KM272 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I live in Rochester NY so lots of ice, snow and salty roads. I have had a new Transit for about a month now and and very happy with everything else but I was shocked buy how bad the entire windshield cleaning situation is. First off the washer spray jets do not mist like most other cars. They just shoot two solid streams of water at the center of the widshield one each side. The blades are very poor and can not clean it. What I got was a smeared mess that is very difficult to see through. I was having to just pump fluid continally on it to drive. I have never driven a car that was as bad as this! OK, so , I want back to the dealer with it. They did agree it was bad and the other new ones they had were equally bad. They put on a new set of staock blades and that was all they would do and it did not help/ finally went to Pep Boys today and got a new set of the new type of low profile blades ( Pro Line) and now I can see!! If they would fix the spray jets it would be even better. I have call into Ford Customer service and am waiting to hear back. Is any one else having this problem or am I the only one out here???? I gota ask how can Ford possibly not test and know about this. It is such a simple thing to fix and and critical safety issue. I paid over $22K for a new car and the first thing I have to do is get rid of the junk wiper blades! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHEP Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I live in Rochester NY so lots of ice, snow and salty roads. I have had a new Transit for about a month now and and very happy with everything else but I was shocked buy how bad the entire windshield cleaning situation is. First off the washer spray jets do not mist like most other cars. They just shoot two solid streams of water at the center of the widshield one each side. The blades are very poor and can not clean it. What I got was a smeared mess that is very difficult to see through. I was having to just pump fluid continally on it to drive. I have never driven a car that was as bad as this! OK, so , I want back to the dealer with it. They did agree it was bad and the other new ones they had were equally bad. They put on a new set of staock blades and that was all they would do and it did not help/ finally went to Pep Boys today and got a new set of the new type of low profile blades ( Pro Line) and now I can see!! If they would fix the spray jets it would be even better. I have call into Ford Customer service and am waiting to hear back. Is any one else having this problem or am I the only one out here???? I gota ask how can Ford possibly not test and know about this. It is such a simple thing to fix and and critical safety issue. I paid over $22K for a new car and the first thing I have to do is get rid of the junk wiper blades! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlock Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Have you noticed that no TC's pictured in Ford's marketing materials are equipped with rear wipers? I too believe there's no reason why any vehicle's washer nozzles should be strong and consistent. Even $22K vehicles can be well made (Taurus SE is only $26K); and Ford's betting the Fiesta ranch on building an inexpensive vehicle with superior features, materials, and build and a top sticker price that barely cracks $23K. Maybe Ford is working on new turbocharged "EcoWiper" technology. Seriously though, TC's clearly built to a price-point. However, given the relatively limited number of configurations being offered in North America compared to the unlimited "as you like it" possibilities within Europe (including SWB/LWB variants, solid-sided "panel" trucks, etc.), I do feel it's currently overpriced. As a fleet-oriented vehicle, I think Ford would have done better to offer 2-3 identically-made "core" configurations, using the economies of scale to drive down cost and improve value. Ford could have then offered retail customers certain feature and finish upgrades to justify a higher price and better-suit retail customers' wants and needs. My solution to my "wiper dilemma" may have been a little extreme, but it worked perfectly... I traded-in my 510A XLT Wagon for a 110A Cargo Van that has no rear windows, period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM272 Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 Have you noticed that no TC's pictured in Ford's marketing materials are equipped with rear wipers? I too believe there's no reason why any vehicle's washer nozzles should be strong and consistent. Even $22K vehicles can be well made (Taurus SE is only $26K); and Ford's betting the Fiesta ranch on building an inexpensive vehicle with superior features, materials, and build and a top sticker price that barely cracks $23K. Maybe Ford is working on new turbocharged "EcoWiper" technology. Seriously though, TC's clearly built to a price-point. However, given the relatively limited number of configurations being offered in North America compared to the unlimited "as you like it" possibilities within Europe (including SWB/LWB variants, solid-sided "panel" trucks, etc.), I do feel it's currently overpriced. As a fleet-oriented vehicle, I think Ford would have done better to offer 2-3 identically-made "core" configurations, using the economies of scale to drive down cost and improve value. Ford could have then offered retail customers certain feature and finish upgrades to justify a higher price and better-suit