Windshield Wiper Fix

joec

Referral Code - MX1KDTYY
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So I had my first brush with Customer Care today, as I noticed my passenger windshield wiper wasn't operating. The driver's wiper activated fine, but the passenger-side one would just remain down.

Luckily, I tend to use the washer function just about every day, so I noticed this quickly. They were behaving fine yesterday. (More on that later in the post.) Also fortunate that today was nice and sunny, so I didn't really need my wipers.

I texted customer care, but I'll talk about that experience on another thread, since this is a how-to for anyone who wants or needs a quick fix. We can debate the merits of DIY vs. waiting for a technician elsewhere. Personally, I'd rather have operating wipers in a few minutes than wait who knows how long for someone to come out and do it.

Shout out to Frank (the San Diego mobile tech) who was gracious enough to send a quick tip via my colleague and fellow mod @Bobby. It was really beyond the call of duty for Bobby to ask, let alone for Frank to then respond.

The trick is to tighten a nut on the windshield wiper arm. I imagine this would work the same on either wiper, but it was the passenger side that was loose for me, so that's what I'll show here.

Tools needed for this task:

  • Flathead screwdriver (Thin head preferred)
  • 15mm standard wrench or socket wrench.
  • Five minutes of your time

Start by opening the frunk and taking off the upper plastic cover that protects some important bits under the bonnet. It's connected via clips, so you have to pop them off to remove.


Under the frunk of the Lucid Air. Top plastic cover.


Once you have the plastic cover removed, you should see at the connected end of each windshield wiper arm, there's a round plastic cap. Pry that off with a flathead screwdriver.

IMG_1460.jpeg


The plastic of the cap is a bit soft, so pry carefully. A thinner, smaller screwdriver would be best.

Once you have the cap off, you'll see the nut beneath. Using the wrench, tighten the nut.

IMG_1467.jpeg


Be sure when you are tightening that the wiper is fully down and at rest along the plastic edge at the bottom of the windshield. If the wiper is turned up when you tighten it, the wiper will not go all the way back down, and it may bang into the other wiper while deploying. Tighten with the wiper in its resting position, in other words. Like so:

IMG_1468.jpeg


Once you have the nut nice and tight, replace the round cap, replace the plastic cover, and you should be good to go. Close the frunk and try out the wipers. They should function normally again.

Honestly, the hardest part of this was getting the plastic top cover back on. It can be a bugger to get all the clips aligned properly.

As to how or why this happened, I have a theory. I was washing the car yesterday, as it was full of Colorado winter grime. While I was drying the windshield, the wipers activated on me. (They probably detected the moisture on the windshield, and auto-wiper mode took over.) It was quite jarring, of course, and I didn't get my hand out of the way fast enough to avoid the wiper hitting my microfiber towel, which got stuck for a second underneath the blade. My guess is that little incident loosened the wiper just enough to start the process of getting looser on every subsequent wipe, until it was too loose and failed to engage the next day.

So bonus tip: Until Lucid creates some sort of "Car Wash" mode, turn your wiper mode to fully off before washing the car. Alternatively, open the driver's door while drying. The wipers won't activate when the door is open.
 
... and taking off the upper plastic cover that protects some important bits under the bonnet. It's connected via clips, so you have to pop them off to remove.

Honestly, the hardest part of this was getting the plastic top cover back on. It can be a bugger to get all the clips aligned properly.
Thanks joe for an excellent write-up.

couldn't help but notice you had trouble with this thing too. I've fought it for an hour or so and the mobile care tech gave up on it too. it just feels like you need to use way too much force ... like the vanity cover on the LCHCS ... and the plastic aero wheel covers....I've seen way too much plastic car bits with broken tabs...hate to see that in this car as well.
I'd love to see how they put it on in manufacture.

Oh and I meant to mention "bone tool" or just a butter knife.
 
