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Windshield Wipers During Winter

26K views 85 replies 18 participants last post by  Clarkie2  
#1 ·
I believe this has been touched on briefly in the community but I’d like to revisit this issue. These windshield wipers in combination with the delivery of fluid to the windshield is not ideal to say the least in the winter time.

This last winter snow storm has been a real struggle to drive and believe it or not it’s not due to the snow covered roads. This new civic sport does pretty well getting around on the roads. However, these wipers are awful in low temps. They don’t wipe the windshield very well even after defrosting for a half hour. Also, after slapping the blades off of the windshield as one would during winter in hopes of clearing them of ice and snow, they still won’t grip the glass. I’m not sure the factory blades are made for winter.

The delivery of the fluid also is troublesome in the winter. It comes out like someone is holding a small teacup full of water and drizzling it over the windshield. Doesn’t anyone else prefer the traditional mist from the hood onto the windshield? It might be a petty take but I feel like they did not design this system for the winter season.

Can anyone else share there two cents on this topic? I’m interested in hearing everyone else’s take and if they may have solutions (better blades) etc…. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I prefer the traditional mist, also.
 
#3 ·
I have only had my car for a few weeks but it is winter here. My experience has been on perfectly cleared windshields only well defrosted, and everything has worked well. I have not had it working through a big snow storm or ice storm so I can't say how they work in rough weather. Maybe there is a true winter blade you can switch to if the regular blades dont cut it. I hope to get more use this winter, but thus far no issues.

I did have the same system on my Subaru cars for 2-3 years and never had an issue with this style of spray system, it has some benefits and some pitfalls I guess, they are used by other manufacturers.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I've not had a very good experience with the wipers on my 22 Civic Sport HB. Here are images of them not cleaning the windshield one morning when I was driving to work and it was snowing, temps at or below 32 deg. F... The brought it to the dealership for inspection but was told this is normal operation for them.


Driver's Side

Driver's Side
Passenger Side

Passenger Side
Image

Driver's Side
Image

Driver's Side

The driver's side wiper wouldn't conform to and/or touch the glass as depicted in the photos.

Hopefully Honda will take note and address this concern.
 
#6 ·
I've not had a very good experience with the wipers on my 22 Civic Sport HB. Here are images of them not cleaning the windshield one morning when I was driving to work and it was snowing, temps at or below 32 deg. F... The brought it to the dealership for inspection but was told this is normal operation for them.


View attachment 6246
Driver's Side
View attachment 6248
Passenger Side
View attachment 6249
Driver's Side
View attachment 6250
Driver's Side

The driver's side wiper wouldn't conform to and/or touch the glass as depicted in the photos.

Hopefully Honda will take note and address this concern.
After clearing the snow off of my car, I tried to use the wipers and had this exact same issue. Tried cleaning the blades and reseating them to no avail. Wasn’t until later that day that they worked again. Hopefully this is something that can be resolved
 
#9 · (Edited)
Are these wipers like men in cold water - shrinkage ? lol.

I went out and put my wipers in the maintenance position to check them. They are fully contacting the windshield. I lifted them up and down and there is plenty of spring in the flex blade so it makes full contact. It is pretty frigid today so I thought it would be a good test, -15 degs celsius. I thought the blade might be really stiff but it isn't . The car is only 3 weeks old. I know how a bad operating wiper can be really sucky in winter, I hope this issue doesn't continue for people.
 
#11 ·
It's not a big cost to switch the blades with Bosch Icon blades. They're my go-to.

Just remember to follow the procedure to get the blades vertical so you don't damage your paint when changing out the blades (ignition on/off and then hold in mist position for 3-5 seconds)
I need to practice this, never had to do this before.

What kind of wiper arms does the 2022 Civic have? The J shaped ones? Bosch blades go on easily (other than fixing the arms upwards to change them, as you described)?
 
#12 ·
The wipers I can change, they sick and I agree with the OP entirely.

The washer fluid delivery is by far the worst I have ever seen. Only dispenses when the wipers are coming up from the bottom and hardly comes close to coating the windshield. I was in an HR-V loaner the last couple of days, it has traditional mist, and it is a world better.

The lack of windshield clearing on slushy roads where I live is downright dangerous. The only washer fluid I’ve found which helps is Prestone deicer. However, the issue is compounded by the sippy cup sized washer fluid reservoir.

Honda has missed the mark on a lot of design/engineering changes on this generation, from a functionality standpoint. They are starting to outweigh the positives in my opinion of the Si.
 