retail customers' wants and needs. My solution to my "wiper dilemma" may have been a little extreme, but it worked perfectly... I traded-in my 510A XLT Wagon for a 110A Cargo Van that has no rear windows, period. If you found out you really needed the cargo version then trading in vs doing a retrofit does not sound so extream. I bought the wagon only because my wife insisted and either way I am happy with it. The ironic part for you is I read somewhere that Ford imports them all as wagons and in Jersey they take out the seats and windows and turn 90% of them back into cargo vans . They do this so they can import them as passanger vs. commecial vehicles thus paying less is fees. The actual dealer invoice for the wagon is only $200 more than the cargo van so I can believe this. Which , BTW is what I paid for the van so it pays to shop for a good deal before you pull the trigger. The mark up on the wagons is much higher than the cargo vans. I am very tollerant about most things and I can write pages about all the things I like about this van . The windshied situation is the only thing I don't like and is a safety issue! Ford needs to get out of denial mode or people will get killed and they will pay more in the long run than just putting on the correct blades and making a simple change to the washer jets. The blades may be good for cars but they just don't work well on this van. If you look close even in rain you will notice your wippers are leaving behind a very light film of water. On a salt covered wet expressway it turns into total white out that these wiper blades can not clear and the washer jets only smear it worse. Those of you that live warmer climates probably are not noticing it so much but you will realize a big improvement if you change to the better blades. I wonder if anyone from Ford reads this suff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlock Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I am very tollerant about most things and I can write pages about all the things I like about this van . The windshied situation is the only thing I don't like and is a safety issue! Ford needs to get out of denial mode or people will get killed and they will pay more in the long run than just putting on the correct blades and making a simple change to the washer jets. The blades may be good for cars but they just don't work well on this van. If you look close even in rain you will notice your wippers are leaving behind a very light film of water. On a salt covered wet expressway it turns into total white out that these wiper blades can not clear and the washer jets only smear it worse. Those of you that live warmer climates probably are not noticing it so much but you will realize a big improvement if you change to the better blades. I wonder if anyone from Ford reads this suff? Actually, the in-port conversions occur in Baltimore at a facility adjacent to the Dejana facility where the factory upfits are performed. It's to avoid an arcane import duty known as the "Chicken Tax" dating back to the first part of the last century. Side windows are removed and plugged and second seat rows are removed and sent for recycling as needed. As for whether or not Ford reads "this stuff", I'm sure they have folks who scan the 'net daily for hot topics of discussion; but they're not likely to start rushing to retrofit any of the 200-day TC supply (some 25,000 vehicles) currently sitting on dealer lots. Perhaps yours is an atypically bad example, and better visibility is always safer, but the generally-poor rear widow wipers/washers are hardly likely to become a life-and-death safety issue for anyone who wasn't already pretty far up Darwin's "short list" to begin with. Not that TC is necessarily the best method, but the herd today could probably benefit from a little culling anyway. I have noticed, however, that driving a windowless Cargo TC creates all manner of blind spots. While they're no worse than any other panel truck, it does accentuate the additional benefit multi-view European mirrors would provide, and the Reverse Sensing System becomes downright indispensable. Truth be told, I may have jumped the gun again. For as much as the windowless paneled cargo Van may better-suit my practical needs, I feel much safer driving the wagon with at least some visibility; and had I been thoughtful enough to test drive a 110A through a wide variety of situations, I'd probably have considered alternative arrangements like the OEM Rear Window Grilles and/or vinyl-covering for the side windows in addition to caging them more diligently. For the time being, however, I've already decided on a multi-view camera system to provide a continuous multi-perspective video feed in lieu of a windshield-mounted rear-view mirror that switches to a conventional backup camera when in reverse; and I'm already in contact with several EU Ford dealers working the logistics and cost of obtaining a set of multi-perspective side mirrors. Perhaps I'll be trading again before the year is through; but even so, I don't feel too bad given how I was able to "get out" of the Wagon and into an identically-equipped Cargo (absent the FWS computer) while managing to put a few dollars in my pocket in the process (not to mention the seats, seat belts, and seat mounting brackets from my original Wagon that are now sitting in my garage). