It's the automotive equivalent of Rock-Paper-Scissors, and it goes like this: Wiper defeats Rain, Rain defeats Carwash and, as we recently confirmed with our 2008 BMW X5, Carwash defeats Wiper.
So we picked up what pieces we could find to see if we could humpty-dumpty the thing back together again.
The key is getting the spring in the right way. The coiled end goes in the wiper body and the crook in the straight end must hang down where you can see it easily. Why? You'll soon see.
Getting to this point is easy, as the points to which the spring's hooks attach are hard to miss. All that is required now is a measured application of force; grab onto the wiper and pull hard to the right.
Almost there...
Eureka! Note how the crook in the spring hangs down.
If the spring were positioned any other way, I wouldn't be able to do this without breaking something.
No tools were required. It took me about 3 minutes.
The worst part is this: there is a crack in the main pivot shaft (not shown). It looks like it will hold together, but we'll see. And of course the most obvious piece, the decorative screw cover, is the piece we didn't find at the carwash. Its absence didn't prevent the fix, but now the BMW's hiney is showing a bit of age.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 20,002 miles
dougtheeng says:
10:35 AM, 11/10/08
I've never heard of a wash taking off a rear wiper, but then again I didn't know anyone took new cars through touch car washes anymore?
robs249 says:
10:42 AM, 11/10/08
There supposed to tape down the rear wiper. The last time i brought my grand cherokee to the car wash the idiot didn't tape it down and it got pulled out to a 90 degree angle, but luckily it didn't snap off like the way yours did.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
11:03 AM, 11/10/08
Car Washes in Portland routinely tape rear wipers to the hatch/door to prevent just this kind of damage. They also use drag mats or very soft brushes to avoid vehicle damage.
Still, my vehicle gets do-it-myself washes in bays near work (have not seen any damage so far).
Coin-Ops here charge about half of what CA. does.
stingray454 says:
11:09 AM, 11/10/08
I've heard of cases where a broken off part like this, or a broken antenna mast gets stuck in the felt wheel brushes of the car was machine, and then proceed to scrape the hell out of the car as it goes through. Sounds like it would be a complete nightmare, and not very far fetched to happen.
One of the many reasons I wash my Z06 by hand.
daddiod says:
11:47 AM, 11/10/08
I have been to many car washes that provide (and require) the use of little plastic bags that you are supposed to pull over your rear wiper. I always questioned what those would be good for but I guess someone might have been up to something here....I wonder what the front wipers can handle the car wash but not the rear....
7driver says:
02:00 PM, 11/10/08
Ahem. I think you mean "nut cover", not "screw cover".
billt9 says:
03:58 PM, 11/10/08
daddiod, uh, the front wipers sit in a recessed protected well. The rear wiper is tacked on with no protection... me thinks.
subytrojan says:
03:59 PM, 11/10/08
Great blog entry, Dan! I love the rock-paper-scissors analogy! Hope all of the Edmunds are having a nice holiday weekend!
the_big_al says:
04:09 PM, 11/10/08
huh - I have never heard of this happening, but I guess it does... Although I haven't been through an automatic car wash in years. It's all by hand for me. Saves me money and gives me an opportunity to inspect how many more scratches my vehicles have accumulated.
greenpony says:
05:16 PM, 11/10/08
Seems to me car washes around here suggest you remove your antenna and wipers and any other loose things before proceeding. I'm not sure though, I usually wash mine myself.
carfreak8394 says:
06:14 PM, 11/10/08
My mom used to go to the automatic car wash, and each time she did, it would try to pull off the plastic on the side of the car. (It was a '91 Camry.) Now I pretty much wash both of my parents cars' by hand. This is definitely a place where humans are better than machines. (;
carmizvi says:
06:57 PM, 11/10/08
Every year, the International Carwash Association names its most washable car - ostensibly to recognize the car with the design that's perceived to be the most auto-car-wash-friendly, the one least likely to lose parts when it goes through the wringer.
Camry, Accord and Aura (presumably with a working steering column) have won in recent years. The X5, for all its physics-defying wonder, has been absent from the list.
mbtech208 says:
08:59 PM, 11/10/08
"Every year, the International Carwash Association names its most washable car - ostensibly to recognize the car with the design that's perceived to be the most auto-car-wash-friendly, the one least likely to lose parts when it goes through the wringer."
I have heard of that before, and if I remember right, the second-generation Dodge Intrepid (1998-2004) won one year. I owned a 2003 model, and I did love washing it by hand. It was a highly washable car, indeed.
daddiod says:
06:55 AM, 11/11/08
billt9, my comment was toward front wipers in general when compared to rear wipers. The ones on The X5 might be sitting recessed but as I look out the window here I see cars like the previous generation Corolla, Camry, Saturn ION, Civic, etc. that have fully exposed front wipers.
I wonder if due to being exposed to "wind" the front wipers are designed more sturdy....
robs249 says:
09:27 AM, 11/11/08
No its because when an SUV goes through a car wash, it has a greater likelihood of those washer things that dangle down to catch onto the rear wiper, so as the car proceeds to move through the car wash, the wiper is then being yanked back by it (I was in my Jeep going through the car wash and witnessed this happening). The front wipers have a better chance of not being pulled back and ripped off.
sgude says:
09:55 AM, 11/11/08
I don't know how many times I have to say it, but nothing good happens after 3 a.m. or in a car wash. True enthusiasts wash their cars themselves! If I can do it with all my family obligations, so can you. And what really kills me is you're in SoCal! Rain or cold is simply not a factor.
joefrompa says:
10:43 AM, 11/11/08
If I may vote for worst car to wash by hand = Subaru Legacy's of the 2005+ era.
Not only is the paint cheap and ridiculously thin, but for some reason stuff just STICKS to it. Since buying mine, brand new, in march of 08 I have coated it with a carnuaba wax (paste), a liquid wax, and Klasse Sealant Glaze (a synthetic sealant that can last up to a year....and really does last 6 months or more).
I just washed this white car after a few weeks of going without. I've never seen such dirty car wash water in the rinse bucket. I've never had to scrub a newly-sealed car so much to get it to release the stuck on dirt.
Followed up by tons of contours and "lines" in which stuff can get stuck and hard to reach....it gets my hardest car to wash vote :)
Joe
P.s. Using a new, quality wash mitt and a quality wash product like Meguair's Gold Class wash would help. Unfortunately, I'm using a craptastic wash mitt of dubious origin and longevity combined with "blue" wash & wax concentrate craptacular car soap.