Rear wiper

[markirel]

Just bought some new wipers for the front from http://www.wiperblades.co.uk, but does any one know where to get something for the rear? I have heard that JML universal blades are OK but these are not listed on the JML website and I rarely go into town to start looking round shops for them. Have been to Hellford's but they don't stock anything for the Altea.

On the same subject of wipers have you noticed the cool feature that on intermittent setting when your speed is above 80 mph (on the German autobahn) that the wipers pause at the bottom for a second, and that when at constant speed (P2), when you stop at a junction etc. the wipers automatically go to an intermittent program?

Any other interesting features not described in the handbook that you have noticed?

 

[aceman]

This has been discussed before but the features are cool non the less. Many modern cars incorporate these feature as I have found out since discovering them when I first got my Altea.

 

[ALTEA]

On the same subject of wipers have you noticed the cool feature that on intermittent setting when your speed is above 80 mph (on the German autobahn) that the wipers pause at the bottom for a second, and that when at constant speed (P2), when you stop at a junction etc. the wipers automatically go to an intermittent program?

Any other interesting features not described in the handbook that you have noticed?

I had noticed this and it had been mentioned on another forum but I can't work out why they pause for a second at the bottom when at speeds above 80mph. I would have thought that the faster you go the more likely it is that you need the wipers to work at a constant speed as the rain is hitting the windscreen faster. But it is good that they go to intermittent when you stop.

 

[jtmac]

I found out last night that the rear wiper does not work if the boot isn't quite shut. I must have shut it so that catch caught but it wasn't quite shut. I noticed that the wiper wasn't working and then also noticed a rattle so I pulled over and opened and shut the boot again. The rattle was gone and the wiper worked again.

My old ibiza was terrible for the boot being shut but not shut tight. I had thouigh this wasn't as bad on the Altea.

 

[markirel]

I'll watch for the boot thing over christmas as no-doubt I'll be stretching the boot capacity again as we deliver/collect presents.

I wonder if at speed the rain has a tendancy to disperse over the screen without signifcantly impairing vision and this is why the feature exists. I presume the VAG group did sufficient tests to support this feature.

 

[Tell]

That ones the dodgy boot catch where you give the boot a good whack using the internal handle on the right. When the wipers don't work you also get the door open signal !. Best to always whack the boot if you got this problem. You can actually feel a ridge on the side lip when it's not closed.

I don't think I drive at 80 in the wet to have noticed ....

 

[ALTEA DUDE]

My rear wiper is a JML wonder wiper, been going well for 2 years now. And I've still the second blade in the packet waiting for the first to wear out

Got it in Makro but I think Homebase stocks a lot of JML stuff.

It is weird how the intermittant wipers take a rest at the bottom of the screen when you hit 80 and above. Never quite figured out why but it certainly doesnt seem to do any harm.

I also like the way that after using the washers, the front and rear wipers give an extra wipe a few seconds later to clear any remaining drips. Amazing attention to detail, cars costing twice as much dont have half the Alteas gadgets and gizmos!

 

[Tell]

Thanks for that I'll have a look for the rears in Homebase or Makro. I'm still hoping to see the Altea front blades [Bosch ones] on a trip to Euro other than I'll order on the net when I need them. Back wipers aren't amazing.

 

[Hobbit]

As a matter of interest how much are a genuine set of Seat replacment wiper blades. My Altea is new in July this year so should be Ok for a while, just wondered at prices when the time comes.
Thanks

 

[Tell]

Dunno but on my Xmas trip to Trier in Germany went past a Bosch dealer on Friday, have the partner primed to look out for things, said "Bosch dealer". Called in and at 4:30 PM the guy said can order for next day and you'll have them at 8:30 AM when we open [German precision]. True to his word, 8:30 AM they had them, well arrived at 10:30 AM, 58 Euros all in [38.8519 GBP currency convertor, same price as that wiper UK site]. Fitted OK, so the car got a Xmas present, the others were two years old in November atleast.

Point of note. The ones I took off looked like Bosch blades, given that Bosch designed the system it's probably that some will be built with Bosch originals and not the ones that aren't liked [Seat dealer ones in the UK]. The originals on mine had the aerofoil dynamics and if you tried to reverse them as some have done, then the aero dynamics wouldn't work !.

Any one want to comment on this. The spoiler bit would be running backwards to the wiper motor although the "push comes" from moving forward. Did we all get the spoiler design of the blade as factory fitted ?.

Well so far, so good they clean the top 3" drivers side that the originals wouldn't touch very well. Oh and yes German's are into their Bosch aerowiper blades judging by the queue which agrees with what was said about the German Altea site who seak out Bosch aero twin blades for their Alteas.

 

[jtmac]

I'll watch for the boot thing over christmas as no-doubt I'll be stretching the boot capacity again as we deliver/collect presents.