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM272 Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 Perhaps yours is an atypically bad example, and better visibility is always safer, but the generally-poor rear widow wipers/washers are hardly likely to become a life-and-death safety issue for anyone who wasn't already pretty far up Darwin's "short list" to begin with. Not that TC is necessarily the best method, but the herd today could probably benefit from a little culling anyway. I have noticed, however, that driving a windowless Cargo TC creates all manner of blind spots. While they're no worse than any other panel truck, it does accentuate the additional benefit multi-view European mirrors would provide, and the Reverse Sensing System becomes downright indispensable. Truth be told, I may have jumped the gun again. For as much as the windowless paneled cargo Van may better-suit my practical needs, I feel much safer driving the wagon with at least some visibility; and had I been thoughtful enough to test drive a 110A through a wide variety of situations, I'd probably have considered alternative arrangements like the OEM Rear Window Grilles and/or vinyl-covering for the side windows in addition to caging them more diligently. For the time being, however, I've already decided on a multi-view camera system to provide a continuous multi-perspective video feed in lieu of a windshield-mounted rear-view mirror that switches to a conventional backup camera when in reverse; and I'm already in contact with several EU Ford dealers working the logistics and cost of obtaining a set of multi-perspective side mirrors. Perhaps I'll be trading again before the year is through; but even so, I don't feel too bad given how I was able to "get out" of the Wagon and into an identically-equipped Cargo (absent the FWS computer) while managing to put a few dollars in my pocket in the process (not to mention the seats, seat belts, and seat mounting brackets from my original Wagon that are now sitting in my garage). I am only complaining about the front windshield wipers and washer spray nozzels. I don't have any big issue about the back windows. They are OK by me and I would agree certainly not a safety concern. I do especially like the big side door window. I don't think I could get by without it. As for parking this van is much better than I expected ! I can back into my over stuffed garage and park it on a dime. It can manuver better than most compact cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenzaka Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I'm in Niagara Falls, Ontario and after the dump of snow we just received I can say the front wipers SUCK!!! I am using an insane amount of window washer fluid trying to keep my window clear. One other thing, if you live in an area with snow invest in some snow tires. The stock tires are crap and the front of the van is so light that it doesn't grab. Every time I started off the van would slide sideways. Winter tires are a great help. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlock Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I'm sorry. I misread. Actually, I've found the front washers/wipers to be quite good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM272 Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 I'm sorry. I misread. Actually, I've found the front washers/wipers to be quite good. Maybe you got something different on yours? Probably if you drive up north on snowy roads that get road salt you will be in for a very unpleasant experience! It is the worst car I have ever driven with the stock wiper blades in those conditions. That's the problem , folks are not complaining because in rain or even occasional snow it does not look to bad. Depending the snow conditions and road conditions it can at time looks fine. But , Put on a set of new Proline wipers and you will see the difference, even in light rain. Lets hear from more of you from up north that have this issue and can appreciate what I am saying. Per my Ford service manager , Ford has no problem reports about this! New wiper blades are easy and a big help but they need to fix the spray jets to. I have never see a new car that won't mist. Both the service manger and sales person agreed that there is a serious problem but said they had nothing they could do. Agree about the tires to , they are very marginal for snow. Most front wheel drive cars with all season tires handle much better in snow. I wonder if these are even all season tires. This van needs to come equiped to handle snow or tell us that upfront when we buy it. Need to have more complaints or Ford will do nothing. Let hear some more folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetrosA Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Maybe you got something different on yours? Probably if you drive up north on snowy roads that get road salt you will be in for a very unpleasant experience! It is the worst car I have ever driven with the stock wiper blades in those conditions. That's the problem , folks are not complaining because in rain or even occasional snow it does not look to bad. Depending the snow conditions and road conditions it can at time looks fine. But , Put on a set of new Proline wipers and you will see the difference, even in light rain. Lets hear from more of you from up north that have this issue and can appreciate what I am saying. Per my Ford service manager , Ford has no problem reports about this! New wiper blades are easy and a big help but they need to fix the spray jets to. I have never see a new car that won't mist. Both the service manger and sales person agreed