Rear Window Wiper

[zzdocxx]

Hi 4Runner Fans,

It doesn't rain much here where I live, and so it was just recently that I had occasion to turn on my rear window wiper for the first time, after several minutes searching for the switch.

I was frankly rather disappointed in the small area that it wiped.

Do others share this sentiment, and has anyone worked out a mod to improve the situation?

Heaven knows when I will need the thing again, but in the meantime I am just curious.

Thanks! :tea:

zz
San Diego

 

[sn_85]

Nope, can't say I share the same concern.

 

[jrandom]

The only time I ever need to use the rear wiper... barreling down a cold snow covered road or during a snow storm traveling fast enough for the slip stream to load snow on the back window. The surface area the wiper clears seems perfectly acceptable. : :madgrin:

 

[MSU_Spartan]

Wipes about as much as my Jeep Grand Cherokee did. Nothing spectacular but does the job.

 

[DesertCanyons]

rear wiper area

The area it clears is limited by the arc of the wiper within the height of the window. The window is short but wide. The wiper swings from the top. The only way to make it clear more window is to have two wipers or a sweeping wiper like you find on some buses. Neither option is economical.
I wash the rear window whenever I stop for gas or occasionally I'll hose off the car when I'm leaving home. The back window of any SUV with a spoiler is a dust trap.

 

[philsey]

..... and has anyone worked out a mod to improve the situation?

Not that I've ever seen. It's a trade-off between having it mounted "hidden" under the airfoil and off the glass, vs mounted on top of the glass where it's exposed PLUS you have that wonderful sliding rear window.

Very worthwhile trade-off.

 

[LandCruiser]

Do others share this sentiment, and has anyone worked out a mod to improve the situation?

Yeah, but the drunk midget with a squeegee fell off the back when I hit a rough bump.

 

[bigbadpoppa]

Rains like crazy here. I never use my rear wipers. Only time is when i get dirt and grime on it from winter salt roads. Besides that i rarely turn them on. I can see fine out of it, it doesnt accumulate that much distortion.

 

[stephan07]

Used it in a few snow storms. It’s pathetic....clears whole passenger side and 1/2 of the drivers side!!! Would be ok if it were the other way around!! Laughable. Why even bother!

 

[kls_4]

Used it in a few snow storms. It’s pathetic....clears whole passenger side and 1/2 of the drivers side!!! Would be ok if it were the other way around!! Laughable. Why even bother!

Yep, I agree. Used it for the first time today and also thought the darn thing was broke when it didn't re-seat right away after turning it off. Just stayed there for a few secs mocking me with that pathetic wipe.

 

[IanB]

On my old Hilux Surf, our GX470, and my 80 Series LC the rear wiper was mounted at the bottom, and worked MUCH better than the setup on this 5th gen. The widest part of the arc is at the bottom of the window, and the part you actually want to look out is barely cleared. It's a poorly designed setup IMO.

 

[Jay Nice]

I'd be more concerned with how poopry automated car washes clean in that area.

Rarley drive in reverse to make a complaint about the wiper, it clears what I need it to and when I'm in reverse, there is always the camera too.

I've owned other vehicles where the rear blade doesn't even make full contact with the glass, combination of blade arc and pressure.

 

[doxidad]

On my old Hilux Surf, our GX470, and my 80 Series LC the rear wiper was mounted at the bottom, and worked MUCH better than the setup on this 5th gen. The widest part of the arc is at the bottom of the window, and the part you actually want to look out is barely cleared. It's a poorly designed setup IMO.

My 4th gen '04 was mounted on the bottom also. It was the same size wiper but seemed to clear more. I guess because the arc was reversed as you mentioned. But - I had to replace the arm after about 10 years because it split where it was fastened to the motor. Caused by exposure? Maybe - just fatigue - the arm is plastic.

 

[J.F. Sebastian]

Do you drive everywhere in reverse or something?

 

[ToolUser1]

Totally agree

I totally agree - even my 1970 land rover had a better rear wiper, as did the 1980 Corolla wagon, the '88 Land Cruiser, a couple Sienna's, and most particularly the third gen 4R it replaced.

The wiper simply doesn't complete the arc. There's no engineering reason for it, simply low cost+bad design like many of the electrical components on the vehicle compared to its predecessors. The fact that the arc it DOES complete stops dead center in the driver's rear view is just peroxide in the wound every time you use it.

It's on my to-do list to take the *&$^ thing off and see if it can be modified to complete the arc but it's an admittedly low priority on a really long list, so if you find a solution be sure to let us know.

...
And don't get me started on the windows that freeze shut at the drop of a hat! The noisy but anemic blower motor combined with the loss of the rear seat heat exchanger. Lack of retractable antenna (even the '88 Land Cruiser had that!). But it's still been mechanically reliable so I try to focus on that rather than the lack of a locking gas cap...

 

[4FL]

I live in Miami where it rains very often in the summer, never even used the rear wiper. I think I turned on one time ever, and that is when I bought it was was playing around with everything.

 

[tke308]

We've had a lot of rain the past two months in S. TX. I'm not terribly happy with the coverage either, but it at least gets the important area cleared for rear view mirror usage.