windshield wipers not working

[tigstah]

i have a 98 expedition, when i turn the know, i can hear the "motor" that moves the wipers going but the wipers themselves are moving. any idea how much something like this will cost

[glc]

Will the wipers move by hand? If so, you probably just dropped a linkage clip.

[tigstah]

its the wiper motor. my ford dealership has to order the part, and with the labor, its 341 bucks. hmmmmm. i'm may start looking at getting a new(er) vehicle

[rjfvillarosa]

http://www.rockauto.com/

Original Ford remanufactured unit $85.99
It's an old vehicle now so put a copy part on it $40.79

[tigstah]

thanks for the link, it shipped today. should have it on tuesday.

[David M]

its the wiper motor. my ford dealership has to order the part, and with the labor, its 341 bucks. hmmmmm. i'm may start looking at getting a new(er) vehicle

Rain-X

[tigstah]

what will rain-x do?

[TwoRails]

That was a joke :) -- Use rain-x and you don't need wipers :eek: ...

[glc]

Even with rain-x, you need wipers under about 45 mph.

[David M]

what will rain-x do?

Rain-X is an oil in an alcohol solution. You wipe it on your windshield and when the alcohol dries it leave a very light film of oil. It causes water to bead rather than sheen which makes seeing through the windshield easier. I like how it works but it is not a substitute for a wiper because Rain-X does not last very long nor does it work quite as well as a wiper. I would imagine the law says somewhere that your supposed to have wipers that work as well.

[shadowpr]

Thanks for reminding me...i need to clean my wipers. Might as well put some rain-x on too. It's been a while.

[TwoRails]

... I would imagine the law says somewhere that your supposed to have wipers that work as well.I've been a "state safety inspector" and yes, it's considered safety equipment. Although I haven't done that in a heck of a lot of years, I doubt it's changed any.

[BigRed CC Dually]

Rain-X is an oil in an alcohol solution. You wipe it on your windshield and when the alcohol dries it leave a very light film of oil. It causes water to bead rather than sheen which makes seeing through the windshield easier. I like how it works but it is not a substitute for a wiper because Rain-X does not last very long nor does it work quite as well as a wiper. I would imagine the law says somewhere that your supposed to have wipers that work as well.

We have a 2006 Honda Pilot we bought new. I treated all the windows with Rain-X right after we got it home. We have also used the Rain-X brand washer fluid since new (the pink/orange premixed stuff) and have not had to reapply the Rain-X even after many many repeated carwashes, rain, snow, etc. Snow and ice are much easier to remove, and rain simply beads and flows, making the wipers do a much better job of clearing the windshield. In the past I had treated other vehicles with the Rain-X and had similar results as others had with it not lasting more than a few months, if not weeks, however, after using the Rain-X washer fluid too, I find it seems to replenish or reapply the product every time you use the windshield washers. I swear by it now.

[glc]

It's not really an oil - what it does is fill in the pores in the glass - being that glass is not 100% smooth.

[cmichael258]

I recently decided to replace the wiper blade refills and, after going to 6 different auto parts stores, I
discovered that the refills are no longer available and I had to purchase the entir blade assembly. What used to cost me about $7 now cost me $40.

I find it interesting that all of the companies that made the refills stopped selling them at the same time????

[TwoRails]

A friend of mine just paid about the same here, so when I need refills, I went to everybody's favorite place to hate: WalMart. Got good blades for a whopping $7 each.

[David M]

It's not really an oil - what it does is fill in the pores in the glass - being that glass is not 100% smooth.

Ok...some sort of substance that feels like oil. I had it spill one time and left this stuff that looks like oil.

[David M]

I recently decided to replace the wiper blade refills and, after going to 6 different auto parts stores, I
discovered that the refills are no longer available and I had to purchase the entir blade assembly. What used to cost me about $7 now cost me $40.

I find it interesting that all of the companies that made the refills stopped selling them at the same time????

It does seem like a waste to have to replace not just the blade but the mount for the blade. I got mine a Kragen for a lot less than 40 bucks though. Maybe try there if there is one near?

[glc]

I spend the 40 bucks and get Bosch Icons. They are fantastic and well worth it.

[juppy]

I've used Rain-x on all of our car's windshields for probably 5 or 6 years now. Have to put it on a couple times a year and it does a good job. Definitley NOT a total substitute for wipers though. Don't bother with their anti-fog stuff that you put on the inside of the windshield....it's total crap. Didn't make the fog any less but it DID add nice streak marks caused by the paper towel I put it on with. Wouldn't see those until it fogged up, then boom, streaky smudges galore! :D

[glc]

Best stuff to clean the windows that I've found is Stoner's Invisible Glass.

[rjfvillarosa]

I spend the 40 bucks and get Bosch Icons. They are fantastic and well worth it.G. Do you remember me working a contract at the Bosch plant back home a few years back? They gave us access to the staff shop even though we were only contract engineers. You had to buy a box full, so we got together worked out what we needed and bought plugs, caps, filters and all sorts. Two of the best items were Icon blades and the blue headlamp bulbs and everything was way under wholesale prices, it was like wholesale less staff discount.......:D

[tigstah]

the replacement motor came in today. its at the mechanics shop and i have a loaner car. i should my truck back tomorrow. cause its going to rain on thursday.