2004 Wiper Design

what is ingenious to us and the big three is standard fare for the Japanese.

but even that is not true since most of their innovation started out with ideas the US pioneered but didnt follow thru on.

 

I drove a '91 Benz 300E for 8 years. It was an innovative, a forgiving, safe, reliable car (it was Grand Prix driver Niki Lauda's choice for a family driver).

The 300E is a favorite family car for many US Mercedes mechanics.

The single wiper blade was remarkable. It was mounted on an eccentric cam, allowing lateral travel that resulted in 90% coverage of the entire windshield. Replacement blade was $ 11.00.

I suspect this was not developed by Delco, Mopar or NASA, for that matter.

We need to remember that Rack and Pinion Steering, Disc Brakes, Fuel Injection, ABS and a number of other safety features came to us from Europe.

As was the case with the former Soviet Union, all great things did not come just from the USA. It's a big world out there.

Enjoy it.


Bob

 

Ah yes have enjoyed the great coverage of the front wiper design.

But on the other hand if I had a gripe about our Prius it would be the puny rear wiper. To bad Toyota didn't / couldn't design a cam system for the rear wiper.

Still I'm just being picky

Jon

 

Look at it this way; if the '05 or '06 come with a really cool, cam-activated rear wiper, we'll all be pissed, probably many threads about how to do an aftermarket installl...

Enjoy the weekend.


bob

 

Hi folks,
In Oz we get the RHD model.
As you know, the rear wiper is on the LHS for LHD models.
Toyota in their wisdom decided not to move the rear wiper to the driver's side for RHD.
It is already pretty limited in its glass coverage, being only 90 degrees sweep, covering only the one side of the glass.
I think it will prove to be a bit useless.
I haven't needed it yet - it hasn't rained here since I took delivery!

Regards,
kenmac

 

Kenmac,

You could look at it another way. Since the Japanese also use RHD vehicles, maybe it's the contries with LHD who are not getting the rear wiper moved to the opposite side of the car. I kind of like having the rear wiper behind my head where I can't see it, but if it were on the opposite side, it might clear more of my area of vision.

Bob

 

Hi folks,
Yes, I overlooked the fact that Japan is RHD.
However, the rear wiper on that version appears to sweep the wrong side if the glass - away from where you expect to view following traffic.
Of course it should really sweep a larger area.
This car is so well designed that it is a surprise to find something so basic to criticise.
Anyway. we are expecting some real rain next week, so I will take more notice of the situation!
Time will tell.

Regards,
kenmac

 

yep, tried the rear wiper a few times after a recent rain, and really thought it did a lousy job. bottom-center mount with a much longer blade might be worthwhile.... the spin about having the blade point up the window at rest for better aerodynamics is real spin to me, if the function of the wiper itself is compromised so badly when you actually use it!

ps.
halogen bulb headlights in Europe, too. LONG before the US. I put halogens in my first corvette a few years before they became legal in the US. just like now, they were afraid of the new technology "blinding oncoming drivers" rather than improving the safety of the driver USING them because they could see the road better!
imho, the light pattern for the discharge lamps on the '04 Prius is just wonderful, and i haven't had anyone flash back that they thought i had high-beams on when i didn't. also, hi-beam pattern is just fine.

 

Hi again,
Had our first real rain for this season, first for my, Prius and I took particular notice of the rear wiper action.
It wasn't as bad as thought it would be - covers just over half of the glass.
Of course I still think a centrally mounted unit with a full 180 sweep would be preferable.

Regards,
kenmac

 

Following on from my previous observation that Europe gets a different rear wiper, for no apparent reason, I've Just realised that we get different front wipers too.

In Europe and Japan, the passenger wiper is a simple axle-mounted design, rather than the clever cam-activated one the US gets. Grrr.

I don't know how much difference it makes, but certainly a pretty large bit of the passenger's top corner windscreen is left uncleared by our design.