Wipers

[hagis]

The wipers on my A4 seem to have slowed down. I'm guessing this is the linkages that are siezing up. Is replacing them a big job? How much do the parts cost?

[Crasher]

Yes the spindles do seize, it is not a huge job but I can’t tell you the price of the wiper frame from home.

[hagis]

Thanks Crasher. If it's not a big job then I'll have a go myself, I could really do without having to splash out on anything at the minute.

[hagis]

Is oiling them likely to make any difference Crasher?

I've found a guide that says how to get the wiper arms off, hopefully this will come in use:
http://www.wak-tt.com/mods/aerotwin/aerotwin.htm

[Crasher]

Oiling them won’t help.

[hagis]

Thanks Crasher, that's saved me wasting any time and oil.

[GeorgeE]

Just squirting oil on them won;t help. You need to get the linkage out of the vehicle and then remove the splined shafts, clean them and their housing up, grease them and re-assemble. Unfortunately when I stripped mine downthe housing cracked so I had to change the linkage. From memory it was about £60-£70 for the entire assembly.

Edit: Just found the thread where I talked about it which has the price in it, £65

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=49311

[chequers36]

The wipers on my A4 seem to have slowed down. I'm guessing this is the linkages that are siezing up. Is replacing them a big job? How much do the parts cost?
i had the same proplem and read these theads which was a great help but instead of going to the bother of taking them to bits i gave the wiper spindle,( the shaft with the splines on) a sqwirt with wd40 from the top with bonnet shut so it ran down the shaft, next day they working fine, every now and then i drip a spot of oil down them, not had any trouble since, its worth a try.

[hagis]

Thanks for your suggestions gents, I'd missed your replies, sorry for not thanking you earlier.

Strangely enough, the first speed setting on the wipers seems to be working okay but the faster setting runs the same speed as the first.

I'll give the WD40 a go on the off chance, I've got some in the car so it's not going to cost me anything. If that doesn't make any difference then I think I'll be off to the garage with it.

[n_c]

This happened to me a few weeks ago. Parts were £65 for new linkage and 1/2 hour's labour. Seems a common problem. :(

[6316gould]

my wipers stopped yesturday on the motorway in the rain! they seem to be going very slow and sometimes won't complete a wipe!! do you think this is the same problem? was thinking of going to dealer as i'm a lazy mechanic and don't like working on my own car! especially as i've only had it 6 month and don't want to damage it!

[chequers36]

my wipers stopped yesturday on the motorway in the rain! they seem to be going very slow and sometimes won't complete a wipe!! do you think this is the same problem? was thinking of going to dealer as i'm a lazy mechanic and don't like working on my own car! especially as i've only had it 6 month and don't want to damage it!
its worth a try mate normally its the o/s wiper shaft goes dry in the bush when mine stopped working i just put some WD40 on it and next day it worked, might just be luck though,good luck.

[hagis]

It sounds very similar to mine. The wipers seem to work better when it's not wet.

I've been researching the part and it seems that you can only get it from Audi. I've not got round to ordering it yet.

[kenney]

9 times out of 10 you can repair the linkage,

[hagis]

By lubricating it or replacing parts?

[kenney]

Lubricating,if you can get the spindle out of the housing,by heating,it,clean it,with fine sand paper and use a thin waterproof grease,and you are home and dry.

[hagis]

This was fixed by a local VW specialist garage just before we went away to Cornwall. Apart from cracking the windscreen when putting everything back together (they apologised and managed to get a replacement in that day).

Unfortunately, I've just noticed today that the clicking noise it's making when the wipers run is caused by the wiper sweeping over the edge of the windscreen and hitting the bonnet hinge. I'm a bit annoyed they've managed to put it back together incorrectly, but I've phoned them and will be taking it there tonight for them to put right.

[Marco34]

I may have been lucky then as my 2001 is fine. I periodically spray some silicon grease with a long tube to the moving points of the wipers. Bit hard to get to but 8 years on and no issues... I hope!!!! :o

[hagis]

It's something I'll keep an eye on in future. The car is 7 years old so if it's lasted that long then hopefully the replacement part will last as long if not longer.