Question for the northern owners: Deicing windshield and wipers.
12-04-09, 08:17 PM
#16
Moderator
I mostly drive our 06 Toyota Highlander when its rainy or cold outside. It has great wipers but they make noise.
It makes me cringe to read you guys posting about car start-up on winter mornings in the north. I grew up in Chicago, my cars were always on the street in the winter, so I sympathize.
It actually snowed in Dallas yesterday. But none of it stuck except some on the grass. Then it got down to 32 at night. The next day everyone in DFW was walking around in huge down parkas, thick gloves, scarves, wool ski hats - kinda funny actually. My LS stays warm and nice and clean in the garage on bad weather days days
It makes me cringe to read you guys posting about car start-up on winter mornings in the north. I grew up in Chicago, my cars were always on the street in the winter, so I sympathize.
It actually snowed in Dallas yesterday. But none of it stuck except some on the grass. Then it got down to 32 at night. The next day everyone in DFW was walking around in huge down parkas, thick gloves, scarves, wool ski hats - kinda funny actually. My LS stays warm and nice and clean in the garage on bad weather days days
12-05-09, 04:18 PM
#17
What you should do is make a nice warm venti (large) cup of green tea and pour THAT on her. Not only will that warmer liquid melt the ice quicker, but it has lots of anti-oxidants too.
orrr...maybe chicken soup? I heard it "warms the soul" also, but the chunks might get stuck in the drains and cowling. lol
Last edited by LS430inDE.; 12-05-09 at 04:30 PM.
12-05-09, 04:45 PM
#18
Wow. You must not love your LS too much to pour refrigerated spring/bottled water on her during the winter time!
What you should do is make a nice warm venti (large) cup of green tea and pour THAT on her. Not only will that warmer liquid melt the ice quicker, but it has lots of anti-oxidants too. orrr...maybe chicken soup? I heard it "warms the soul" also, but the chunks might get stuck in the drains and cowling. lol
What you should do is make a nice warm venti (large) cup of green tea and pour THAT on her. Not only will that warmer liquid melt the ice quicker, but it has lots of anti-oxidants too.
orrr...maybe chicken soup? I heard it "warms the soul" also, but the chunks might get stuck in the drains and cowling. lol
12-05-09, 04:55 PM
#19
12-05-09, 05:21 PM
#20
12-06-09, 08:13 AM
#22
Lead Lap
Unless Yaff's Canadian spec LS430 has an aftermarket windshield without it, his OEM windshield has a "hot water panel heater" for quicker deicing of the wipers and windshield. The parts reference website I use shows that the feature was standard on the Canadian spec LS430 but it does not look like the feature was available on the U.S. spec LS430 even in northern states.
Another option for faster wiper defrosting is to have an electric engine block heater installed -- available for all models at Canadian Lexus dealers.
Another option for faster wiper defrosting is to have an electric engine block heater installed -- available for all models at Canadian Lexus dealers.
12-06-09, 07:58 PM
#23
first experience with FROST!
Well fellas...guess what? The wiper configuration, combined with a medium frost, SUCKS.
This weekend I had the Reserves..so that means wakeup at 5am and starting the car at 5:30am. Yesterday the northeast had a sleet/rain mixture...so here I'm wondering how this car is going to perform in the inclement weather. This is my first winter with her.
When I pulled on the doorhandle, I thought I was going to rip it off. The door was frozen in place. I had to yank two more times on it to open. This will happen to any car. I understand this.
I start the car, and there is a film of ice/frost on the windshield..but yet there are some spots that are completely clean, (no ice, no frost, no obstructions). So, I'm trying to describe the scene, on how much, or little frost/freezing rain there was on the windshield.
I started her up and immediately put the front and rear defrost on (TEMP=80), along with my seat heater. The seat heater works great.
It pretty much does heat the whole seat from the front edge of the seat (thigh area) all the way through the lower back area. My hands were cold so I just put them on the seat between my legs, and it felt like warm air was being blown up and out from the perforations of the seat.
