From DDL Wiki

Revision as of 21:11, 4 October 2007

Things that effect wipers

• Bugs
• Rain
• Snow
• Ice
• Leaves/Flowers
• Pollen
• Frost
• Rocks
• Branches
• Food/Grease
• Poo

Problems/Ideas

1. Cleaning-Wipers get dirty
2. Auto-start
3. Wipers frozen - heated blades
4. Cover entire windshield
5. Analog speed control
6. Too loud
7. Different types of fluid
8. Rainx-shoot onto windshield
9. Shield out of roof
10. Compressed air + Rainx
11. More force to break ice
12. Hot air blown on outside on windshield
13. Leaves stuck in blades
14. Self-cleaning bladess
15. Protection while not in use so they don't get dirty or frozen
16. Shoot out sun blocker
17. Sleet gets stuck
18. Snow Tunnel - dangerous to have snow falling on windshield
19. Steering wheel control
20. Speed adjustment based on car speed
21. Visibility sensor - adjust speed
22. GPS incorporation
23. Wiper without rain - don't let it happen
24. Thermometer - heat at certain temp
25. Flyers annoying
26. Nanorobots on shield at all times
27. Deploy robots from hood
28. Single sweeping across wiper-tracks along top and bottom of windshield
29. Retractable scraper
30. Metal blades
31. Bump to wipe off wipers
32. Different material instead of rubber?
33. Vacuum to suck the rain off
34. Combination of compressed air and vacuum
35. Wiper blades change color when degraded
36. Easier way to change wiper blade
37. Be able to only replace the rubber part of wiper blade—waste less
38. Make process of changing blades easier
39. Incorporate harder blade for scraping in wipers—two blade system one trough and one rubber
40. Clear wiper blades
41. Add part to wipers that mucks out leaves from part of car where wipers rest
42. Seasonal wiper blades
43. When car is first started, wipers wait for things such as frost preventing there movement to be removed and then start
44. Horizontally moving blades
45. Sponge
46. Heat windhield so that water evaporates
47. Remove windhields
48. Umbrella
49. Carmera
50. Canopy all roadways
51. Visual Filter
52. Automated vehicle

Research on Wiper Blades

• 90% of driving decisions are based solely on vision.

• A survey of vehicles going through check lanes during National Car Care Month had shown that one in five vehicles had deficient windshield wipers or washing systems that could seriously impair the driver’s vision.

• Drivers often wait several years to switch out a pair of wipers that went bad after only six to 12 months.

• The United States had a total of 231,289,998 vehicles registered in 2004, and with one in five vehicles having deficient windshield wipers or washing systems, it is estimated that a total of 46,277,999 individuals are driving with impaired vision during stormy weather.

• It is recommended that wiper blades be changed at least every year.

• Research indicates that 60% of the drivers who don’t install their own wiper blades cite difficult installation as the reason.

Common ways Wiper blades are damaged include:

• Sun: Ultraviolet light and ozone deterioration
• Oil: Car waxes and exhaust hold rubber-deteriorating oil
• Airborne debris: Sand, mud and dust carried in the wind
• Moisture: Acid rain and salt water (in moist air both near the shore and inland)

• www.aftermarketbusiness.com
• www.carcarecouncil.com
• www.nsc.org
• www.rainx.com

Interviews

People identified by there cars. Lists issues or ways windshield wipers could be improved.

Toyota 4-Runner

• Once lost a wiper and if you keep wipers going it scratches the window so it would be nice if one dose lose a wiper it wouldn’t scratch window.

• Be able to have wipers go very very slower.

• Don’t like noise they make.

• Even right after replacing wipers they still leave parts unclear.

• It would be nice to have a more environmental solution, be able to just change just the rubber part rather than having to replace the whole wiper blade.

• Back window wiper is different size then the front would be nice if they were the same.

• Doesn’t clean bird poo or smashed bugs off very well.

• Don’t want too many features added to windshield wipers, feels it adds more possibility of them breaking.

• If driving with windows open and put on fluid it hits you…

• Bought wipers recent b/c ad said “doesn’t chatter… new way of gliding” hopefully…

Subaru WRX Sports Wagon

• No matter how fancy wipers stop being completely effective very soon after replacing.

• Leaving parts un-wiped bad for light rain, residue is annoying.

• Wipers don’t work if it’s freezing, have to squeeze windshield washer fluid and then that starts freezing.

• Something that would act like scraper blades and get ride of ice would be nice.

• If it is supper cold snow will bounce off windshield, under this condition visibility is good but if car is to warm the windshield becomes to warm and it cases snow to melt when it hits the windshield. This makes visibility bad and the melted snow can freeze making things worse.

• Changing the wiper blades is “a bitch and a half” - would be nice if it was simpler.

Acura Integra

• When really cold wipers will move ½ an inch and get stuck, if it could detect that there is ice in the way and wait till it’s gone to work or if it could get ride of the ice on its own.

• Blades get worn out b/c it scraps along the ice and snow and junk so with out even doing that much they go bad… maybe tougher blades for winter time.

• Want to control the windshield wiper speed range exactly.

• Leaves get wedged in space where the wipers are, don’t like mucking it out if there was some way of pushing them out automatically.

• Leaves get caught in part of the blade and then get cared along with the blades, no good way of removing them wail driving.

• Better blade that could get ride of bird poo and bugs.

• Longer lasting wipers.

• Streaks are annoying.

• When misty it fogs up on outside, better way of getting rid of this, maybe supper slow speed.

• No different speeds for wiper in back.

• With pollen it will all collect on the left and bottom leaving residue b/c wipers don’t cover the whole windshield.

Grand Am

• When going really fast wipers shake, vibrating on windshield, making noise and don’t wipe well b/c of the bad seal against the windshield.

• Want fluid on wipers themselves.

• Wipers are hard to replace.

• Wipers get ripped up when go over ice

Other User Comments

• Have trouble with defrosting, don't know which way to turn knob
• Fluid drips back up the windshield after cleaning windshield, have to wipe multiple times