#20 ·
Probably saves 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 gallons of fuel over the life of the vehicle by having that anti-aerodynamic nipple on the hood gone...
 
#17 ·
We had a big snow storm today, with extreme cold temps combined. I made a point to use the windshield wipers driving through the storm. I made sure the windshield was was thoroughly heated up with defrost blasting , I run 23 degrees C as my temp setting ( I think that is high 70's ?) There was no ice formation which was good, I flooded the windshield a few times with washer fluid. I think with this system you need to hold the spray a bit longer so it has proper coverage over the entire windshield wipe pattern. The wipers worked perfectly, the fluid spray was decent enough. I use -35 degree C washer fluid to reduce icing. I didn't scrape the windshield , I just defrosted it. I love my heat, lol. So far so good, no issues, and I don't usually drive in weather that gets much worse than this. I could see these wipers being an issue if you get ice forming underneath them but with good fluid and ample heat that shouldn't be an issue.
 
#18 ·
I apologize for my earlier post. I’m in metro Philadelphia and had my first experience with the wipers in really cold weather after a snowstorm. Yes. These wipers are horrible. HORRIBLE.

And it’s a royal pain to get the wipers into service position when it’s 15F in blowing snow and 25 mph winds.

I wonder if replacement blades from Bosch are even available for the 11th gen yet…..
 
#24 ·
Do we need special blades or something? I am very used to just getting Bosch wipers with the universal arm adapters and usually just using the J-shaped one (whatever that's called)

The OEM blades are listed as 600mm and 475mm long for the windshield, and the manual shows them coming off with the fairly standard lock tab; would 24" and 18" Bosch blades not work? (For some reason no info is given for the rear wiper on the hatchback, but I suppose I could just go measure its length with a tape measure)

I went to Auto Zone to pick up some washer fluid. I studied the blade assembly carefully - it's a routine slim top connector.

I haven't measured the blade, but I think a good replacement with a Bosch (or your favorite brand) will fit fine. The hoses for the spray are not part of the wiper assembly.

Next up - buy a pair and see if they improve things.
Do it
Do it
Do it
 
#21 ·
I was out driving today and decided to dig into this.
  • Temperature was 18F. Sunny weather. Salt-coated highways with some patches of melting snow.
  • I tried the "spray" method to clean after I ensured the wipers were clear of ice. The system failed because large swaths of the windshield weren't touched by the wiper blade.
  • Had lunch in the car, and I used a napkin to clean the blades after putting them into service position. This resolved the problem for a while.
  • After 15 minutes of driving, road salt caused me to clean the windshield again. This time, the old problem was back.
  • About 30 minutes later - I filled the gas tank and "cleaned" the blades again. This didn't work as well as the first time.
  • Didn't matter if I was stopped or going 70mph - wipers failed to stay "connected" to the windshield.
  • I went to Auto Zone to pick up some washer fluid. I studied the blade assembly carefully - it's a routine slim top connector.
  • I haven't measured the blade, but I think a good replacement with a Bosch (or your favorite brand) will fit fine. The hoses for the spray are not part of the wiper assembly.
Next up - buy a pair and see if they improve things.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I was out driving today and decided to dig into this.
  • Temperature was 18F. Sunny weather. Salt-coated highways with some patches of melting snow.
  • I tried the "spray" method to clean after I ensured the wipers were clear of ice. The system failed because large swaths of the windshield weren't touched by the wiper blade.
  • Had lunch in the car, and I used a napkin to clean the blades after putting them into service position. This resolved the problem for a while.
  • After 15 minutes of driving, road salt caused me to clean the windshield again. This time, the old problem was back.
  • About 30 minutes later - I filled the gas tank and "cleaned" the blades again. This didn't work as well as the first time.
  • Didn't matter if I was stopped or going 70mph - wipers failed to stay "connected" to the windshield.
  • I went to Auto Zone to pick up some washer fluid. I studied the blade assembly carefully - it's a routine slim top connector.
  • I haven't measured the blade, but I think a good replacement with a Bosch (or your favorite brand) will fit fine. The hoses for the spray are not part of the wiper assembly.
Next up - buy a pair and see if they improve things.
Thanks for posting that is really good information. I am not sure what is causing the wipers to bend upwards like that and not contact the glass, that is very odd. When I tested mine in frigid temps there was lots of tension and play on the wiper blade bouncing it up and down. Something must cause it to lift up and not return to the glass properly , like the tension reduces ?
 