After about 5 minutes, I had tea saucer sized melting holes right above the defrost vents on the front windshield. The wipers were already in auto. Not having a clue as to when or even IF the wipers were supposed to swipe, I put the wipers to ON. Still nothing, nada, zilch. Assuming the wipers are not frozen in place, does anyone know, for sure, if the wipers wipe if they're in AUTO? Does the sensor identify the ice as water/rain or not? Just curious.
Of course, now I'm thinking about Silvr Surfr and wishing he was pouring his springwater on my wiper blades..but I continued to be patient and sit there---hoping the wipers would free themselves.
Well...now about 8 minutes had gone by....and if I didn't get on the road soon, I was going to be late reporting for duty (not good).
About 9 minutes into it, nearly 85% of windshield was clear of ice and frost, dripping dowwwwn the windshield like icecream down a cone on a hot day...yet the wipers still weren't moving. I put them to OFF, then AUTO, then LOW, then HIGH. Still.....the wipers were motionless. I needed to do something, as it was getting late.
I put the wipers on OFF. I get out and pull upwards on the wiper blade, and guess what, it breaks free unexpectedly after having to pull up with more than (what I originally thought) proper force! I6turbo?....you'll be happy to know the wipers BANGED against the edge of the hood. Yea. Imagine that. The wipers BANGING against the edge of the hood
(because there's no clearance!).
So...now the wipers are broke free, and I'm cursing this ****ty design out loud, and I turn the wipers to LOW. The wipers wipe across the windshield and they make the most IRRITATING SCRRRRRREEETTCHHHHH CHOPPPPP CLCCLLCLLPPPPP noises!!! Ahhh---there's the "absolutely silent" wipers you guys talked about! lol!
Of course, the wiper made HORRIBLE CHATTERING NOISE because the windshield was like superhot and the wipers aren't "thawed out."
Even squirting a liberal amount (3 seconds) of -10F rated washer fluid didn't help. Now I just have blue river streaks rolling down all over the windshield with the wipers chattering on EVERY wipe.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes into my voyage that I was able to press the washer fluid again for like 10 continuous seconds, and put the wipers on HIGH, then LOW, then HIGH, then LOW...and then the wipers FINALLY wiped a clean and streak free wipe.
I'm SURE the wipers were engineered on purpose like this...right?
Again----until you garage LS guys experience this, on a consistent basis, you will continue to just call a post like this "ranting" and blindly proclaiming that there's nothing wrong with the wiper design.
My post is neither ranting nor off base. It's merely my first experience , less than 24 hours old, consisting of a medium frost on my LS which is unfortunately not kept in a garage.
I'm not complaining about noisy wipers during rain. I agree---they are silent..but so were my Acura's, and so are my CHEVROLET WORK VAN! Wipers SHOULD be silent.
Bottom line?............wiper design STINKS! No winter setting, no ability to lift the wipers away from the windshield, and no clearance from blade to hood.
Ps....did we ever establish WHY, as one poster claimed that "they were designed like this"?.....to STINK SO BAD?
This is the last I have to say on this subject. Unless there's a post that needs replying to.
This weekend I had the Reserves..so that means wakeup at 5am and starting the car at 5:30am. Yesterday the northeast had a sleet/rain mixture...so here I'm wondering how this car is going to perform in the inclement weather. This is my first winter with her.
When I pulled on the doorhandle, I thought I was going to rip it off. The door was frozen in place. I had to yank two more times on it to open. This will happen to any car. I understand this.
I start the car, and there is a film of ice/frost on the windshield..but yet there are some spots that are completely clean, (no ice, no frost, no obstructions). So, I'm trying to describe the scene, on how much, or little frost/freezing rain there was on the windshield.
I started her up and immediately put the front and rear defrost on (TEMP=80), along with my seat heater. The seat heater works great.
It pretty much does heat the whole seat from the front edge of the seat (thigh area) all the way through the lower back area. My hands were cold so I just put them on the seat between my legs, and it felt like warm air was being blown up and out from the perforations of the seat.After about 5 minutes, I had tea saucer sized melting holes right above the defrost vents on the front windshield. The wipers were already in auto. Not having a clue as to when or even IF the wipers were supposed to swipe, I put the wipers to ON. Still nothing, nada, zilch. Assuming the wipers are not frozen in place, does anyone know, for sure, if the wipers wipe if they're in AUTO? Does the sensor identify the ice as water/rain or not? Just curious.
