Windshield wiper replacement...

[ExplosiveAbe]

Anyone know if there's a domestic wiper blade available that's compatible with the Delica, both front & back wipers? If not, where do we get replacements?

[konadog]

I replaced mine at Canuckle-head Tire snapped it right on

[patty]

most should fit, you have to replace the whole blade and holster just pops out

[ExplosiveAbe]

Nice to hear. Thanks guys.

[delicat]

A nice thing to do while replacing your blades is to make the most out of it by increasing their size slightly to cover more glass...

- driver 20"
- passenger 18"
- rear 17"

Costco has some Michelin for pretty cheap and they are good, I've been using them for a while and no complaint.

[konadog]

A nice thing to do while replacing your blades is to make the most out of it by increasing their size slightly to cover more glass...

Good point delicat. Being a tall passenger on a rainy day is drag as there is a huge corner of uncleared windshield, even with longer blades. I find myself cocking my head to the right and hunching in a most back-unfriendly way just to see ahead. And while I'm on about drawbacks of the passenger side - in addition to the obvious... anyone else annoyed that you can't see what's going on behind in the side mirrors without leaning way forward?

[Erebus]

And while I'm on about drawbacks of the passenger side - in addition to the obvious... anyone else annoyed that you can't see what's going on behind in the side mirrors without leaning way forward?

Easy fix that I first did a vehicle ago when my SO was getting her driver's licence -- bought a convex bicycle mirror and attached it to the centre rearview mirror. Now all my passengers have a rearview mirror and love it.

I also mounted convex mirrors on both outside mirror brackets. And by leaning forward only slightly the passenger can see the passenger side convex.

Sorry, no photos, raining outside.

[konadog]

Of course! Works great.

rear view.jpg (49.71 KiB) Viewed 5396 times

I was feeling a little claustrophobic not being able too see back with a quick glance in the mirror. Now if there were only a little wiper that would clear that vast section of the upper left corner of the windshield... And speaking of rear-view mirrors, Hazel's stock one is very loose and I'm told this is a common issue. Has anyone found a clean easy way to stiffen it up? I am considering gluing it in place, but would prefer to keep it adjustable. Anyway, enjoying the increased visibility over in the passenger seat, which, since getting the delica, is a place I find myself more and more

[Erebus]

And speaking of rear-view mirrors, Hazel's stock one is very loose and I'm told this is a common issue. Has anyone found a clean easy way to stiffen it up? I am considering gluing it in place, but would prefer to keep it adjustable.

Yes. I finally did this fix yesterday. Carefully pull the mirror towards tailgate, holding on to the mounting bracket. Takes quite a bit of force, and apparently if you pull the mounting arm off the ceiling you will have broken things. The mirror is a ball and socket, with the mirror being the socket. I took a toothpick and jammed a little piece of it between the socket and the rest of the mirror. Pushed it back in. Helped a lot. Will add a second toothpick today. Might even take photos! I believe Mystery Machine first did this fix.

Kona, your new mirror looks just like mine. Amazing how often the obvious solution escapes us!

[Erebus]

Going back to the actual topic for a second, get bigger wipers. The stock sizes are way too small. I got:
Driver 20"
Passenger 19"
Rear 17"

Even then the passenger does get shortchanged a little.

Back to mirrors. Much as I like the convex large mirrors, I find I still have blind spots, so I added 4" convex on both sides:

Driver mirror2884.JPG (36.45 KiB) Viewed 5305 times

PassMirror2886.JPG (33.12 KiB) Viewed 5304 times

For the passenger, the bike mirror mentioned earlier:

Centre2887.JPG (36.43 KiB) Viewed 5303 times

Also, with the convex outside on the passenger side, if the passenger leans right just a little, they get to see:

PassPass2888.JPG (34.13 KiB) Viewed 5302 times

That gives me a total of 8 mirrors in the vehicle!

[torchard]

I replaced the fronts with winter blades 'cause the others seemed to float too much. Worked well. I put one of the used fronts on the rear which is nice 'cause you get some additional length. If doable it would be helpful to turn the rear arm on the spline or turn the whole mount to get more swipe under the mirror.

[Erebus]

I put one of the used fronts on the rear which is nice 'cause you get some additional length. If doable it would be helpful to turn the rear arm on the spline or turn the whole mount to get more swipe under the mirror.

The problem with having a blade longer than 17" in the rear is that the inner edge hits the bottom of the windshield. I'd love it if the top reached further. If only all manufacturers would follow Mercedes' lead and make wipers that did more than a half-hearted job of clearing the whole window.

[fishslapper]

Oh my goodness that is funny...... I found myself having a really hard time today while riding in mardydelica's van !! Not being able to see anything inteligable from the rear view mirror ,And not having a left side mirror !!!! Sitting in the passenger seat took no time to get used to as far as feeling safe. But bloody hell did i have issues with the mirrors not being where they should be ! I will do the bicycle mirror fix as soon as i get my van later this week !!! (if all goes well)

Cheers !