#25 · (Edited)
My passenger wiper is lifting off the glass today. I tried to get it back down to the proper position to touch the glass but it is being stubborn. This just happened today, it is pretty cold out and we have a bit storm rolling through. The only issue is when I try to spray wiper fluid and the passenger wiper skips over a section of the windshield and the fluid doesn't wipe clean, it remains on the glass as a puddle. I'm headed to the parts store to get a different wiper, we need a 19 inch wiper for the passenger side. My driver side seems fine. I have a highway trip tomorrow and I can't wait for a dealer to check it and have them keep my car for a day, lol. I'm putting on a new wiper on my own, will see if that solves the problem.
 
#26 · (Edited)
So I picked up a Bosch Icon wiper for my passenger side. The factory driver side wiper does not give me any issue and it seems to stay flat against the windshield. It is the shape of the passenger side wiper that causes it to lift with a curvature, maybe it has too much flex pressure for a shorter size so it lifts in the middle. The passenger side wiper is 19 inch and the driver side is 24 inch.

I installed the Bosch icon wiper OE size, 19 inch.

Note: The clip that comes with the wiper does not fit out of the box. I had to modify the clip by cutting off the side wings on the end of the clip. It wasn't pretty but I got it trimmed up and it fits fine now. The Bosch clip has two side wings on the end of it, and the wings are too wide to slide into the Honda wiper arm fully, preventing the wiper from sliding all the way down into place. I trimmed up the two end wings (maybe a bit too much) but it fits and is sturdy enough. First test run with the Bosch wiper indicates that it works well, it does not lift off the glass like the factory wiper, and it is cleaning the windshield 100%. It makes full contact with the glass. I was in a rush to get this done as I have a long highway trip tomorrow. I will bring the Honda wiper with me in case the modified Bosch flies off, lol. But it seems sturdy enough. The cleaning wipe is perfect, I will be testing it out over the next day's highway trip.
We shouldn't have to do this but I don't want to keep using a bad wiper that doesn't work properly.
 
#29 ·
So I got my passenger wiper working fine with the Bosch Icon 19 inch OE. After test running through some snow and rain and ice I noticed the passenger side was cleaning better than the driver side (Honda factory wiper), so I went out and got a 24 inch Bosch Icon OE for the driver side. So I have two new wipers now.

I spent a bit more time modifying the clips that come with the Bosch Icons OE and I got them to fit properly. It is a relatively simple modification. Bosch gives you a clip that is very close to the Honda clip, it just has two side wings that are too wide, so you simply trim them back by cutting off the wings, to allow the clip to work. Give it a firm push and it clips right in. Too bad the Honda clips don't fit the Bosch wipers or it would be a simple swap, they could probably be modified to fit if I had enough time to explore them, but the Bosch clips are pretty close. These are the Bosch OE wipers, as they have a couple different models. Until we find alternate clips this should work fine. I will have four hours of highway driving tomorrow to test them out in snowy conditions.
 
#30 ·
So I got my passenger wiper working fine with the Bosch Icon 19 inch OE. After test running through some snow and rain and ice I noticed the passenger side was cleaning better than the driver side (Honda factory wiper), so I went out and got a 24 inch Bosch Icon OE for the driver side. So I have two new wipers now.

I spent a bit more time modifying the clips that come with the Bosch Icons OE and I got them to fit properly. It is a relatively simple modification. Bosch gives you a clip that is very close to the Honda clip, it just has two side wings that are too wide, so you simply trim them back by cutting off the wings, to allow the clip to work. Give it a firm push and it clips right in. Too bad the Honda clips don't fit the Bosch wipers or it would be a simple swap, they could probably be modified to fit if I had enough time to explore them, but the Bosch clips are pretty close. These are the Bosch OE wipers, as they have a couple different models. Until we find alternate clips this should work fine. I will have four hours of highway driving tomorrow to test them out in snowy conditions.
Awesome!! Thank you for the helpful information. I’ll give these Bosch blades a try.
 
#34 ·
Is it mostly the passenger side wiper ? My passenger side was the problem and when I look at the removed part it is clear that the wiper is heavily curved and probably under too much tension so the wiper arm doesn't have enough tension to keep it down. My driver side wiper doesn't seem bad.

Subaru uses the same wipers and attachment method as our Honda wipers, and I am told you can buy clips from Subaru for their wipers (an oil change place gave me some free wipers for my Subaru but they need clips to work). I should check with the Subaru parts guys and see if the can get clips.