Of course, now I'm thinking about Silvr Surfr and wishing he was pouring his springwater on my wiper blades..but I continued to be patient and sit there---hoping the wipers would free themselves.
Well...now about 8 minutes had gone by....and if I didn't get on the road soon, I was going to be late reporting for duty (not good).
About 9 minutes into it, nearly 85% of windshield was clear of ice and frost, dripping dowwwwn the windshield like icecream down a cone on a hot day...yet the wipers still weren't moving. I put them to OFF, then AUTO, then LOW, then HIGH. Still.....the wipers were motionless. I needed to do something, as it was getting late.
I put the wipers on OFF. I get out and pull upwards on the wiper blade, and guess what, it breaks free unexpectedly after having to pull up with more than (what I originally thought) proper force! I6turbo?....you'll be happy to know the wipers BANGED against the edge of the hood. Yea. Imagine that. The wipers BANGING against the edge of the hood
(because there's no clearance!).So...now the wipers are broke free, and I'm cursing this ****ty design out loud, and I turn the wipers to LOW. The wipers wipe across the windshield and they make the most IRRITATING SCRRRRRREEETTCHHHHH CHOPPPPP CLCCLLCLLPPPPP noises!!! Ahhh---there's the "absolutely silent" wipers you guys talked about! lol!
Of course, the wiper made HORRIBLE CHATTERING NOISE because the windshield was like superhot and the wipers aren't "thawed out."
Even squirting a liberal amount (3 seconds) of -10F rated washer fluid didn't help. Now I just have blue river streaks rolling down all over the windshield with the wipers chattering on EVERY wipe.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes into my voyage that I was able to press the washer fluid again for like 10 continuous seconds, and put the wipers on HIGH, then LOW, then HIGH, then LOW...and then the wipers FINALLY wiped a clean and streak free wipe.
I'm SURE the wipers were engineered on purpose like this...right?
Again----until you garage LS guys experience this, on a consistent basis, you will continue to just call a post like this "ranting" and blindly proclaiming that there's nothing wrong with the wiper design.My post is neither ranting nor off base. It's merely my first experience , less than 24 hours old, consisting of a medium frost on my LS which is unfortunately not kept in a garage.
I'm not complaining about noisy wipers during rain. I agree---they are silent..but so were my Acura's, and so are my CHEVROLET WORK VAN! Wipers SHOULD be silent.
Bottom line?............wiper design STINKS! No winter setting, no ability to lift the wipers away from the windshield, and no clearance from blade to hood.
Ps....did we ever establish WHY, as one poster claimed that "they were designed like this"?.....to STINK SO BAD?
This is the last I have to say on this subject. Unless there's a post that needs replying to.
Last edited by LS430inDE.; 12-06-09 at 08:58 PM.
12-06-09, 11:02 PM
#24
He Bashes the LS like it were a Yugo, so members often get angry. He was just relating his post(s) to yours, although we know you were not attempting to bash.
You should work for Chevy - You could be just like that "Smart little girl" on the Chevy Traverse commercial.
Well fellas...guess what? The wiper configuration, combined with a medium frost, SUCKS.
This weekend I had the Reserves..so that means wakeup at 5am and starting the car at 5:30am. Yesterday the northeast had a sleet/rain mixture...so here I'm wondering how this car is going to perform in the inclement weather. This is my first winter with her.
When I pulled on the doorhandle, I thought I was going to rip it off. The door was frozen in place. I had to yank two more times on it to open. This will happen to any car. I understand this.
I start the car, and there is a film of ice/frost on the windshield..but yet there are some spots that are completely clean, (no ice, no frost, no obstructions). So, I'm trying to describe the scene, on how much, or little frost/freezing rain there was on the windshield.
I started her up and immediately put the front and rear defrost on (TEMP=80), along with my seat heater. The seat heater works great. It pretty much does heat the whole seat from the front edge of the seat (thigh area) all the way through the lower back area. My hands were cold so I just put them on the seat between my legs, and it felt like warm air was being blown up and out from the perforations of the seat.
