How to Fix Wiper Noise Permanently with a Crescent Wrench

Updated: 2023/11/15 Shows how to stop wiper noise and skipping problems permanently by adjusting the wiper arm angle with a crescent wrench. Different people may describe this problem in different ways, like jitter, judder, jumping, skipping, stutter, shutter, hop, bounce, wobble, chatter, vibrating, squeal, or squeak. A lot of the suggestions people give to stop wipers from making noise will only last a short time because the wiper is still being pushed instead of pulled. Once the cleaning or treatment starts to wear off, the noise will come back. First, try cleaning you windshield, replace the wipers, and use a window treatment like rainx. If your problem comes back in a week or two, you probably need to adjust the wiper arm angle.

The tape measure isn't really necessary, it just make it easier to see the angle change. You can also use a magnetic digital angle finder.

Things you should check before adjusting.
Wiper and windshield contamination
Try a window treatment like Rainx
Bent blades (the metal part that holds the rubber wiper strip)
Old blades (try replacing them before you bend the arm)
Different brands/designs may skip on certain cars, so try others

The classic symptom is a vibration or squeal going one direction only. If you have lots of noise going both directions, the problem is most likely something other than blade arm angle. Blades distort with time. It's best to wait a week or so after installing new blades to let them settle in before making a blade arm adjustment. Also, blades tend to become deformed over time due to the pressure of the spring build into the arm pressing on the blade 24 hours a day. Some skipping may be noticed (usually on the up-stoke) until you run the wipers for a few minutes. Eventually, the deformation may be too bad to return to smooth operation without a mild adjustment or replacing the wipers.

Smooth operation may be plus or minus 10 degrees (or maybe more) from a right angle. Only adjust the arm enough to get smooth operation. If you go too far, the blade may skip as it becomes permanently deformed with age, or you may have skipping when you install a new blade. If your blades are approaching a year old, it's probably best to replace them instead of adjusting the arm.

If you have trouble telling which wiper is the problem, most cars have the ability to lift one of the arms up beyond the detent (with the hood closed). Then you can run one wiper at a time. Just make sure the arm won't strike the hood or something else while it's in the lifted position. Also, run the wipers in their slowest mode with the engine off (if possible). Sprinkle a tad of water on the windshield and look for the skip marks just after the wiper passes. You can turn the key off (on most cars) to stop the wiper in mid stroke if necessary.

If you wonder how your wiper arm was bent from it's original angle, here are some things that may have caused it:
Striking ice or snow piles on the window.
Oil change businesses allowing the arm to slam down on the window.
Carwash striking the arm.
Leaning on the arm while cleaning the center of the window.
Heat and time may cause the metal in a poor design to fatigue.

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These are just tags after this point to help people find this video:
squeaking, chattering, skipping, smearing.
These are some brands of wipers: bosch icon clear advantage rain x latitude piaa michelin guardian stealth endurance valeo trico anco BMW goodyear
Stores like walmart autozone costco sell wipers.
rear wiper glass silicone winter
washer fluid
windscreen wipers squeaking
noisy windshield wipers
wipers squeak
wipers making noise
squeaking wiper blades
wipers squeaking
noisy wipers fix.
Acura RDX MDX
Audi Q5 A6 A5
BMW, 3 series, 5 series, X5
Buick
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Camaro Chevy Colorado Corvette equinox Impala Silverado Traverse hhr Tahoe
Ford edge Expedition escape explorer Fiesta Mustang, Shelby GT500,
Suzuki PSA Peugeot
Honda Accord Civic CR-V Odyssey Fit
Chrysler
Hyundai, Santa Fe,
Renault GM General Motors Volkswagen
Dodge Charger Durango RAM 1500, Grand Caravan,
Fiat Ferrari
GMC Acadia
Infinity QX80
Jaguar
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Kia Soul
Land Rover, Range Rover,
Lexus RX 350
Lincoln Mack
Mazda Mazda3 3 CX-5 CX-9
Mercedes-Benz C-Class CLA-Class E-Class
Mini Cooper (this one has major skipping problems)
Mitsubishi Endeavor
Nissan 370Z Altima Frontier GT-R Juke Leaf Maxima Murano Pathfinder Quest Rogue Sentra Titan Versa Xterra Micra
Peterbilt
Porsche Macan
Smart
Subaru Forester
Tesla
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Volvo
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Fixpro256 f1i1x1p1r1o1

[fixpro]

Be sure to check the text part of the video, it may give you some other ideas.

[stewartbruce]

I have seen many video's on this subject. You most certainly produced a top shelf tutorial. Thank you, and all the best from New Rochelle N.Y.

[youbikewithatube]

You may want to consider the torque that you’re putting on the joint of the wiper arm down below without a second crescent wrench below the first one counteracting those forces and isolating the joint by pulling in the opposite direction with the second crescent wrench so that you can actually bend the metal arm and not bend the joint and possibly make it loose over time which could ruin it.

[shaddaya.campusanomontero]

Omg, thank you so much, this was driving me crazy, I replaced the blade wiper 3 times, I thought about replacing the whole part, then watched your video and within 10 minutes it was fixed, the best vide ever. You're the best.

[kenputt]

Used your brilliant method yesterday, fast and easy! So far good, thank you! Let it rain so I can see the results (seems to be perfect in my test)! Those wipers have been driving me CRAZY. Well done fixpro guy :)

[xSierra]

the wrench treatment worked great thanks i have a 97 Lincoln town car and they skiped going up but i did what u said and they work great now

[DuallyVan]

Thank you, in a world of "replacing parts" you explained this very well and I didn't have to buy new parts.

[roomatoid]

The wrench treatment worked perfectly, but Man, you've got the most fabulous voice to listen to, especially through headphones!

[CEPIEAN]

Thank you for such a thorough and detailed explanation, both in the video and the description. Great work!

[Kayla-hwhx]

God bless u!! I've been dealing with this issue for YEARS and this advice worked! Thank u thank u thank u for sharing this knowledge!

[zanghi]

I can't wait to try this tomorrow. Been suffering for years 😭 thanks for the video

[nowthenad]

Thank you so much for making this video. So useful.

[erasmus]

This is an excellent, clear instruction video. Thank you! Well done.

[chrisdunkley]

Perfect, and well presented, just altered mine, previous owner for 22 years had skipping blade on the drivers side ouch, just bought the car and altered it.

[urayi]

thank you I just bought a used car and it was driving me nuts, I replaced the blades thinking it was the problem and it still did the same sound when coming down. I'll try this tomorrow and I hope it fixes it

[djbneozen]

Wow I can't believe it.

I changed my windshield wipers three times and it was simply that I needed to twist the arm to a better position. For me I also had to slightly bend the windshield wiper bar away from the window as if it was pressing against the window too hard. That might be an issue for some people as well

[zanghi]

Wow. Can't believe it was this easy. Thank you

[TFIta]

It seems to work on mine. I'm looking forward to see if it stays well through the next months.

[LivingTheDream]

What if it skips on both up and down strokes ?

[hosseinvs]

My rear wiper makes this noise and the offset is fairly visible, the problem is that the arm is plastic not metal, so i cant adjust it like this video.