So I have an ongoing issue with my wipers. It has kind of progressed, first they would move extremely slow, and would move anywhere from 3-5 inches at a time and stop. Then they would keep trying for a sec and just quit all together, at which point I could hit the wiper stalk again and they would proceed to move another 3-5 inches, and repeat. Every now and then they would work fine and normal, but only about 1 in 10 times I used them. Then after a period, they started resting about 3 inches above where they normally rest. I tried moving them down by force, and they would then do a wipe cycle, up, down, then back up 2-3 inches.

A couple weeks ago (maybe a month) they "popped" and I can hear grinding when I use them. They move much faster than normal and they have an operating range that stops about 4-5 inches on either side (up and down) of normal, so they wipe about 10-12 inches of their normal path. They "jerk" when they do it, so it tells me its some transmission linkage for them causing the issue. They also don't sit right anymore either, they were scratching the glass at first, the part where the hinge is to lift them back off the glass to change the blades was hitting the glass, and has actually cracked it, and started a growing crack, which is up to about 10 inches right in the driver side view. Now they are pulled back so the hinge is at full extension and the wiper sits about an inch off the windshield. Somehow it still touches when I use the wipers, but they seem to be chipping away at the paint on the edge of my hood.

I found the parts I *think* I need at http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/...category=Wiper

It says under the wiper transmission that the wipers moving slow would be caused by that, and I'm pretty sure the jerking would also be caused by the transmission being shot, but would there be any mounts wrecked or any issue with the motor too? If I buy the transmission part, would I need anything else? (And, the Bosch AeroTwin wiper kit, lol but that's a "line item" and it is "needed" as far as my girlfriend is concerned, those "$80 wiper blades" from the dealership make this one practically pay for itself, wink wink)... Also, would I need to have anything special for the motor if I bought that too (tools, etc)?

Bottom line, should I just buy the transmission and give it a shot? Are there any special tools that anyone knows of that I'll need? I heard something about a "Wiper Puller" tool, but I don't see one at ecstuning, is that something my local hardware store will have? And if so is there a certain model or size I will need to get?

Also, is the windshield special glass? It looks like double-paned laminate glass, as the crack is consistently about half the depth of the windshield thickness, meaning it looks like there are two panes of glass sandwiched together... Any reccommendations on an autoglass shop to do the work? What am I looking at for $$ (ballpark figure, I've never dealt with glass work before)?

HUGE Thanks in advance!

 

Wipers going down the hole are common for the B6 due to the linkage seizing up. I had the same problem and started spraying WD-40 where the wipers bolt on to the linkage and put grease on the moving parts. The problem starts where the wiper arms bolt on is exposed, new arms from the dealer are revised and have a rubber washer therefore no water can seep in there. This should help,
http://forums.audiworld.com/a4gen2/msgs/1088070.phtml

 

SWEET! As soon as I get home from work I'm going to give that one a shot. I got the whole weekend off from work, woot!