Passenger wiper arm destruction
12-23-2015, 05:55 PM
#1
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Passenger wiper arm destruction
So apparently, I found another "common" q7 problem. We were doing about 80mph on I-95 today, and our passenger wiper arm snapped off after the bolts. I pulled over immediately, and my wife was able to grab the arm off the windshield before it flew off and did some damage to another car.
This must be a common issue, because there are NO passenger arms for sale at any breaker, nor ebay. Looks like i'm dropping $90 at ecstuning, lol.
This must be a common issue, because there are NO passenger arms for sale at any breaker, nor ebay. Looks like i'm dropping $90 at ecstuning, lol.
12-29-2015, 05:02 AM
#6
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Same thing happened to my 2007 3.6 this past September. The arm sheared off between the bolt and the blade and flew off the car at highway speed - fortunately no other cars were around me.
I ordered the part from ECS for $88. It took me a while to remove the broken arm as the bolt was 'frozen' onto the arm opening. A 15 minute soak with PB Blaster finally did the trick.
This must be some type of design flaw as the area of the arm that broke is a non-movable part and showed no sign of damage, rust, or fatigue.
I ordered the part from ECS for $88. It took me a while to remove the broken arm as the bolt was 'frozen' onto the arm opening. A 15 minute soak with PB Blaster finally did the trick.
This must be some type of design flaw as the area of the arm that broke is a non-movable part and showed no sign of damage, rust, or fatigue.
Last edited by Clues; 12-29-2015 at 05:08 AM.
12-30-2015, 04:59 PM
#7
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
I got the new part from ECS. Here's my mini how to:
Start off here, with your broken wiper arm. I bet every single one of these that break is the same exact spot.
Pop the plastic caps off. I used a small flat head screwdriver.
Remove the nuts. I used a 16mm socket with an extension. Do NOT let the wiper arm stub move like I did, because then you have to re-align the arm.
To remove the stub, I used this tool, the OTC wiper arm puller. The left "strut" of the wiper arm is a square hole, and comes right off. The right "strut" is splined, and you need the puller for this. It was not very difficult to get mine off at all, but yours might have rust or galvanic corrosion.
Sorry I ran out of pictures, but I will describe the steps:
Put the new arm on, and make sure the tip of the wiper blade is 15mm, plus or minus five, from the start of the plastic shroud below the windshield. If you mess up, close the hood, turn the ignition on, and tap the mist wiper option, which will reset the positioning of the wipers. Then you can adjust from there. I had to adjust mine a couple times. I found it easy to put a piece of tape on the windshield, 15mm up from the plastic, and use that to align the wiper.
When you put the arm on, it will be bent up, not lying flat, until you tighten the nuts down. Just finger thread the nuts on so the "struts" won't pop off while you are aligning the arm. Once you're satisfied with the position, hold the wiper arm very steady, and tighten the nuts. Once the right nut is tight, it won't jump the spline, so you don't have to hold it as tight.
The torque spec for the nuts is 25 ft/lbs.
Once you have done that, close the hood and test the wipers to make sure it returns to the right spot. Then open the hood and put your plastic caps back on.
JOB DONE.
Start off here, with your broken wiper arm. I bet every single one of these that break is the same exact spot.
Pop the plastic caps off. I used a small flat head screwdriver.
Remove the nuts. I used a 16mm socket with an extension. Do NOT let the wiper arm stub move like I did, because then you have to re-align the arm.
To remove the stub, I used this tool, the OTC wiper arm puller. The left "strut" of the wiper arm is a square hole, and comes right off. The right "strut" is splined, and you need the puller for this. It was not very difficult to get mine off at all, but yours might have rust or galvanic corrosion.
Sorry I ran out of pictures, but I will describe the steps:
Put the new arm on, and make sure the tip of the wiper blade is 15mm, plus or minus five, from the start of the plastic shroud below the windshield. If you mess up, close the hood, turn the ignition on, and tap the mist wiper option, which will reset the positioning of the wipers. Then you can adjust from there. I had to adjust mine a couple times. I found it easy to put a piece of tape on the windshield, 15mm up from the plastic, and use that to align the wiper.
When you put the arm on, it will be bent up, not lying flat, until you tighten the nuts down. Just finger thread the nuts on so the "struts" won't pop off while you are aligning the arm. Once you're satisfied with the position, hold the wiper arm very steady, and tighten the nuts. Once the right nut is tight, it won't jump the spline, so you don't have to hold it as tight.
The torque spec for the nuts is 25 ft/lbs.
Once you have done that, close the hood and test the wipers to make sure it returns to the right spot. Then open the hood and put your plastic caps back on.
JOB DONE.
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12-31-2015, 08:34 PM
#8
Yup, same spot. I did not have to use a puller, FYI. You can mark the shafts and arms with a silver sharpie, grease pencil or paint pen. Then transfer the arm marks to the new setup and pop it on the shafts with the marks aligned.
10-05-2016, 09:58 AM
#10
I ordered a replacement for my broken wiper arm (car is 10 years old, with 240,000km/150,000ml on the clock) from eBay. As it was taking so long (I think someone was in a canoe, rowing it from Poland), I checked with my local dealer and the price was pretty reasonable.
Fitting the new arm was a breeze and I had it completed in about 15 minutes, including removing the old arm.
Fitting the new arm was a breeze and I had it completed in about 15 minutes, including removing the old arm.