After about 5 minutes, I had tea saucer sized melting holes right above the defrost vents on the front windshield. The wipers were already in auto. Not having a clue as to when or even IF the wipers were supposed to swipe, I put the wipers to ON. Still nothing, nada, zilch. Assuming the wipers are not frozen in place, does anyone know, for sure, if the wipers wipe if they're in AUTO? Does the sensor identify the ice as water/rain or not? Just curious.
Of course, now I'm thinking about Silvr Surfr and wishing he was pouring his springwater on my wiper blades..but I continued to be patient and sit there---hoping the wipers would free themselves.
Well...now about 8 minutes had gone by....and if I didn't get on the road soon, I was going to be late reporting for duty (not good).
About 9 minutes into it, nearly 85% of windshield was clear of ice and frost, dripping dowwwwn the windshield like icecream down a cone on a hot day...yet the wipers still weren't moving. I put them to OFF, then AUTO, then LOW, then HIGH. Still.....the wipers were motionless. I needed to do something, as it was getting late.
I put the wipers on OFF. I get out and pull upwards on the wiper blade, and guess what, it breaks free unexpectedly after having to pull up with more than (what I originally thought) proper force! I6turbo?....you'll be happy to know the wipers BANGED against the edge of the hood. Yea. Imagine that. The wipers BANGING against the edge of the hood (because there's no clearance!).
So...now the wipers are broke free, and I'm cursing this ****ty design out loud, and I turn the wipers to LOW. The wipers wipe across the windshield and they make the most IRRITATING SCRRRRRREEETTCHHHHH CHOPPPPP CLCCLLCLLPPPPP noises!!! Ahhh---there's the "absolutely silent" wipers you guys talked about! lol!
Of course, the wiper made HORRIBLE CHATTERING NOISE because the windshield was like superhot and the wipers aren't "thawed out."
Even squirting a liberal amount (3 seconds) of -10F rated washer fluid didn't help. Now I just have blue river streaks rolling down all over the windshield with the wipers chattering on EVERY wipe.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes into my voyage that I was able to press the washer fluid again for like 10 continuous seconds, and put the wipers on HIGH, then LOW, then HIGH, then LOW...and then the wipers FINALLY wiped a clean and streak free wipe.
I'm SURE the wipers were engineered on purpose like this...right? Again----until you garage LS guys experience this, on a consistent basis, you will continue to just call a post like this "ranting" and blindly proclaiming that there's nothing wrong with the wiper design.
My post is neither ranting nor off base. It's merely my first experience , less than 24 hours old, consisting of a medium frost on my LS which is unfortunately not kept in a garage.
I'm not complaining about noisy wipers during rain. I agree---they are silent..but so were my Acura's, and so are my CHEVROLET WORK VAN! Wipers SHOULD be silent.
Bottom line?............wiper design STINKS! No winter setting, no ability to lift the wipers away from the windshield, and no clearance from blade to hood.
Ps....did we ever establish WHY, as one poster claimed that "they were designed like this"?.....to STINK SO BAD?
This is the last I have to say on this subject. Unless there's a post that needs replying to.
This weekend I had the Reserves..so that means wakeup at 5am and starting the car at 5:30am. Yesterday the northeast had a sleet/rain mixture...so here I'm wondering how this car is going to perform in the inclement weather. This is my first winter with her.
When I pulled on the doorhandle, I thought I was going to rip it off. The door was frozen in place. I had to yank two more times on it to open. This will happen to any car. I understand this.
I start the car, and there is a film of ice/frost on the windshield..but yet there are some spots that are completely clean, (no ice, no frost, no obstructions). So, I'm trying to describe the scene, on how much, or little frost/freezing rain there was on the windshield.
I started her up and immediately put the front and rear defrost on (TEMP=80), along with my seat heater. The seat heater works great.
It pretty much does heat the whole seat from the front edge of the seat (thigh area) all the way through the lower back area. My hands were cold so I just put them on the seat between my legs, and it felt like warm air was being blown up and out from the perforations of the seat.After about 5 minutes, I had tea saucer sized melting holes right above the defrost vents on the front windshield. The wipers were already in auto. Not having a clue as to when or even IF the wipers were supposed to swipe, I put the wipers to ON. Still nothing, nada, zilch. Assuming the wipers are not frozen in place, does anyone know, for sure, if the wipers wipe if they're in AUTO? Does the sensor identify the ice as water/rain or not? Just curious.