I did a four hour highway trip yesterday through constant slush and ice and road mist and the Bosch Icon OE 19 inch passenger side wiper did not exhibit any issues. The Bosch wiper fits and it looks exactly the same as the Honda shape , they give you a clip but it just needs a small bit of modifying to cut off some plastic on the sides of the clip and then it fits. There is no official listing of wiper parts that are meant for our cars but I can get the Bosch to fit. I will ask my Subaru parts guy next.
 
#42 ·
Image


The blade on the left is the Bosch Icon OE blade. The right blade is the OEM blade for the 22’ Civic. You can see the side pieces or the plastic wings on the Bosch clip.


Image


I used a dremel to cut off the side pieces of the clip. I’m sure there are 100 different ways to achieve this but a dremel is fast and easy.

Image


As you can see, it’s a perfect fit. However, after trying them in the current 15 degree weather I unfortunately am experiencing the same issue as before. The center of the blade is just not making enough contact to get a streak free wipe. I noticed it leaves a streak or a patch on the down stroke but on the way up it works about 3/4 of the way. This only is happening on the driver side as far as I can tell. I replaced both OEM blades with the Bosch Icon OE’s. I’m confused now…. This seems to only happen when it’s cold out. My windshield is completely free of ice and snow. It seems like perhaps the design of the wiper arms may be at fault. Are the arms not applying enough pressure in the center?
 
#44 ·
...after trying them in the current 15 degree weather I unfortunately am experiencing the same issue as before. The center of the blade is just not making enough contact to get a streak free wipe. I noticed it leaves a streak or a patch on the down stroke but on the way up it works about 3/4 of the way. This only is happening on the driver side as far as I can tell. I replaced both OEM blades with the Bosch Icon OE’s. I’m confused now…. This seems to only happen when it’s cold out. My windshield is completely free of ice and snow. It seems like perhaps the design of the wiper arms may be at fault. Are the arms not applying enough pressure in the center?
I have found this to be true of the OEM blades - in very cold weather, like the 15-25F I've seen lately, even if I've cleaned the blades of snow/ice with a rag (and using my breath to melt things down first, or some water from a bottle), there are gaps in the contact with the windshield. However, when the temperature reaches freezing/melting point again, or maybe just gets enough direct sunlight in the daytime to warm it up, it works well.

I am sad to see your finding that the Bosch Icon OE upgrade didn't help with that. Because if the problem goes away with warmer weather (as if 32F/0C were "warm", LOL), it seems it must be due either to the rubber becoming inelastic, or perhaps my cleaning of the blade of ice wasn't as thorough as I thought (I mean, it was nighttime and the wiper is black), so that it was actually some thin icy bit somewhere on the rubber edge causing the blade not to meet the glass.
 
#43 ·
Good work getting the clip cut back and fitted to the Honda arm. Sorry to hear it has not fixed the issue. My issue was with the passenger side wiper, and it has completely fixed the issue.

Is the size of the area that is not being wiped any different ? is the area smaller or larger or no difference at all ? This is odd. I know the problem is that the wiper is not being pushed down enough to contact the windshield, having a wiper with less tension should help, or getting more tension on the wiper arm spring may also be needed (but that is more difficult) Try it for a bit of time and see if things improve with use, keep the old blades for any warranty claim if you go that route. Sorry to hear of this, I haven't had issues with the large driver blade, just the passenger side and the issue went away with the new wiper.
 
#50 · (Edited)
Yeah it is like the blades stiffen up in some weather conditions, very hard to describe unless you see it up close. The blade just stays curved and doesn't flatten out completely. And trying to get the dealers to address the issue is just going to be an exercise in frustration and wasted time, hence the reason I just bought new wipers.

I got the Bosch Icons, there will be other designs our there that may work better. Since running them on Friday I have not had a single issue with them, but my factory wiper was definitely acting up in similar conditions. I went through every weather condition in the last 3 days, frigid temps as low as -15 degrees C, snow storm, rain, slush, road mist, nothing any warmer than 0 degrees C (32 F) all weekend. Maybe a wiper with a different aerodynamic shape will help, the Bosch Icons are the same shape as the factory wipers. Once the factory wipers get almost near the vertical position they may be lifting ?

Just keep exploring options if we can. If you run aftermarket wipers wear them in a good bit before changing them out. I'm happy with my choice so far, if they start acting up I can keep testing other brands and shapes. Once you modify the clips they can be used on other aftermarket wipers that are OE style without issue, which is good. There may be other shapes that work better.

We have a lot of winter left in my parts and I am driving all the time, so I will see how things work.