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Is it the case that the blades are not gliding smoothly over the windscreen, or is it just smearing that's the problem?

 

On my windscreen I use a rain repellent, there are several on the market. It seems to help. Also, now and then, I spray a bit of dry silicone lube on a cloth and wipe the blades over with it, keeping them off the windscreen until the lube is dry. Works for me.

Edited by TR5tar
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...Also, now and then, I spray a bit of dry silicon lube on a cloth and wipe the blades over with it, keeping them off the windscreen until the lube is dry. Works for me.

 

I'm not a fan of silicones *anywhere* on a car -- they get everywhere and interfere with wetting or adhesion on almost any surface. There are a lot of people who use and like them though, Darren, just like you.

 

As Bill notes, TRICO is a perfectly good brand -- an old American supplier, one that was at every service station when I was a kid. Wipers are kind of surprising in that the most expensive option doesn't mean the best performance. Sometimes cheap wipers can work just fine. On my daily drivers I use Goodyear-branded wipers from Costco. These made-in-USA wipers are cheap and work well for a year or more.

 

Stuart's approach of getting different wipers sounds like a better solution. Give another brand a try.

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I'm not a fan of silicones *anywhere* on a car -- they get everywhere and interfere with wetting or adhesion on almost any surface. There are a lot of people who use and like them though, Darren, just like you.

 

 

This was a tip I got from another TR owner earlier this year. It seems to work, but I'm always interested to hear counter views Don.

 

Cheers, Darren

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Is it the case that the blades are not gliding smoothly over the windscreen, or is it just smearing that's the problem?

 

On my windscreen I use a rain repellent, there are several on the market. It seems to help. Also, now and then, I spray a bit of dry silicone lube on a cloth and wipe the blades over with it, keeping them off the windscreen until the lube is dry. Works for me.

Till the next time you get a sudden shower when your heads up to the sun and you cant see anything. Also if you ever need to have any sort of paintwork/touchup done then good luck getting the paint to stick.

Stuart.

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Till the next time you get a sudden shower when your heads up to the sun and you cant see anything. Also if you ever need to have any sort of paintwork/touchup done then good luck getting the paint to stick.

Stuart.

 

I was certainly careful not to get any on the paintwork Stuart, so hopefully I'll be OK there. As for sun making it difficult to see, I've not encountered that problem yet, but maybe the conditions haven't been right. I'll find out in time no doubt.

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I was certainly careful not to get any on the paintwork Stuart, so hopefully I'll be OK there. As for sun making it difficult to see, I've not encountered that problem yet, but maybe the conditions haven't been right. I'll find out in time no doubt.

 

Silicones, with their low surface tension, are going to get everywhere anyway, Darren. Your care in trying to keep them in one place means nuthin'.

 

In my past life, working in coated paper and paperboard mills, we often as a supplier had to certify that none of the materials we brought into the mill contained any silicones -- they were banned completely from the entire site because of their effects on wetting and adhesion, and their tendency to migrate to all surfaces.

 

Let Stuart expand on his point if he wants, but take his comments as the voice of experience where coating over silicone contamination is concerned. Paint suppliers sell special silicone-removing solvents, which help, but it's a major PITA to have silicones anywhere near paintwork being done.

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When they fitted a new corrugated plastic roof to the tack room at the stables across the yard from us they sealed it all round with Silicon sealer and we suffered for ages afterwards trying to do any painting as the Silicones blow in the wind. Also in my previous workshop I always knew when the secretary had been using a silicon polish on her desk as it would come through the roof space between. When I was bodyshop manager at a big main agents years ago the guys who serviced the spray booth must have been using a Silicon based release agent to do something with and it caused mayhem for ages until we could get it industrially cleaned out.

Stuart.

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I'd imagined that "dry silicone lube" was somehow different and not easily spread. There certainly doesn't appear to be any trace of it on the blades or the windscreen once dry.

 

I'm certainly not disputing Stuart's voice of experience Don, and I'm very happy that you've both pointed this out. Not much I can do about the blades it's on now I guess, but given your points I won't be using again. As I said, I'm always more than happy to be set straight.

 

Cheers, Darren

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I bought a set of blades intended for my 6 some time back and they were utterly useless. Like rubbing lard over the windscreen. I ended up getting a set of rubbers from Halfords (last result!!) and cut them to size and fitted them to the exiting wiper frames. This was ok but not perfect. (In general I would only ever buy genuine dealer blades for my daily driver).

 

I'd be interested to know the source of these proper ones Stuart for future reference.

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Because my TR4's windscreen has been turning opaque from the bottom upwards, and particularly at the left side, I had a new laminated screen fitted by Revington TR last week. New wiper blades RTR8521-45 were supplied and cut to fit, and just as well as I drove home in drizzle, rain and heavy rain - a 4-hour cross-country trip. But I could see where I was going!

Neither the screen itself nor the wiper blades were expensive.

 

Ian Cornish

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Fitted new arms and blades ro my 6 and they smear the window told by the dealer that's because the rubbers are hard so how do you make soft again thanks Billy

 

Hi Billy

 

most blades work OK. You have probably been unlucky. Buy another set from a different supplier.

 

Make sure everything is working OK.

 

Clean the screen with a decent glass cleaner. Or use Meths and a very clean rag.

 

Clean the blade with the glass cleaner - new blades can have release agent on them.

 

It maybe that the spring pressure holding the blade down is a bit low - give the arms a slight bend.

 

The blades work by dragging behind the arms if the don't then again give the arm a slight twist. If the blade leads the arm then it will dig in and judder.

 

Roger

Edited by RogerH
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Hi,

 

Been following this thread and Stuart's recommendation for Tex or Trico blades.

Can't find any 10" stainless steel Trico blades for my 5 in their catalogue.

Tex do two 10" SS blades, one a centre hinged look alike of the old Trico blade and the other having two hinge points further toward the blade ends.

The second type looks a more modern type of blade.

Anyone got experience of either of these or indeed any other suggestions.

 

Peter

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