Shout out to Frank (the San Diego mobile tech) who was gracious enough to send a quick tip via my colleague and fellow mod @Bobby. It was really beyond the call of duty for Bobby to ask, let alone for Frank to then respond.
Thank you @joec for the very detailed, step-by-step write-up, and thanks to @Bobby and Frank.
It's so invaluable to have a technical specialist take genuine interests in assisting the car owners.
(A side note: years ago, when the MB ML was still in infancy, an MB's shop foreman, Mr. Bachelors from Pleasanton, participated in our mailing list and was such an incredible resource for the community. So If Mike is still out there or if anyone here knows him, pass on my appreciation)
 
This illustrates another (correctable) design/implementation failure (or more) of the car:
The car assumes you are going to drive it just because you unlock it. Auto wiper function makes the most sense when you are driving, yet they are activated when the car is still in park. Don't add yet another wiper setting, just let the transmission selection serve as input to how the car is being used right now.
Likewise, hiding the wiper pivot point under a hard to remove (and reinstall) cover (not the cap, but the cover) makes for a car that is harder to maintain. Loose wiper arms is nothing new, but hiding the pivot point is.
This seems to be coming up on a number of Air units, perhaps assembly is not torqueing them high enough, or perhaps they need to use a little LocTight on the nut during assembly...
 
Thanks, @joec and all mods and other solutions contributors. This is an example of what makes the forum so valuable -- the detailed support and how-to contributions that benefit the entire community.
 
This illustrates another (correctable) design/implementation failure (or more) of the car:
The car assumes you are going to drive it just because you unlock it. Auto wiper function makes the most sense when you are driving, yet they are activated when the car is still in park. Don't add yet another wiper setting, just let the transmission selection serve as input to how the car is being used right now.
Likewise, hiding the wiper pivot point under a hard to remove (and reinstall) cover (not the cap, but the cover) makes for a car that is harder to maintain. Loose wiper arms is nothing new, but hiding the pivot point is.
This seems to be coming up on a number of Air units, perhaps assembly is not torqueing them high enough, or perhaps they need to use a little LocTight on the nut during assembly...
I agree the nut should not come loose that easily. Would not be surprised if this were an eventual recall for a better design. But I get why they “hid” the wipers beneath the bonnet. It’s all about aerodynamics. I’ll take removing a cover once in a while to losing 10-20 miles of range on every charge any day.
 
I agree the nut should not come loose that easily. Would not be surprised if this were an eventual recall for a better design. But I get why they “hid” the wipers beneath the bonnet. It’s all about aerodynamics. I’ll take removing a cover once in a while to losing 10-20 miles of range on every charge any day.
The frunk lid accomplishes that, I expect the benefits on aerodynamics from hiding them further under the plastic cover are minimal at best.
 
The frunk lid accomplishes that, I expect the benefits on aerodynamics from hiding them further under the plastic cover are minimal at best.
Well, I'm not an aerodynamics expert, so I can't say. But my best guess is that they didn't decide to put them under that plastic piece for no reason.
 
Well, I'm not an aerodynamics expert, so I can't say. But my best guess is that they didn't decide to put them under that plastic piece for no reason.
It seems we have many automotive engineers and designers in this forum.
 
It seems we have many automotive engineers and designers in this forum.
Lots of areas of expertise observed as I read the threads on this forum. Again, makes for great reading. Fantastic, until one person seems to claim expertise on an area where another claims expertise, at which point other readers have to try to discern which is smarter ;-)
I just vote for Bobby, less strain on my brain.
 
One does not need to be able to create in order to recognize flaws based upon decades of usage...
I’m not sure I agree with that line of thinking. I asked a friend who is an automotive engineer why they would have a cover there. He said because the frunk is a space that people store items in, any mechanical or moving objects need to be well covered so an object cannot get tangled up in them during use.
 
This is something I'm happy to read an owner will be able to do on their own. However, I have no desire to do this at all and will be requesting that the service center double check my blades before delivery.
 
So many modes can be created to make our Air a better vehicle.