When the wipers don't work you also get the door open signal !.

This happened to me again (rear wiper not moving because the boot was shut but was still open just a bit) and there was no light lit or sound beeping, the only indication was the lack of wiper action. Maybe boot open warning is only on the higher spec Alteas?

 

[Tell]

May be the rear sensor isn't working on the boot being open ?. More like it one would think.

 

[dlm2310]

Front wipers price..........wait for it £42 !!! and that was with 10% discount from the dealer !! I couldn't believe it, they said there is nowhere in the UK you can get them apart from a dealer.....am I being told porkies ?

Whilst we are talking wipers, has anyone had a problem with the front wipers that when you do a wash they do the usual 3 wipes but don't come back for the final sweep ? I can't read anywhere in the manual that explains it and JCT 600's response was "wipers are a complicated piece of kit! !! well I don't dispute that but an answer you could expect from a company with the worst aftersales service I have experienced (inc Comet !!!!) Anyway I now take my car to Richard Alexander in Huddersfield and the service is top notch, they said they will look at it in the next service but was just wondering what you guys thought ?

On the delay over 80mph, I think that's dangerous to be honest. Surely at that speed you want the screen clearing asap, I couldn't believe it when mine did it, I thought it was a fault until I read the posts on here.

 

[Tell]

Well these people had / have them listed as per top of the thread:

http://www.wiperblades.co.uk

Mind you when sufficient people buy Alteas and Toledos in Lux and France I'll be able to buy them for 40 Euros on foreign trips, that was the price of Bosch aero twins wipes or what ever they are called - I've put the packet away with the old blades in them.

Um on the final sweap thing, is this something that we have talked about before and even the most intelligent ones of us don't get right - LOL. Do you mean the final bit of water on the drivers side that never gets removed ?... since the wipers are installed for left hand drive cars so the final wipe is with the left blade, good for the passenger on right hand side drive cars, but not so good for the driver of said cars. Apparently it was said here that no manufacture swaps the way the blades work for the right hand side market so you always get this. This is my first car with two blades so I had never experinced that one myself until I had the Altea.

On 80 mph one suspects that Bosch's simulations of water, rain, wind speed etc give that design. Bosch designed the wiper system and the retraction to the upright position so all of that will be down to them and the "bus" that runs through the car that carries the speed of it that the system is tapped into.

 

[dlm2310]

with regards to the final sweep

After spraying the jets it always does 3 wipes and the manual says it should do a final sweep. Most of the time it does but on occasions it doesn't do the last sweep, I can't understand it.

 

[Hobbit]

with regards to the final sweep

After spraying the jets it always does 3 wipes and the manual says it should do a final sweep. Most of the time it does but on occasions it doesn't do the last sweep, I can't understand it.

Also noticed this on mine but also realised it only fails to do the last sweep if the car is either stationary or moving very slowly. Always get the last sweep if the car is being driven along normally. All a bit odd but must be in the design spec or something?

 

[Tell]

but even with the "final swipe".... you get that ridge where the passenger side blade does the final swipe, not the drivers side, so it remains wet with a streak on the drivers side running up.

 

[markirel]

My Bosch blades came from wiperblades.co.uk in really good time and at £41 they were cheaper that the dealer -10% as mentioned somewhere above. My original post was about the rear wiper which I have now solved with a replacement rubber kit from halfords (about £6), so I can now see out the front and back which is a novel change.

When changing the Bosch blades on the front you have to be careful to get them on the right side of the car otherwise the aero profile is upside-down. No-arrows like directional tyres!

I like the last sweep feature although sometimes after using the washers I find it a bit redundant as the screen can be dry.

The ridge on the right hand side bothers me as well. Quite annoying and something Seat could have fixed with Bosch in the design phase. The wiper motors are controlled electronically and have position sensing so that they don't hit each other and to control the speed. I am sure that a different programme in the ECU could have fixed this

 

[Tell]

Interesting, have you got a part number for the blades from Halford for the rear Markirel, I do need a set myself now after two years of being at the back.

Yes the aerodynamic bit of the wipers as supplied never came up on any wiper threads and I had never put mine into service mode untill I replaced them. Thus when "the board" about 6 - 12 months ago started swapping blades from left to right messing up the aerodynamics, not unless some Alteas got bog standard blades whilst others got Bosch ones at manufacture. Swapping them was suppose to / does etc give a new lease of life to them, but I didn't do that myself. We might draw "swappers" into the conversation....

 

[dlm2310]

My rear wiper has started to make a right din !!

I've had it to the dealer who is supposed to have adjusted and at first it was OK but now it sounds someone is grating metal down the back window.

Wipers are OK and there is no contact of wiper arm other than the blade on the window. Have cleaned blade too, any ideas ?