaner with more than expected results.

No elbow grease required. Was like having RainX on glass afterwards.

Edited June 26, 2019 by CARR142

[Sport17]

Xtra, Carr142, thank you both for your help.  This case (I'm relatively certain) is not a matter of anything on the window.  The wipers worked 100% perfectly until I brought it to a dealer.  The dealer had to remove the wipers (that whole cowl that they attach to) in order to remove the engine.  When I picked it up, they were absolutely horrible.  I replaced the stock wipers with Rain-X blades and they still "chopped".  The current shop I'm working with agreed with both of you, thinking it could be something on the window.  So they did a "thorough" cleaning of the windshield and replaced the blades again with their own.  The "chopping" still persists.  It's a real head-scratcher - there's one bolt that holds them on - no real adjustments that I know of and I've never experienced this issue before.  I think actually using Rain-X may help because it's somewhat of a lubricant.  Ugh..  I need to start reading up on the new Sport model (I think it's the "RS") because my lease is up next May. 

 

Nice tip on the glass stove-top cleaner.  I think maybe I'll try that and if that doesn't work, add Rain-X.  In the past I have used Acetone but honestly, I think that's too strong - seemed like it may have "melted" a factory "film" that was on the window (I had little "spots" on the glass after using it, so no more for that one).  To be clear, I never used Acetone on my Edge - just vehicles in the past.  I've only got 13k miles on the Edge after 2 years and with a personal life total of (crap, I don't know) maybe 400,000 miles of driving experience, I have never encountered this issue.  I've had a 1972 Charger, 2 Post Office Jeeps (DJ-5's), a 1991 Pontiac Bonneville, a few Caravans (moms), Delta 88, 2002 Jeep Liberty Renegade (KK), 2008 Jeep Liberty (KJ), 2009 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (JK) and a 2015 Jeep Cherokee but never this bad of a wiper issue.  And it never started until the very day I picked it up from the dealer who removed the wipers and cowl from the vehicle.

 

Funny, I never thought I'd ever have such an issue with wiper blades.  It's like the blades are super "sticky" if that makes sense.  Like the rubber is really "grabbing" the glass.  Perhaps the dealer cleaned the glass with something?  

 

Thanks Again, will update if I find anything out.

[onyxbfly]

One thing that comes to mind is that the wiper arms have to be torqued to spec. I could imagine that over tightening may create a reaction that you are experiencing. 

[Sport17]

Well, that was kind-of what I was thinking...  That or they weren't "rotated" properly when installing them.  I mean, it's one bolt/screw whatever.  There aren't many options.  LOL.  But I don't see how that would have such a dramatic difference (total work or total fail).  I've never seen this style of wiper - you can rotate them when the car is off.  I can switch the sides (make the passenger side the "high" side/etc.) and they will re-adjust automatically.  That is, they will "re-time" themselves" whereas the driver's side will re-sync.

 

 

[CARR142]

On 6/26/2019 at 9:22 PM, Sport17 said:

Well, that was kind-of what I was thinking...  That or they weren't "rotated" properly when installing them.  I mean, it's one bolt/screw whatever.  There aren't many options.  LOL.  But I don't see how that would have such a dramatic difference (total work or total fail).  I've never seen this style of wiper - you can rotate them when the car is off.  I can switch the sides (make the passenger side the "high" side/etc.) and they will re-adjust automatically.  That is, they will "re-time" themselves" whereas the driver's side will re-sync.

 

 

From what I have read there are two separate motors for the wiper blades on the 2015+.