that there is a serious problem but said they had nothing they could do. Agree about the tires to , they are very marginal for snow. Most front wheel drive cars with all season tires handle much better in snow. I wonder if these are even all season tires. This van needs to come equiped to handle snow or tell us that upfront when we buy it. Need to have more complaints or Ford will do nothing. Let hear some more folks. I haven't had to deal with such bad weather that the wipers weren't effective enough yet, but I definitely agree the jets are awful. They seem to work better at higher speeds where the wind blasts the fluid against the glass, or if you dose it intermittently instead of holding the button in, but different jets would work wonders. My guess is that in the EU the salt drying on the glass isn't such an issue for the engineers as it is in the US. Most countries there are very restrictive in its use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM272 Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 I haven't had to deal with such bad weather that the wipers weren't effective enough yet, but I definitely agree the jets are awful. They seem to work better at higher speeds where the wind blasts the fluid against the glass, or if you dose it intermittently instead of holding the button in, but different jets would work wonders. My guess is that in the EU the salt drying on the glass isn't such an issue for the engineers as it is in the US. Most countries there are very restrictive in its use. Thanks for your comments - TC Owners please do not just keep silent about this. Please reply to this. I don't mind buying a new set of wiper blades but there noithing I know of how to fix the spray jets. My Ford service manager said there is no adjustment and nothing he could do to fix it unless Ford comes out with replacement jets. We need to get more complaints going on here or Ford will do nothing about the spray jets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM272 Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 Thanks for your comments - TC Owners please do not just keep silent about this. Please reply to this. I don't mind buying a new set of wiper blades but there noithing I know of how to fix the spray jets. My Ford service manager said there is no adjustment and nothing he could do to fix it unless Ford comes out with replacement jets. We need to get more complaints going on here or Ford will do nothing about the spray jets! Ford CS called back today and said this problem is being looked at. For now the new low profile blades are at least an improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Thanks for your comments - TC Owners please do not just keep silent about this. Please reply to this. I don't mind buying a new set of wiper blades but there noithing I know of how to fix the spray jets. My Ford service manager said there is no adjustment and nothing he could do to fix it unless Ford comes out with replacement jets. We need to get more complaints going on here or Ford will do nothing about the spray jets! It looks like the Mazda Tribute/Ford escape nozzles are Bowles Fluidics designed and have a good spray pattern. Miata folks are buying them from Ford or Mazda and swapping them. Have a look a bit down this thread on a Miata forum. Just information (and something Ford should know). Hope the link works. http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=181866 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KM272 Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 It looks like the Mazda Tribute/Ford escape nozzles are Bowles Fluidics designed and have a good spray pattern. Miata folks are buying them from Ford or Mazda and swapping them. Have a look a bit down this thread on a Miata forum. Just information (and something Ford should know). Hope the link works. http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=181866 Nice! You can see in the Bowles slide show that part of the problem with the TC is the nozzels are mounted back on the hood so the fluid stream hits the windshield straight on and not at an upward angle like most cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fulltime Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I live in Rochester NY so lots of ice, snow and salty roads. I have had a new Transit for about a month now and and very happy with everything else but I was shocked buy how bad the entire windshield cleaning situation is. First off the washer spray jets do not mist like most other cars. They just shoot two solid streams of water at the center of the widshield one each side. The blades are very poor and can not clean it. What I got was a smeared mess that is very difficult to see through. I was having to just pump fluid continally on it to drive. I have never driven a car that was as bad as this! OK, so , I want back to the dealer with it. They did agree it was bad and the other new ones they had were equally bad. They put on a new set of staock blades and that was all they would do and it did not help/ finally went to Pep Boys today and got a new set of the new type of low profile blades ( Pro Line) and now I can see!! If they would fix the spray jets it would be even better. I have call into Ford Customer service and am waiting to hear back. Is any one else having this problem or am I the only one out here???? I gota ask how can Ford possibly not test and know about this. It is such a simple thing to fix and and critical safety issue. I paid over $22K for a new car and the first thing I have to do is get rid of the junk wiper blades! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fulltime Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) I live in Rochester NY so lots of ice, snow and salty roads. I have had a new Transit for about a month now and and very happy with everything else but I was shocked buy how bad the entire windshield cleaning situation is. First off the washer spray jets do not mist like most other cars. They just shoot two solid streams of water at the center of the widshield one each side. The blades are very poor and can not clean it. What I got was a smeared mess that is very difficult to see through. I was having to just pump fluid continally on it to drive. I have never driven a car that was as bad as this! OK, so , I want back to the dealer with it. They did agree it was bad and the other new ones they had were equally bad. They put on a new set of staock blades and that was all they would do and it did not help/ finally went to Pep Boys today and got a new set of the new type of low profile blades ( Pro Line) and now I can see!! If they would fix the spray jets it would be even better. I have call into Ford Customer service and am waiting to hear back. Is any one else having this problem or am I the only one out here???? I gota ask how can Ford possibly not test and know about this. It is such a simple thing to fix and and critical safety issue. I paid over $22K for a new car and the first thing I have to do is get rid of the junk wiper blades! Edited January 23, 2012 by fulltime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fulltime Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I live in central Indiana & have driven my Transit for 2 winters. I travel 250-300 mi. a day on all kinds of road but mainly Interstate. Must admit that I have had no problem whatsoever like you have had. Just replaced my first set of blades. The spray jet is not a mist type...big deal...cleans the window just fine. I actually find the system to be very efficient. Just thought I'd rebuttal with my positive experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 The wipers that came on my TC were very hard and worked very poorly. I could have gone back to the dealer but it seemed so much easier to buy a set of blades at Walmart. Nothing exotic, just wiper blades. Less than ten bucks and now they are fine. I suspect the originals were just old stock. My washer seemed to have a sort of vapor lock or something. After I opened the reservoir cap once , they began to work normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike56 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 When I first got my transit the wipers were bad. I put on a new set of nothing special and they worked... I just changed them again to Bosch ICON....oh boy.....really nice does a great job.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetransit Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Hey All, Having issue finging the right replacement wiper blades. I bought the rain-x weatherbeater, but the j arm attachments don't fit. It appears the j-arm radius on my transit is great than normal and won't fit. Has anyone else discovered this and have they found a replacement that works out of the box? Bosch Icon etc. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Hey All, Having issue finging the right replacement wiper blades. I bought the rain-x weatherbeater, but the j arm attachments don't fit. It appears the j-arm radius on my transit is great than normal and won't fit. Has anyone else discovered this and have they found a replacement that works out of the box? Bosch Icon etc. Thanks! Yeah, the one on the passenger side is a big wide goofy thing. The blades I bought did not have the proper J hook adapter either, so I just used the adapter from the original blade. Question: why is it necessary to have fourteen different wiper attachment styles when they all do the same thing? Just another mystery of the universe, I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
103west43rd Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Hey All, Having issue finging the right replacement wiper blades. I bought the rain-x weatherbeater, but the j arm attachments don't fit. It appears the j-arm radius on my transit is great than normal and won't fit. Has anyone else discovered this and have they found a replacement that works out of the box? Bosch Icon etc. Thanks! I just replaced my orginal blades with the standard NAPA line. They attached and work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetransit Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Just to follow up on my post. I ended up returning the blades. Just think its a problem with Rain-X saying they are compatible. Bought some of the ANCO Contour blades and they had the proper attachments. I wanted to use the old attachment form the OEM blade, but the size of the bar that the attachment connects to is different. So don't buy the Rain-X Weatherbeater blade... Thanks for the responses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loafer Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 I'm still interested if anyone has used the Bosch Icon wiper blades and the experience they have had with them. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 I have used a set. Nothin special, just like any other brand name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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