Car Wash mode (wipers and door handles off)
Valet mode (Glove Compartment protect & geofencing)
Camping mode (extinguish int/ext lightings)
Screen Cleaning mode (black out)
Snow mode (reduce regen, ABS friction brake and lessen acceleration)
Sentry mode (motion sensor videotaping)
Sloth mode (hypermilling)
Service mode (SOS)
Pet mode (don’t bake them)
Turtle mode (Ooopsy…)
Launch mode (opposite of Turtle mode)
Prosperous mode (crypto wallet storage like Togg Automotive)
Mining mode (use CPU downtime to mine Bitcoin)
Hot Air mode (insanely sprint)
Lucid Dream mode (play lolliby and mesmerizing ambient light to go to sleep)

 
I’m going back to the basic here: should we consider putting on some LocTite to hopefully avoid having a loose wiper on the road?
 
So I had my first brush with Customer Care today, as I noticed my passenger windshield wiper wasn't operating. The driver's wiper activated fine, but the passenger-side one would just remain down.

Luckily, I tend to use the washer function just about every day, so I noticed this quickly. They were behaving fine yesterday. (More on that later in the post.) Also fortunate that today was nice and sunny, so I didn't really need my wipers.

I texted customer care, but I'll talk about that experience on another thread, since this is a how-to for anyone who wants or needs a quick fix. We can debate the merits of DIY vs. waiting for a technician elsewhere. Personally, I'd rather have operating wipers in a few minutes than wait who knows how long for someone to come out and do it.

Shout out to Frank (the San Diego mobile tech) who was gracious enough to send a quick tip via my colleague and fellow mod @Bobby. It was really beyond the call of duty for Bobby to ask, let alone for Frank to then respond.

The trick is to tighten a nut on the windshield wiper arm. I imagine this would work the same on either wiper, but it was the passenger side that was loose for me, so that's what I'll show here.

Tools needed for this task:

  • Flathead screwdriver (Thin head preferred)
  • 15mm standard wrench or socket wrench.
  • Five minutes of your time

Start by opening the frunk and taking off the upper plastic cover that protects some important bits under the bonnet. It's connected via clips, so you have to pop them off to remove.


View attachment 9293

Once you have the plastic cover removed, you should see at the connected end of each windshield wiper arm, there's a round plastic cap. Pry that off with a flathead screwdriver.

View attachment 9294

The plastic of the cap is a bit soft, so pry carefully. A thinner, smaller screwdriver would be best.

Once you have the cap off, you'll see the nut beneath. Using the wrench, tighten the nut.

View attachment 9295

Be sure when you are tightening that the wiper is fully down and at rest along the plastic edge at the bottom of the windshield. If the wiper is turned up when you tighten it, the wiper will not go all the way back down, and it may bang into the other wiper while deploying. Tighten with the wiper in its resting position, in other words. Like so:

View attachment 9296

Once you have the nut nice and tight, replace the round cap, replace the plastic cover, and you should be good to go. Close the frunk and try out the wipers. They should function normally again.

Honestly, the hardest part of this was getting the plastic top cover back on. It can be a bugger to get all the clips aligned properly.

As to how or why this happened, I have a theory. I was washing the car yesterday, as it was full of Colorado winter grime. While I was drying the windshield, the wipers activated on me. (They probably detected the moisture on the windshield, and auto-wiper mode took over.) It was quite jarring, of course, and I didn't get my hand out of the way fast enough to avoid the wiper hitting my microfiber towel, which got stuck for a second underneath the blade. My guess is that little incident loosened the wiper just enough to start the process of getting looser on every subsequent wipe, until it was too loose and failed to engage the next day.

So bonus tip: Until Lucid creates some sort of "Car Wash" mode, turn your wiper mode to fully off before washing the car. Alternatively, open the driver's door while drying. The wipers won't activate when the door is open.
Great write up. I had exactly the same thing with mine (passenger wiper stopped working) and the solution was for Frank (the great SoCal Lucid tech) to sort it out exactly how you detailed.
 
So I had my first brush with Customer Care today, as I noticed my passenger windshield wiper wasn't operating. The driver's wiper activated fine, but the passenger-side one would just remain down.

