It’s annoying. *Schlursh* *Squeak* *Brrrrbp* *Brrrrrbp* over and over when the rain has already stopped and you simply forgot to turn off the wipers.
Shouldn’t engineers have figured out how to stop the squeaking? What about the annoying noises your wipers make when they’re clearing ice from your windshield?
You might have noticed that as the squeaking gets louder and louder month by month, the wipers become less effective at clearing water and debris from your window. In this article, we aim to get to the bottom of this nonsense.
Why Do Windshield Wipers Squeak?
There must be a reason. Here are a few to think about:
#1 – Your Glass is Dirty
The sound is normally produced by friction and vibration. You might think that a smooth rubber wiper blade rubbing against a smooth glass surface wouldn’t produce much noise, and that’s normally the case. The way you can make noise with these two elements is by introducing some friction into the equation.
The enemy is coming; dirt. It’s bad news, and it’s only there to cause trouble.
Dirt accumulates on your windshield, no matter how you drive. It can build up during rainstorms when water washes debris from your car’s roof onto your windshield. If you go on a weekend trip to the mountains or have a dirt driveway, you’ll see dirt accumulate.
But even if you’re just driving on the highway, cars kick up salt, magnesium, and other road debris right onto your windshield. It’s unavoidable; you’re going to have a dirty windshield.
#2 – Those Blades Need Washing
As you can imagine, as dirt builds up on your windshield, it also builds up on your wiper blades. This dirt could be from a weekend trip to Moab, your daily commute, a snow or rain storm, or if you simply live in the dusty desert.
Little by little, dirt will accumulate on your wipers and start making noise. The dirt gets between the wipers and your window, and as the blade rubs against your window’s surface, it will start creating a rhythmic squeaking.
If you think your window is clean, but your wipers are so noisy, grab a towel, wet it with tap water, and just wipe those blades. Be careful not to pull too hard in one direction or the other because you might accidentally break the mechanism. (Believe me, this comes from experience. -Ed)
#3 – Old Wiper Blades
You’re a cheap bastard, so you haven’t replaced your wife’s wiper blades for seven years because “they’re fine.” So, she kindly told you that the wiper blades are getting noisier and it’s quite annoying, but as is the case for most of us, we didn’t listen.
One day, you have to drive her car and it’s raining, you turn on the wipers and it’s very noisy. These need to be replaced, and it’s YOUR job to replace them and apologize to her.
Most wiper blades will last 2 to 3 years, depending on how long they stay in the sun or in dry climates. This is because the contact surface is rubber, which will dry out if exposed to excessive UV and lack of moisture.
Try cleaning the glass surface with a glass cleaner, then clean the wiper blades. If that doesn’t work, inspect your wiper blades.
Do they look cracked or dry? Replace them. Do they still make a lot of noise when you’re driving in a downpour? Replace them.
If your wiper blades are torn, it can cause a wind noise even when your wipers aren’t being used.
#4 – Wiping When Dry
Have you ever used a bidet? Yeah? How does that compare to just using dry toilet paper? That’s what I thought. Never wipe when dry, otherwise you’ll have “stuff” hanging around there for the rest of the day, and nobody wants that.
The same goes for your windshield wiping. Never wipe when it’s dry, otherwise you’ll experience a lot of friction.
Even though it seems like two frictionless surfaces are moving over each other, the wiper will catch on the small topographies/scratches of your windshield and “jump” across the surface. Making a slapping/squeaking noise throughout the ride.
The easiest way to prevent this from happening is to turn off the wipers. See? No more squeaks!
How to Stop Squeaky Windshield Wipers
Squeaky wipers might seem inevitable, but there are a few solutions that will help you avoid this in the future:
#1 – Replace and Upgrade Your Blades
Now, the simplest solution to many car problems is simply to replace the part with a brand new version. This normally solves the problem, as wear and tear is the enemy of every engineer’s dream of making your car run forever.
If you replace a faulty part with a new one, you’ll return that mechanism to factory specifications. With your wiper blades, the same applies. When you replace them, just buy a pair of Bosch Icons.
From my experience, they last longer, wipe more easily, and tend to just be a better option when things get tough. Buy once, cry once.
#2 – Clean and Wax Your Windshield
We established above that dirt is the enemy of smooth windshield wiping, so why not clean the surface preventatively?
Many windshield cleaners offer wax properties mixed into the solution, so that water and debris don’t stick to the glass itself, only to the wax!
This means less debris will accumulate on your glass surface and you’ll be less likely to experience noisy wipes. Treat your glass well and it will treat you well in return.
#3 – Clean Your Wiper Blades
Dirt is the enemy of silence, as we explained above. So make sure to clean your wiper blades once a month. While this timeframe isn’t backed by peer-reviewed studies, it seems to have worked for me since I started owning cars.
#4 – Keep Your Car Clean
If you keep your car clean, less dirt will accumulate on the surfaces you care about and you’ll have less friction when you swipe a wiper blade across the windshield, for example.
Cleaning your car has other benefits too:
- Your resale value will be higher if you can demonstrate that you’ve taken good care of your car, and it will give the buyer confidence that they’re making a good financial decision.
- Examining your car while you clean it regularly can help you spot problems before they become a real issue.
Cracked rubber, glass nicks/chips, rust spots, fluid leaks, and flat tires are just a few of the problems I’ve encountered while cleaning my car. Honestly, it can save you thousands of dollars, and today we need all the help we can get.
Other Wiper Noises
Now, I’ve covered a few noise variations above, but there are others you need to watch out for.
Chattering
If you look closely at the rubber part that contacts your windshield, you’ll notice there’s a flat part and a corner part. In order to slide across the flat surface of the glass with the least resistance, the flat part should be flush with the flat surface of the glass.
If the angle is different, or off in any way, the wipers will *grab* then *release*, *grab*, and so on. This sounds like a fast “chattering” when it happens at high speed and can become quite annoying. Adjust the angle of your wipers by watching the video below and voilà!
What wiper chattering sounds like:
Slapping
If you hear a slapping or smacking noise when operating your wipers, you might have a misalignment issue. One wiper could be the wrong length and they would collide while swishing back and forth.
This problem will be fixed when you go to your favorite auto parts store where they can provide you with the PERFECT length of wiper blades so they don’t hit each other. Or to save money, use Google to find your correct sizes (i.e., “2020 Mazda 3 wiper blade sizes”) and get your Bosch blades on Amazon.
What wiper slap noise sounds like:
Scraping
If you hear a distinct scraping noise, like fingernails on a chalkboard, stop the wipers immediately and go out to inspect them. Most likely, this is due to another sharp piece of debris lodged in the wiper.
The scraping noise is debris physically scratching your glass, which is NOT good! Then you’ll have to worry about removing scratches from the windshield.
Now, if you’ve made it this far into the article, you know more about wiper noises than anyone really should, so I congratulate you. But seriously, go outside and get some fresh air!