Of course, now I'm thinking about Silvr Surfr and wishing he was pouring his springwater on my wiper blades..but I continued to be patient and sit there---hoping the wipers would free themselves.
Well...now about 8 minutes had gone by....and if I didn't get on the road soon, I was going to be late reporting for duty (not good).
About 9 minutes into it, nearly 85% of windshield was clear of ice and frost, dripping dowwwwn the windshield like icecream down a cone on a hot day...yet the wipers still weren't moving. I put them to OFF, then AUTO, then LOW, then HIGH. Still.....the wipers were motionless. I needed to do something, as it was getting late.
I put the wipers on OFF. I get out and pull upwards on the wiper blade, and guess what, it breaks free unexpectedly after having to pull up with more than (what I originally thought) proper force! I6turbo?....you'll be happy to know the wipers BANGED against the edge of the hood. Yea. Imagine that. The wipers BANGING against the edge of the hood
(because there's no clearance!).So...now the wipers are broke free, and I'm cursing this ****ty design out loud, and I turn the wipers to LOW. The wipers wipe across the windshield and they make the most IRRITATING SCRRRRRREEETTCHHHHH CHOPPPPP CLCCLLCLLPPPPP noises!!! Ahhh---there's the "absolutely silent" wipers you guys talked about! lol!
Of course, the wiper made HORRIBLE CHATTERING NOISE because the windshield was like superhot and the wipers aren't "thawed out."
Even squirting a liberal amount (3 seconds) of -10F rated washer fluid didn't help. Now I just have blue river streaks rolling down all over the windshield with the wipers chattering on EVERY wipe.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes into my voyage that I was able to press the washer fluid again for like 10 continuous seconds, and put the wipers on HIGH, then LOW, then HIGH, then LOW...and then the wipers FINALLY wiped a clean and streak free wipe.
I'm SURE the wipers were engineered on purpose like this...right?
Again----until you garage LS guys experience this, on a consistent basis, you will continue to just call a post like this "ranting" and blindly proclaiming that there's nothing wrong with the wiper design.My post is neither ranting nor off base. It's merely my first experience , less than 24 hours old, consisting of a medium frost on my LS which is unfortunately not kept in a garage.
I'm not complaining about noisy wipers during rain. I agree---they are silent..but so were my Acura's, and so are my CHEVROLET WORK VAN! Wipers SHOULD be silent.
Bottom line?............wiper design STINKS! No winter setting, no ability to lift the wipers away from the windshield, and no clearance from blade to hood.
Ps....did we ever establish WHY, as one poster claimed that "they were designed like this"?.....to STINK SO BAD?
This is the last I have to say on this subject. Unless there's a post that needs replying to.
Last edited by TJW98LS; 12-06-09 at 11:08 PM. Reason: EDIT
12-07-09, 04:56 AM
#25
No kidding. And I tried turning off the engine while the wipers are moving just to get them to stop higher. I don`t think it is going to do me any good since they go back at the resting position as soon as the engine starts. No matter if the wipers are off. So I can`t heat the winshield from the inside to melt the ice under the blades.
My career required me to be at work at 2AM everyday..I tried many things over the years (29) to make the journey easier.
12-07-09, 09:17 PM
#27
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: CA
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Well fellas...guess what? The wiper configuration, combined with a medium frost, SUCKS.
This weekend I had the Reserves..so that means wakeup at 5am and starting the car at 5:30am. Yesterday the northeast had a sleet/rain mixture...so here I'm wondering how this car is going to perform in the inclement weather. This is my first winter with her.
When I pulled on the doorhandle, I thought I was going to rip it off. The door was frozen in place. I had to yank two more times on it to open. This will happen to any car. I understand this.
I start the car, and there is a film of ice/frost on the windshield..but yet there are some spots that are completely clean, (no ice, no frost, no obstructions). So, I'm trying to describe the scene, on how much, or little frost/freezing rain there was on the windshield.
I started her up and immediately put the front and rear defrost on (TEMP=80), along with my seat heater. The seat heater works great. It pretty much does heat the whole seat from the front edge of the seat (thigh area) all the way through the lower back area. My hands were cold so I just put them on the seat between my legs, and it felt like warm air was being blown up and out from the perforations of the seat.
