Asymmetrical windshield wipers

[Tsingtao_1903]

This has been bugging me:  The windshield wiper on the left has the air deflector and the one on the right does not.  Regardless whether the car is RHD or LHD based on the pictures I've seen.  Why? 

[Conserv]

Just cuz!

 

I've always presumed that the driver's side had a higher priority than the passenger's side and, thus, BMW engineers -- working with BMW bean counters and BMW's legal department -- agreed that the mini-spoiler added some necessary downforce to the driver's wiper but could be eliminated on the passenger's side, increasing corporate profits by $.09 per car...

 

Seriously.  That's what I've always thought.

 

And when you see an '02 without any wiper spoilers, or with two, or with one installed on the passenger side, you can shake your head in disbelief and mutter "Newbie"!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by Conserv

[Tsingtao_1903]

I replaced my passenger side wiper arm with one that has the air deflector - Just cuz!

[02Les]

Well, mine are on the right side!

You really need it on a RHD & especially with Touring with a higher (taller) windshield. To get the wiper to clean high up you have a longer wiper blade and it doesn't want to wipe the bottom corner; so having the "spoiler" helps a little.

[Tsingtao_1903]

Picture of one on the left side for a RHD.

 

 

[williamggruff]

Hmm. Perhaps I have some crappy windshield wiper blades, but my experience with using wings on both wiper arms is that the driver's side works really well, but at high speeds, the passenger's side gets so much down force as it approaches vertical that the wiper blade flattens against the windshield and fails to work. I guess I'll have to try some different blades. 

[jimk]

Because at 100mph and in the rain the driver needs to have the wiper against the window.  The passenger doesn't need it when huddled on the floor shivering from fright!

[Tsingtao_1903]

I have a theory:  The deflector is there to create an air flow up and over the windshield at speed.  The air flow provides some deflection of incoming bugs or other small objects.  If this is the case, it is needed in front of the driver.  Let the cost accountant sits on the passenger side.

 

Hmm, how to test this theory?

[Conserv]

3 hours ago, Tsingtao_1903 said:

I replaced my passenger side wiper arm with one that has the air deflector - Just cuz!

 

You are SO getting a ticket from the '02 Detail Police!

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[Conserv]

1 hour ago, williamggruff said:

Hmm. Perhaps I have some crappy windshield wiper blades, but my experience with using wings on both wiper arms is that the driver's side works really well, but at high speeds, the passenger's side gets so much down force as it approaches vertical that the wiper blade flattens against the windshield and fails to work. I guess I'll have to try some different blades. 

 

Hmm...

 

What if....the engineers made this call without intervention from the bean counters and legal department?

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[Conserv]

1 hour ago, jimk said:

Because at 100mph and in the rain the driver needs to have the wiper against the window.  The passenger doesn't need it when huddled on the floor shivering from fright!

 

Been there (huddled on the floor)!  One of my old '02-driving friends thought 100 in the rain was just plain fun....

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[williamggruff]

I assumed BMW's engineers must have had a good reason to support asymmetry in such a visible location. 

[Conserv]

3 minutes ago, williamggruff said:

I assumed BMW's engineers must have had a good reason to support asymmetry in such a visible location. 

 

And I assumed that economics won the day...

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[abe2002tii]

I didn't know our cars could hit 100mph....BTW in the early 60s BMW was in a financial mess and Mercedes almost bought them out.  It was the 2002 and later the 3 series that saved the company so every little penny saved was critical to the survival of the company.  If you took apart a MB of that time and compare it to a BMW you would have noticed a significant difference in quality and craftsmanship compared to today in which there is very little differences between both companies.  

 

Thank God the penny pinchers were smart enough to just have one wind deflector,  If they had two...the company would not have survived.  I hope that from now on  when you sit in your 2002 that  you will never look at your windshield wipers the same way.

Abe

Edited June 30, 2017 by abe2002tii

[Conserv]

41 minutes ago, abe2002tii said:

....If you took apart a MB of that time and compare it to a BMW you would have noticed a significant difference in quality and craftsmanship compared to today in which there is very little differences between both companies...

 

+1

 

Regards,

 

Steve