ES350 Windshield wiper control arm
12-22-11, 09:53 AM
#1
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ES350 Windshield wiper control arm
Hi. New user here. Have a 2007 ES-350 which I purchased new.
I went to turn the car off one day, and here in Wisconsin it gets rather cold
this time of year, so I had a rather bulky jacket on. The sleeve of my jacket
somehow caught the windshield wiper control arm and snapped it off the
steering column, leaving it tethered by the sensitivity adjustment control
cord.
I tried using an industrial two-part epoxy which was recommended at the
hardware store, and it lasted for about 3-4 weeks before snapping off
again. I tried the epoxy again, but I presume the break point has become
contaminated, as the epoxy will no longer hold.
Again, this time of year in Wisconsin, it becomes very difficult to drive
without using windshield wipers, and, in particular, washer fluid. So today,
I called the Toyota dealership (I stopped having service work done at Lexus
because it made my wallet hurt) and their best estimate of the repair
is $500-700.00.
Does anyone have any other thoughts on how to repair this thing, or how
I could disassemble the steering column to access the part myself? I am
reasonably proficient at taking things apart and putting them back together,
but working in close proximity to the airbag scares me. Any advice?
I went to turn the car off one day, and here in Wisconsin it gets rather cold
this time of year, so I had a rather bulky jacket on. The sleeve of my jacket
somehow caught the windshield wiper control arm and snapped it off the
steering column, leaving it tethered by the sensitivity adjustment control
cord.
I tried using an industrial two-part epoxy which was recommended at the
hardware store, and it lasted for about 3-4 weeks before snapping off
again. I tried the epoxy again, but I presume the break point has become
contaminated, as the epoxy will no longer hold.
Again, this time of year in Wisconsin, it becomes very difficult to drive
without using windshield wipers, and, in particular, washer fluid. So today,
I called the Toyota dealership (I stopped having service work done at Lexus
because it made my wallet hurt) and their best estimate of the repair
is $500-700.00.
Does anyone have any other thoughts on how to repair this thing, or how
I could disassemble the steering column to access the part myself? I am
reasonably proficient at taking things apart and putting them back together,
but working in close proximity to the airbag scares me. Any advice?
12-22-11, 01:21 PM
#3
I'd go with garsarno's suggestion.
You could also try bracing the back of the control arm with a piece of metal and retry the two-part epoxy. I'm a fan of that stuff. Anything that would act like a splint with a solid wrapping of expoxy to bond the whole break together would work better than just gluing the ends of the break. Keeping the splint in the back would hide it from view.
You could also try bracing the back of the control arm with a piece of metal and retry the two-part epoxy. I'm a fan of that stuff. Anything that would act like a splint with a solid wrapping of expoxy to bond the whole break together would work better than just gluing the ends of the break. Keeping the splint in the back would hide it from view.
Last edited by dreyfus; 12-23-11 at 07:11 AM.
12-22-11, 03:59 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Here ya go - eBay item #140628944200 - $59.
I think the cover of the steering column should come off rather easy... if you attempted to epoxy the old part, I think you should be able to turn a screwdriver.
The part swap shouldn't be too bad.
FWIW - I looked up the part on a Lexus OEM parts site and the new part is under $150.
I think the cover of the steering column should come off rather easy... if you attempted to epoxy the old part, I think you should be able to turn a screwdriver.
The part swap shouldn't be too bad.
FWIW - I looked up the part on a Lexus OEM parts site and the new part is under $150.
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