In most wipers, the pressure from the wiper arms holds the wiping edges in the tilted position of the last downward movement, causing the rubber to gradually conform to this shape over time.
Result: Long before the wipers wear out and start leaving noticeable streaks, they begin to chatter because the wiping edges no longer flip upwards, but are instead pushed along.
My old Golf 3 came with a simple solution from the factory (possibly just a manufacturing defect?), where the windshield wiper motor didn't shut off exactly at the "bottom dead center" position, but instead stopped after the wipers had moved up a few millimeters and the wiper blades were approximately vertical again.
Success: In my Golf car, I practically never had any issues with the windshield wipers for over 6 years.
In our newer models, the wipers are turned off as usual at the extreme ends of their travel. As a result, the wiper blades on the Ibiza almost constantly make a rubbing sound, while the Polo is still too new to exhibit this problem.
To adjust the wipers on both cars, similar to the Golf, I first determined the rotational direction of the wiper motor crank (after removing the wiper arms and the water reservoir cover) - Note: this is not about the wiper arms!!
Then I loosened the locking nut of the wiper motor crank, levered it out of the conical toothing on the motor shaft, and tightened it again one tooth further in the direction of motor rotation.
Now, the wipers on the Ibiza and Polo also activate a little while after the ignition is turned off, just like on the Golf.
Here's a tip for loosening the crankshaft nut on engines with right-hand threads, especially when it's difficult to hold the crankshaft in place within the tight water jacket:
Place a ring wrench on the axle nut in such a way that its end would immediately hit something if you were to tighten it.
(If the mother is obscured by the connecting rods, turn on the windshield wiper and, at the appropriate crank position, switch off the ignition.)
Secure the key by inserting padding and wrapping it with cloth, etc. (This also helps prevent scratches and potential rust spots in the water tank later on).
Then, briefly activate the wiper motor: with the ignition off, set the windshield wiper switch to position 1, then turn on the ignition and turn it off as quickly as possible -> the ring wrench will get stuck, and the torque of the wiper motor will loosen the nut.
Warning: If the wiper is not immediately switched off again, the key may fall out, become wedged in the linkage, and cause damage! Gruß Ulf
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MG4 Electric
Translated on 22-07-2026, 23:19.
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