After about 5 minutes, I had tea saucer sized melting holes right above the defrost vents on the front windshield. The wipers were already in auto. Not having a clue as to when or even IF the wipers were supposed to swipe, I put the wipers to ON. Still nothing, nada, zilch. Assuming the wipers are not frozen in place, does anyone know, for sure, if the wipers wipe if they're in AUTO? Does the sensor identify the ice as water/rain or not? Just curious.
Of course, now I'm thinking about Silvr Surfr and wishing he was pouring his springwater on my wiper blades..but I continued to be patient and sit there---hoping the wipers would free themselves.
Well...now about 8 minutes had gone by....and if I didn't get on the road soon, I was going to be late reporting for duty (not good).
About 9 minutes into it, nearly 85% of windshield was clear of ice and frost, dripping dowwwwn the windshield like icecream down a cone on a hot day...yet the wipers still weren't moving. I put them to OFF, then AUTO, then LOW, then HIGH. Still.....the wipers were motionless. I needed to do something, as it was getting late.
I put the wipers on OFF. I get out and pull upwards on the wiper blade, and guess what, it breaks free unexpectedly after having to pull up with more than (what I originally thought) proper force! I6turbo?....you'll be happy to know the wipers BANGED against the edge of the hood. Yea. Imagine that. The wipers BANGING against the edge of the hood (because there's no clearance!).
So...now the wipers are broke free, and I'm cursing this ****ty design out loud, and I turn the wipers to LOW. The wipers wipe across the windshield and they make the most IRRITATING SCRRRRRREEETTCHHHHH CHOPPPPP CLCCLLCLLPPPPP noises!!! Ahhh---there's the "absolutely silent" wipers you guys talked about! lol!
Of course, the wiper made HORRIBLE CHATTERING NOISE because the windshield was like superhot and the wipers aren't "thawed out."
Even squirting a liberal amount (3 seconds) of -10F rated washer fluid didn't help. Now I just have blue river streaks rolling down all over the windshield with the wipers chattering on EVERY wipe.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes into my voyage that I was able to press the washer fluid again for like 10 continuous seconds, and put the wipers on HIGH, then LOW, then HIGH, then LOW...and then the wipers FINALLY wiped a clean and streak free wipe.
I'm SURE the wipers were engineered on purpose like this...right? Again----until you garage LS guys experience this, on a consistent basis, you will continue to just call a post like this "ranting" and blindly proclaiming that there's nothing wrong with the wiper design.
My post is neither ranting nor off base. It's merely my first experience , less than 24 hours old, consisting of a medium frost on my LS which is unfortunately not kept in a garage.
I'm not complaining about noisy wipers during rain. I agree---they are silent..but so were my Acura's, and so are my CHEVROLET WORK VAN! Wipers SHOULD be silent.
Bottom line?............wiper design STINKS! No winter setting, no ability to lift the wipers away from the windshield, and no clearance from blade to hood.
Ps....did we ever establish WHY, as one poster claimed that "they were designed like this"?.....to STINK SO BAD?
This is the last I have to say on this subject. Unless there's a post that needs replying to.
This weekend I had the Reserves..so that means wakeup at 5am and starting the car at 5:30am. Yesterday the northeast had a sleet/rain mixture...so here I'm wondering how this car is going to perform in the inclement weather. This is my first winter with her.
When I pulled on the doorhandle, I thought I was going to rip it off. The door was frozen in place. I had to yank two more times on it to open. This will happen to any car. I understand this.
I start the car, and there is a film of ice/frost on the windshield..but yet there are some spots that are completely clean, (no ice, no frost, no obstructions). So, I'm trying to describe the scene, on how much, or little frost/freezing rain there was on the windshield.
I started her up and immediately put the front and rear defrost on (TEMP=80), along with my seat heater. The seat heater works great.
It pretty much does heat the whole seat from the front edge of the seat (thigh area) all the way through the lower back area. My hands were cold so I just put them on the seat between my legs, and it felt like warm air was being blown up and out from the perforations of the seat.After about 5 minutes, I had tea saucer sized melting holes right above the defrost vents on the front windshield. The wipers were already in auto. Not having a clue as to when or even IF the wipers were supposed to swipe, I put the wipers to ON. Still nothing, nada, zilch. Assuming the wipers are not frozen in place, does anyone know, for sure, if the wipers wipe if they're in AUTO? Does the sensor identify the ice as water/rain or not? Just curious.
Of course, now I'm thinking about Silvr Surfr and wishing he was pouring his springwater on my wiper blades..but I continued to be patient and sit there---hoping the wipers would free themselves.
Well...now about 8 minutes had gone by....and if I didn't get on the road soon, I was going to be late reporting for duty (not good).
About 9 minutes into it, nearly 85% of windshield was clear of ice and frost, dripping dowwwwn the windshield like icecream down a cone on a hot day...yet the wipers still weren't moving. I put them to OFF, then AUTO, then LOW, then HIGH. Still.....the wipers were motionless. I needed to do something, as it was getting late.
I put the wipers on OFF. I get out and pull upwards on the wiper blade, and guess what, it breaks free unexpectedly after having to pull up with more than (what I originally thought) proper force! I6turbo?....you'll be happy to know the wipers BANGED against the edge of the hood. Yea. Imagine that. The wipers BANGING against the edge of the hood
(because there's no clearance!).So...now the wipers are broke free, and I'm cursing this ****ty design out loud, and I turn the wipers to LOW. The wipers wipe across the windshield and they make the most IRRITATING SCRRRRRREEETTCHHHHH CHOPPPPP CLCCLLCLLPPPPP noises!!! Ahhh---there's the "absolutely silent" wipers you guys talked about! lol!
Of course, the wiper made HORRIBLE CHATTERING NOISE because the windshield was like superhot and the wipers aren't "thawed out."
Even squirting a liberal amount (3 seconds) of -10F rated washer fluid didn't help. Now I just have blue river streaks rolling down all over the windshield with the wipers chattering on EVERY wipe.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes into my voyage that I was able to press the washer fluid again for like 10 continuous seconds, and put the wipers on HIGH, then LOW, then HIGH, then LOW...and then the wipers FINALLY wiped a clean and streak free wipe.
I'm SURE the wipers were engineered on purpose like this...right?
Again----until you garage LS guys experience this, on a consistent basis, you will continue to just call a post like this "ranting" and blindly proclaiming that there's nothing wrong with the wiper design.My post is neither ranting nor off base. It's merely my first experience , less than 24 hours old, consisting of a medium frost on my LS which is unfortunately not kept in a garage.
I'm not complaining about noisy wipers during rain. I agree---they are silent..but so were my Acura's, and so are my CHEVROLET WORK VAN! Wipers SHOULD be silent.
Bottom line?............wiper design STINKS! No winter setting, no ability to lift the wipers away from the windshield, and no clearance from blade to hood.
Ps....did we ever establish WHY, as one poster claimed that "they were designed like this"?.....to STINK SO BAD?
This is the last I have to say on this subject. Unless there's a post that needs replying to.
12-08-09, 03:26 PM
#29
Driver
Thread Starter
Mine is Canadian and NO element under the blades (shame). I was wondering if the previous owner changed the windshield... I looked... Maybe, maybe not but there is a LEXUS logo carved in the glass so it is an OEM part. Since the previous owner was a snow bird (spending winter in FL), maybe he broke the windshield in FL and chose a windshield without element... I never had to change it but on my Subaru Legacy the replacement windshield with elements was crazy expensive.
Last edited by Yaff; 12-08-09 at 03:33 PM.
12-08-09, 07:31 PM
#30
Instructor
Unless Yaff's Canadian spec LS430 has an aftermarket windshield without it, his OEM windshield has a "hot water panel heater" for quicker deicing of the wipers and windshield. The parts reference website I use shows that the feature was standard on the Canadian spec LS430 but it does not look like the feature was available on the U.S. spec LS430 even in northern states.
Another option for faster wiper defrosting is to have an electric engine block heater installed -- available for all models at Canadian Lexus dealers.
Another option for faster wiper defrosting is to have an electric engine block heater installed -- available for all models at Canadian Lexus dealers.