2003 Passat wiper blade change confusion
 

I've got a 2003 Passat with the "curvy" wipers. There appears to be a
flexible carrier, two end caps, and a blade.

How do I get the end caps off to replace the blade? If there's a clip,
I can't find it. I've pried around a bit with a tiny screwdriver, but I
don't want to do something that damages something (other than the blade
which will be replaced).

What am I missing here? Thanks!

--
Darren Dunham
Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
< This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

You don't! They are one complete unit and you can't just replace the rubber
blade. Not unless someone outside of VW makes the refill. And yes... VW has
them over priced.


"Darren Dunham" > wrote in message
m...
> I've got a 2003 Passat with the "curvy" wipers. There appears to be a
> flexible carrier, two end caps, and a blade.
>
> How do I get the end caps off to replace the blade? If there's a clip,
> I can't find it. I've pried around a bit with a tiny screwdriver, but I
> don't want to do something that damages something (other than the blade
> which will be replaced).
>
> What am I missing here? Thanks!
>
> --
> Darren Dunham
> Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
> Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
> < This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

Regular "thin" refills work just fine.

You just have to pry open part of the original wiper carrier and then
squeeze it back together after easy as pie.

Just did my 02 Golf and it cost me $6 CDN!!



"Woodchuck" > wrote in message
...
> You don't! They are one complete unit and you can't just replace the
> rubber blade. Not unless someone outside of VW makes the refill. And
> yes... VW has them over priced.
>
>
> "Darren Dunham" > wrote in message
> m...
>> I've got a 2003 Passat with the "curvy" wipers. There appears to be a
>> flexible carrier, two end caps, and a blade.
>>
>> How do I get the end caps off to replace the blade? If there's a clip,
>> I can't find it. I've pried around a bit with a tiny screwdriver, but I
>> don't want to do something that damages something (other than the blade
>> which will be replaced).
>>
>> What am I missing here? Thanks!
>>
>> --
>> Darren Dunham
>> Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
>> Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
>> < This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >
>
>
>

Woodchuck > wrote:
> You don't! They are one complete unit and you can't just replace the rubber
> blade. Not unless someone outside of VW makes the refill. And yes... VW has
> them over priced.

Mine aren't a complete unit. The blade just rides inside the carrier.
In fact (thinking that this would be easy), I already bought the blade
refills from a nearby dealer for $9 a piece (same as the local parts
store said they could get me a Bosch OEM refill kit).

Only after I got them home did I realize that I couldn't figure out how
to remove the end caps.
--
Darren Dunham
Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
< This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

D. Dub > wrote:
> Regular "thin" refills work just fine.

> You just have to pry open part of the original wiper carrier and then
> squeeze it back together after easy as pie.

Anything else you can tell me about how to pry it open? When I hold the
carrier with the blade up, the end caps seem to have a catch on the
bottom. I've tried pulling hard, I've tried wiggling a tiny screwdriver
underneath. I wasn't able to remove them. I'm scared that the force
I'm applying is going to damage the end cap.

--
Darren Dunham
Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
< This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

Darren Dunham wrote:
> D. Dub > wrote:
>
>>Regular "thin" refills work just fine.
>
>
>>You just have to pry open part of the original wiper carrier and then
>>squeeze it back together after easy as pie.
>
>
> Anything else you can tell me about how to pry it open? When I hold the
> carrier with the blade up, the end caps seem to have a catch on the
> bottom. I've tried pulling hard, I've tried wiggling a tiny screwdriver
> underneath. I wasn't able to remove them. I'm scared that the force
> I'm applying is going to damage the end cap.
>

See if this link helps >>
http://www.passatworld.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=127303

Golf/Jetta use a completely different blade than the Passat!

"Darren Dunham" > wrote in message
m...
> D. Dub > wrote:
>> Regular "thin" refills work just fine.
>
>> You just have to pry open part of the original wiper carrier and then
>> squeeze it back together after easy as pie.
>
> Anything else you can tell me about how to pry it open? When I hold the
> carrier with the blade up, the end caps seem to have a catch on the
> bottom. I've tried pulling hard, I've tried wiggling a tiny screwdriver
> underneath. I wasn't able to remove them. I'm scared that the force
> I'm applying is going to damage the end cap.
>
> --
> Darren Dunham
> Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
> Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
> < This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

Tim Burr > wrote:
> Darren Dunham wrote:
>> D. Dub > wrote:
>>
>>>Regular "thin" refills work just fine.
>>
>>>You just have to pry open part of the original wiper carrier and then
>>>squeeze it back together after easy as pie.
>>
>> Anything else you can tell me about how to pry it open? When I hold the
>> carrier with the blade up, the end caps seem to have a catch on the
>> bottom. I've tried pulling hard, I've tried wiggling a tiny screwdriver
>> underneath. I wasn't able to remove them. I'm scared that the force
>> I'm applying is going to damage the end cap.

> See if this link helps >>
> http://www.passatworld.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=127303

Help, it does. I'm still slightly confused though.

#2 just says to "pull it off", and #8 shows an end cap with a notch
(where you can see the base of the blade).

My end caps have no notch. I finally just pulled really hard. The
first one came off okay, but I noticed it is held in by a catch, and I
don't see any easy way to undo it. I ended up breaking the catch on the
second end cap I was working with.

It still "snapped" back on the blade even with the catch broken. It
won't come off easily.

--
Darren Dunham
Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
< This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

Woodchuck wrote:
>
> You don't! They are one complete unit and you can't just replace the rubber
> blade. Not unless someone outside of VW makes the refill. And yes... VW has
> them over priced.
>


Indeed they do. I had a set that weathered hard during the first 6
months I owned a 2004 Passat TDI.

While in for the dealers $60 oil change (not too overpriced for the
synthetic the TDI requires) I asked them to put on some new blades.

They are more than $100, and they told me this...then he adjusted the
tension on the arms, cleaned the blades with isopropyl at no charge.

This is one of my favorite automtotive rants:

Primary safety items like exterior lights (of all flavors) should be
easily accessible, user-replaceable and reasonably priced. I'm a 20 year
owner of VWs, and love them...but they should be ashamed of themselves
for this concept on the Passat wipers.

In fact, I'm getting so riled up, I'm going to write to VWoA:-)

your really going to feel stupid lift arm all the way up turn blabe 90
degrees and remove from arm its only on a pin
"Darren Dunham" > wrote in message
m...
> I've got a 2003 Passat with the "curvy" wipers. There appears to be a
> flexible carrier, two end caps, and a blade.
>
> How do I get the end caps off to replace the blade? If there's a clip,
> I can't find it. I've pried around a bit with a tiny screwdriver, but I
> don't want to do something that damages something (other than the blade
> which will be replaced).
>
> What am I missing here? Thanks!
>
> --
> Darren Dunham
> Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
> Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
> < This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >