I agree that the rear wiper arm is pretty flimsy, especially after it has baked in the sun for a couple years. To take off a worn blade I pretty much would just break the old one in half. The last one I put on did seem to be a much tighter fit - I wonder if there was a slight variation in manufacturing specs.

My 2013 has a metal arm. It's a bit sturdier and has a traditional hook attachment. Unfortunately, it does not seem to move any farther away from the glass when lifted.

Another change is that the washer fluid is now sprayed from the spoiler on top, not the arm. I had problems with the spray on the arm freezing in the winter but liked the way it distributed fluid. The new system seems to clean better but I suspect it is because the blade has more support now.

 

I doubt it's cheaper to make the metal arm so IMO, this is an admission of a problem. It's so nice that they came up with a solution for 2013 owners but not for the thousands of others. The first and easiest thing they could do is start distributing METAL blades.

I wonder if the 2013 arm would fit...

 

I doubt it's cheaper to make the metal arm so IMO, this is an admission of a problem. It's so nice that they came up with a solution for 2013 owners but not for the thousands of others. The first and easiest thing they could do is start distributing METAL blades.

I wonder if the 2013 arm would fit...

I think it might, since the attachment of the arm to the motor usually tends to be a standard bolt/nut configuration...but hey..you could be the first to try it and let us know. If GM was smart about this, they would have considered older models and the rear wiper arms usually aren't that complicated in terms of having to worry about things like say a new cowling design, or windhshield / firewall changes....

Can anyone throw up pics of the NEW design?

 

I'm surprised to hear this is a problem. My wife's WRX lived an outdoor life for over 5 years its plastic rear wiper arm is fine. I guess I can be happy Honda was willing to spend an extra buck to make the CR-Z's arm metal.

 

I agree that the rear wiper arm is pretty flimsy, especially after it has baked in the sun for a couple years. To take off a worn blade I pretty much would just break the old one in half.

I agree. And since the arm doesn't move that much there really isn't any other way to get the old blade off other than break it. No matter how much I tried, I had to break the blade to get it off. A really dumb setup for a niced vehicle. JHMO.

 

Heh...after posting here this morning I went over to the GMC site and submitted a complaint. To my suprise, they called me! They are coordinating with a dealer to have the parts inspected to see what is going on.

 

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that is interesting.

 

I never buy the oem wipers anymore they are junk, the aftermarket blades from autozone fit on there fine and are metal. I havent had an aftermarket blade break .

 

I never buy the oem wipers anymore they are junk, the aftermarket blades from autozone fit on there fine and are metal. I havent had an aftermarket blade break .

One of the problems is that no one makes an aftermarket rear blade for the Acadia, Traverse, or Outlook.

 

One of the problems is that no one makes an aftermarket rear blade for the Acadia, Traverse, or Outlook.

they do for the Traverse....
I found this blade at Wal Mart. $4.57. $4.96 with tax.

very close match. the Traverse blade is diff than the E or Acadia I believe.
installs easily

 

I did mine in the garage where its a little warmer and used a little liquid soad to lubricate the pin to make it snap in a little more easily. (Of course that's after breaking one!)

 

I did mine in the garage where its a little warmer and used a little liquid soad to lubricate the pin to make it snap in a little more easily. (Of course that's after breaking one!)

....another one bites the dust!...doop doop doop....another one bites the dust!....

 

I made a how to- for the rear wiper on the Traverse.
How to take the blade assembly off in 10 seconds.

I dont think many people have 'read' that thread..

 

The arm looks a bit different and the Acadia blade is 10". I wonder if it would fit.

 

I bought a "stick" of rubber blade material and swapped that out instead of the entire assembly

 

I bought a "stick" of rubber blade material and swapped that out instead of the entire assembly

I read about doing that before I did anything but the old blade broke when trying to remove it from the busted arm and then I ended up with two busted new blades. That may be my future method.

 

I didn't realize they were so weak, I've never broken one at the gas station. I just wipe around it, I have never attempted to lift it away from the glass and I've never replaced the blade. I suppose that I just won't touch it now that I'm aware it is very weak.

 

I suppose that I just won't touch it now that I'm aware it is very weak.

or you guys are very strong...

 

Thank you for sharing your experience with submitting your feedback about the rear wipers on the Acadia, Eric E.. It’s awesome they’re digging into this for you. I eagerly await to read what they find.

Michelle, GMC Customer Service

 

Well, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary though it took them 30 minutes, two blades, and removing the arm to install a new blade. The guy agreed that something is obviously not right and will be reporting this all back to customer service. He also took a copy of my invoices for the arm and blades and is going to talk with the service manager to see what can be done in the way of reimbursement.

 

After going back and forth with GM, they came to the conclusion that it's my word against theirs whether it's a design issue or I'm an incompetent moron. For my troubles I'm receiving a $100 credit that I may use at my discretion at a GM dealership. While I will take and make use of the $100 credit, my whole point for contacting them was to shed light on multiple wiper design flaws that have impacted numerous owners.

 

Fortunately for me I found out through this forum about the delicate design of the rear wiper arm... then my brother had to go and clean my windows at a gas stop when he was travelling with me....AWW SNAP!!
Wish the 2013 arm would be compatible.

 

is this how you ended up driving down the road?

 

I broke the rear wiper arm on mine this summer. Puled it up off the glass a little to replace the blade and crack, it broke. I agree the old blade comes of way to hard and the new one goes in way to hard. You have to be super carefull when replacing them.

 

I wonder if any of these GMC test monkeys did REAL world testing on these wipers? I haven't checked my user manual, but does anyone know if there are any instructions on how to do this correctly? I bet GM won't agree it's a design issue, and I am wondering if the techs were trained to just DISPOSE of the old wiper and replace it as a whole assembly, specifically for this reason.......I mean, it's a wiper for cryin' out loud...I get the model T FORD had a better design..................just my rant for the day......