macdee

Hey guys, so I was/still having this issue with squeaky wipers on my 4RX I wanted to share some info about it:

https://vimeo.com/165244088

So basically, there's a good chance that some of you guys are having similar issues. And Lexus is aware of the problem.

Actually, they seem to have "fixed" this partially in around March-April, but ONLY for cars that have front glass coating (I'd imagine it has to be Lexus original coating). All new models seem to include the fix right off the conveyor. For those who don't, the fix involves applying coating (which is NOT free) AND replacing wiper blade rubbers (which is FREE from Lexus, for those having the issue).

HOWEVER… the solution above is only for those who have or want to apply glass coating. For those who, for any reason, don't have or don't want glass coating, there's no solution at this point. Again… Lexus seems to be aware of the issue (hence the "fix" for coating scenarios), but it might take a few months to have a proper fix released by the company.

The above info is for Japanese 4RX, but I'd guess it probably pretty much applies to models sold globally…

Wonder how many folks are having the issue. According to my dealer, it seems like NX owners also had a similar issue (looks like it's fixed by now) - and now RX. Wonder if there's any kind of knowledge exchange within Lexus to prevent things like that?

ericsan13

How can you tell if your windshield has the glass coating or not? It seems my 4RX doesn't have that rainx effect that my old RX did.

macdee

No, mine doesn't have windshield coating… I will be getting it next week along with Lexus's wipers "fix" to keep myself sane until proper solution gets released.

The issue seems to be in wiper blades/rubber construction somehow… Ever since first getting my RX, I felt like wipers don't really clean very well (comparing to my old 3RX). Then the squeaking came. I got my wiper blades rubber replaced for free along with glass cleaning. The solution worked for about a month (though there were not many rainy days during that period).

TexasRxh

I have squeaky wipers on my fix list for my first trip to the dealer. It's very annoying since the 13 Rxh I traded had whisper quiet wipers. If this is a known issue perhaps I'll escalate it!

macdee

Right? Annoying as hell…

BTW, as far as I know from my dealer, there is NO fix for the problem at this point. The coating + (Lexus-approved) wipers tweaking seems to be the only things that seems to work. If you don't feel like applying coating (I'm not a huge fan, but I'll apply for the sake of sanity), you're out of luck at this point, no matter how you try escalating…

My dealer told me "we're very sorry, but there's no solution right now… we keep kicking Lexus HQ, but they never provide any estimates for the fixes, or even the fact they're actually working on these fixes at all. At some point, they just release updated (whatever) and that's when we find out about the fix, and sometimes about the issue in the first place".

Still, there's a relatively good chance the issue will be fixed in next fews months…Fingers crossed.

skiracer

You could try to put Rain-X on your windshield since its a water repellent and supposedly closes up microscopic pores in glass...

macdee

Finally got my car treated at Lexus.

So basically, what they did was applying windshield coating and replacing wiper blade rubbers with silicon versions for less friction (and specifically developed at Lexus to target squeaking issues).

Coating was supposed to cost me around $90, but they very quickly and painlessly waived the payment once I complained that I don't like glass coatings in the first place and, in addition, have to pay for Lexus engineering mistakes.
Silicon wiper rubber was a free replacement. So essentially, a free service (though two hours lost I'd rather spent on something else instead).

Still no proper solution seem to exist, but hopefully this fixes the issue (no rains so far so I have no idea how well it all worked)

allerg

I have the same problem too, please can you tell me if this solution fixes the problem because my dealer doesn't know about it and he tells me i'm the first!!!

macdee

Sure. Just waiting for a rain myself so I could check. We don't have many rains this time of the year so might have to wait a bit though…

And you surely aren't the first (even though you could be the first at your dealership). As mentioned earlier, Lexus doesn't confirm the issue publicly, but dealerships should definitely be able to dig something up about it if they try to.
And there are free wiper rubber replacements (which differ from original factory parts) available from Lexus. Why do that at all if there's nothing wrong with anything, right?

(BTW, I far as I've heard from my dealer - as unofficial at it was - NX models also had similar issues. Took a few months for a fix…)

JT4

Why not sit in the RX and activate the wipers while someone else constantly sprays water from a garden hose on the windshield to see if the coating and new wipers worked. Granted, it won't be the same as driving in the rain on the highway where the air hitting the windshield plays a role but it may give you and indication if they're quieter.

macdee

Could do that as well, but to really confirm, I would have to run under a light-ish rain for about 5-10 minutes, with wipers in automatic (intermittent?…) mode (just like on the video).
That was the most reproducible scenario for me.

Dealership engineers were luckily able to confirm everything just by spraying water over windshield, but generally, the issue didn't occur every single time, and required these "natural light rain for prolonged period of time" conditions, which, honestly, I was a bit too lazy/busy/both to reproduce myself so far.

I'll definitely chime in once I was able to check under these "reproducible" conditions…

LexusRX16

I don't have squeaky wipers but my wipes shooting water back anytime wiper goes down to home position this is annoying as hell…Anyone has same issued ???

JT4

Thanks for the explanation now I undsestand. Well hopefully it's fixed...

AL13NV8D3R

Or you can test it by running your car through an automatic car wash tunnel. While inside the tunnel activate your wipers only when you have cleared the spinning brushes or else they will break your wipers. There is a section of the tunnel at my auto car wash that does simulate heavy rain and misty rain without brushes, i guess i would test it at these sections.

NRX

I have this issue as well. This is my first Lexus and while I am extremely satisfied with everything else ... the wiper issue bothers me. I just assumed Lexus wipers worked that way. ... but will now make an appointment with the dealer. Thanks!