25 replies to this topic

[Sticky]

Getting my windscreen replaced next weekend and thought I'd treat her to a new wiper/blade combo. So looking on EP they do 2, the standard or the wash/wipe system

http://www.elisepart...jetwash-system/

or

http://www.elisepart...iper-arm-blade/

Anybody have any experience of either? Is the wash/wipe system worth the extra?

[Ebo100]

I don't have any experience of the wash/wipe system but if you just want a replacement wiper/arm you would save some money buying the Elise S2 wiper assembly from a Lotus dealer. I forget the price I paid but I think it was somewhere around £27 and works really well

Edited by Ebo100, 10 January 2010 - 06:26 PM.

[techieboy]

I've got the EP wiper and washer jet system and it's great. Blade works better than any of the various flat blade jobbies I tried before and the integrated jet dumps the water/fluid just where you want it, instead of into the car or somewhere over the back of the car. Very easy to DIY your own solution though, so quite over priced for what it is unless you do need a new arm at the same time.

Edited by techieboy, 10 January 2010 - 07:12 PM.

[Casper]

I bought the S2 upgrade direct from my local Lotus dealer a few weeks back after my original arm disintegrated whilst driving. It was £31 inc. vat and around 5 minutes to fit. Seems to work slightly better than the original arm/blade combo as it covers a greater part of the screen and stays closer to the glass itself as it sweeps. Not had any experience with the jet washer/arm combo though.

[Sticky]

I've got the EP wiper and washer jet system and it's great. Blade works better than any of the various flat blade jobbies I tried before and the integrated jet dumps the water/fluid just where you want it, instead of into the car or somewhere over the back of the car.

Very easy to DIY your own solution though, so quite over priced for what it is unless you do need a new arm at the same time.

Cheers Matt.

Could do with a new arm so might go for it.

[Ouchie]

I spoke to a guy/company in Gloucestershire about making up a wiper arm and blade with integrated jets. They already had a range of systems and supplied truck wipers and single wiper kits for the barrys. The EP kit looks very similar to the stuff I saw before including the integrated hose in the arm. I didn't hear anything back and their phone number stopped working but maybe they followed up on my request (said that the same system would work on elises) and did a deal with EP. I originally found them via eBay and maybe they can supply directly, who knows. ETA : it's www.wipex.co.uk and they do sell a blade plus washer kit for 14.60

Edited by Ouchie, 10 January 2010 - 07:49 PM.

[elrikos]

When I came to replace my early wiper on my old vx I used a wiper blade for a some mercedes (aero style from halfords, can't recall the model). It had the plastic attachment to connect to the merc held on with a metal pin. I just pushed the metal pin out and inserted the vx pin and hey presto. The set came with a 22" and 23" blade so I kept the second blade for the next replacement. As I recall it was about £20 for the pair so doesn't work out overly expensive. No doubt I'll be in halfords soon so I'll post up what model they were supposed to fit! I also found that halfords sold windscreen washer pipe. If you removed the original jet and pushed this tube through the resulting hole, then cable tied the washer pipe up the original arm and sealed the end with a stainless bolt and drilled some small holes in the tube as it went up the arm you had the same effect as ghe above for £3. Sounds a bit gash I know but really doesn't look bad at all. You wouldn't know it wasn't oem.

Edited by elrikos, 10 January 2010 - 09:27 PM.

[2GOOD]

I spoke to a guy/company in Gloucestershire about making up a wiper arm and blade with integrated jets. They already had a range of systems and supplied truck wipers and single wiper kits for the barrys. The EP kit looks very similar to the stuff I saw before including the integrated hose in the arm.

I didn't hear anything back and their phone number stopped working but maybe they followed up on my request (said that the same system would work on elises) and did a deal with EP. I originally found them via eBay and maybe they can supply directly, who knows.

ETA : it's www.wipex.co.uk and they do sell a blade plus washer kit for 14.60

Good find! Just looked them up & they're in Malvern (Worcs), think I'll try & go to see them when the weather improves.

[Steve B]

Won't the spray bar system just freeze up really easily?

[Ouchie]

Good find! Just looked them up & they're in Malvern (Worcs), think I'll try & go to see them when the weather improves.

They were in Tewkesbury I think. Anyway, when I spoke to them then the guy explained it was just him running the business from a small unit.

If you do pay a visit then get 1 for me. I fiddled with my washer jets and now they are all over the place.

[Mangham54]

I bought one of e-bay and thought it was wipex, but the e-bay receipt states 'single-wiper'. I have to admit that though it is a improvement on the motorway I have left the ordinary jets active (by t-jointing the washerjet connection) as the spraybar is a little narrow in range. Additionally the nozzles on the spray bar are not re-directional and I suspect that if driving in sub-zero conditions (unless you have a hefty dose of screenwash) that the spraybar may freeze up quickly as it is far more exposed than the washer jets. The wiper blade itself is OK, but I do think I will return to just using a decent ordinary bosch wiper as for the hassle of fitting I don't really think the benefits are that great. TBPH if it was possible I would swap the washer jets from a single nozzle to a double in order to direct to the top and bottom of the screen. I am going see how the nozzles fit on the RX-8 as each one projects either 3 or 4 jets of water and work really bloody well - that car does the strangest things really well!

[Ouchie]

I bought one of e-bay and thought it was wipex, but the e-bay receipt states 'single-wiper'.

They are the same company. Think they mainly sold single wiper conversion kits for saxos and corsas on ebay, init.

[Sticky]

Perhaps I'll just go to Lotus and get an S2 blade/arm

[rickyzero]

Perhaps I'll just go to Lotus and get an S2 blade/arm

I just ordered one from Bell & Colvill today, my current wiper does absolutely nothing! They worked out cheaper than the Lotus dealer in Edinburgh plus it was in stock.

[rickyzero]

Big thumbs up to Bell & Colvill, arm and wiper arrived this morning after I ordered it at 4 in the pm yesterday.

[Ren]

I fitted a washer jet from a DAF truck on both my 205 and the Vx and found it to be much better than the standard jets. It clips round the wiper arm and has 4 directional nozzles in it, 2 top and 2 bottom so gives a good covering of the screen once the directions are set. Cost around £7 from a DAF dealer but is far neater than most spray bars. I'll try to find a pic of it.

[Ouchie]

Perhaps I'll just go to Lotus and get an S2 blade/arm

Best blade I have used so far but kinda pointless after somebody fiddles with the washer jets

[Paulus H]

As we all know the std Vauxhall wiper blade becomes useless very quickly. I have the Elise Parts wiper/washer, it works better than the std setup. The water stream work far better than the std jets.

[Winstar]

I'm currently running a 22" goodyear assurance wiper blade which was a bout £6.50 from costco, which is the best wiper i've had on the vx so far, along with the citeron BX spray bar. Yes it's not intergrated but I like the flaxiblity of having the 2 systems seperate so I can replace the wiper easily and cheaply.

[techieboy]

If you've already got the later style arm, just fit the drivers side wiper blade from a 1994 Renault Espace. It's exactly what Elise Parts use. The sprayer is integrated into it and it costs about £10 for the blade online. Then quick trip to Halfords for a metre or two of washer tubing and you're sorted. Tee the tubing into the existing washer jets (if you want to retain them), run the hose up inside the arm and connect to nozzle on the integrated jet. Works a treat and is all but invisible.