Luckily, I tend to use the washer function just about every day, so I noticed this quickly. They were behaving fine yesterday. (More on that later in the post.) Also fortunate that today was nice and sunny, so I didn't really need my wipers.

I texted customer care, but I'll talk about that experience on another thread, since this is a how-to for anyone who wants or needs a quick fix. We can debate the merits of DIY vs. waiting for a technician elsewhere. Personally, I'd rather have operating wipers in a few minutes than wait who knows how long for someone to come out and do it.

Shout out to Frank (the San Diego mobile tech) who was gracious enough to send a quick tip via my colleague and fellow mod @Bobby. It was really beyond the call of duty for Bobby to ask, let alone for Frank to then respond.

The trick is to tighten a nut on the windshield wiper arm. I imagine this would work the same on either wiper, but it was the passenger side that was loose for me, so that's what I'll show here.

Tools needed for this task:

  • Flathead screwdriver (Thin head preferred)
  • 15mm standard wrench or socket wrench.
  • Five minutes of your time

Start by opening the frunk and taking off the upper plastic cover that protects some important bits under the bonnet. It's connected via clips, so you have to pop them off to remove.


View attachment 9293

Once you have the plastic cover removed, you should see at the connected end of each windshield wiper arm, there's a round plastic cap. Pry that off with a flathead screwdriver.

View attachment 9294

The plastic of the cap is a bit soft, so pry carefully. A thinner, smaller screwdriver would be best.

Once you have the cap off, you'll see the nut beneath. Using the wrench, tighten the nut.

View attachment 9295

Be sure when you are tightening that the wiper is fully down and at rest along the plastic edge at the bottom of the windshield. If the wiper is turned up when you tighten it, the wiper will not go all the way back down, and it may bang into the other wiper while deploying. Tighten with the wiper in its resting position, in other words. Like so:

View attachment 9296

Once you have the nut nice and tight, replace the round cap, replace the plastic cover, and you should be good to go. Close the frunk and try out the wipers. They should function normally again.

Honestly, the hardest part of this was getting the plastic top cover back on. It can be a bugger to get all the clips aligned properly.

As to how or why this happened, I have a theory. I was washing the car yesterday, as it was full of Colorado winter grime. While I was drying the windshield, the wipers activated on me. (They probably detected the moisture on the windshield, and auto-wiper mode took over.) It was quite jarring, of course, and I didn't get my hand out of the way fast enough to avoid the wiper hitting my microfiber towel, which got stuck for a second underneath the blade. My guess is that little incident loosened the wiper just enough to start the process of getting looser on every subsequent wipe, until it was too loose and failed to engage the next day.

So bonus tip: Until Lucid creates some sort of "Car Wash" mode, turn your wiper mode to fully off before washing the car. Alternatively, open the driver's door while drying. The wipers won't activate when the door is open.
So many have had problems with the passenger side wiper. I picture the person on the assembly line at the time being not strong enough or caring enough to tighten it down. :rolleyes:
 
I’m not sure I agree with that line of thinking. I asked a friend who is an automotive engineer why they would have a cover there. He said because the frunk is a space that people store items in, any mechanical or moving objects need to be well covered so an object cannot get tangled up in them during use.
By your logic in addition to customers not knowing what they want and need, both QA and marketing and implementation and repair staff know nothing about good/bad design...
In this case the wipers are still mostly exposed, it is only the area around the head of the pivot that is being covered by a cover that makes it hard to service the vehicle.
 
I understand the wiper arm fix, although I have not had to do it, as yet. Thanks so much for sharing the procedure. I was only recently advised of the process to replace the cabin filters, 3 I believe. Seems to be about a 2 hour process. Has anyone as yet tried to replace them?
 
I understand the wiper arm fix, although I have not had to do it, as yet. Thanks so much for sharing the procedure. I was only recently advised of the process to replace the cabin filters, 3 I believe. Seems to be about a 2 hour process. Has anyone as yet tried to replace them?
They replaced mine at the yearly/12k mile service.
 
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