Hood paint rubbed off from wiper

[Sykotyk]

Regardless if its in the manual, this is a poor design to have them contact the edge of the hood when raised.

This is one of those "expected real life situations". Not everyone who operates the vehicle will have read and remembered the entire manual. Most basic functions should be intuitive and idiot proof.

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[FakeCowboy]

Regardless if its in the manual, this is a poor design to have them contact the edge of the hood when raised.

This is one of those "expected real life situations". Not everyone who operates the vehicle will have read and remembered the entire manual. Most basic functions should be intuitive and idiot proof.

There are sooo many manufacturers that do this, it is what it is with higher and higher CAFE requirements, manufacturers have to do every little thing to squeeze out efficiency and lower the vehicle's coefficient of drag to include tucking windshield wipers mostly under the hood. I think it's poor judgement doing something you know can damage your expensive paintjob and doing it anyway especially when there are cheap and effective ways of combating snow and ice that don't risk damaging an expensive paint job. By the way, Mercedes does the same thing......

 

[clavicus]

I'm not even up north where it's bad, but I had a few inches of snow and ice on the windshield the other day. I wiped off the powder and put it on max defrost and came back 10 minutes later and it looked exactly the same lol. So I had to 'scrape around' the wipers that were still stuck to the windshield. If they were up and the truck was doing defrost I could have scraped the whole area pretty easily I think and it would have been ready to roll after a few more minutes of defrost. Maybe I'm doing this wrong, we don't get a lot of ice here in NC.

I left my wipers up once, not realizing that turning the car on would immediately forced them down and the driver side wiper arm smacks the hood. I thought maybe I left a wiper setting on accidentally but nah that's just how it do, I had no clue since none of my other vehicles I've had are like that.

 

[Sykotyk]

There are sooo many manufacturers that do this, it is what it is with higher and higher CAFE requirements, manufacturers have to do every little thing to squeeze out efficiency and lower the vehicle's coefficient of drag to include tucking windshield wipers mostly under the hood. I think it's poor judgement doing something you know can damage your expensive paintjob and doing it anyway especially when there are cheap and effective ways of combating snow and ice that don't risk damaging an expensive paint job. By the way, Mercedes does the same thing......

Then put the pivot point at 45 or 60 degrees instead of 90 and the arms would miss the hood when raised. There are solutions to the problem and still get the aerodynamic benefits you point out.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

I grew up in Wyoming with sub zero temperatures for months on end. Never saw people leaving the wipers up till I got to warmer places.

My procedure was start car, scrape windshield then all other windows, lift wipers and let them smack back down to break ice off them. Then drive away, engine heats up better driving than idling.

Obviously Maverick would require stopping car when wipers are fully up to smack them, requiring getting in and out of the car an extra time.

 

[Rob Cactus Gray]

Lots of passion on this topic. I think this mistake is on the OP. IVe been using rain x windshield cleaner for ever and a day. Reduces the ice build up if used regularly. Might not do so good in Canada with their ice age temperatures. Bonus is rain just beads up and flys off your windshield. I never put my windshield wipers up. And yeah I live in Arizona now because I was tired of freezing in Nebraska.

 

[Mavonorder]

I believe I read the hood on the Maverick is aluminum so it would oxidize with the paint gone, but at least it won't turn to "rust" like a steel hood and a small bottle of touch up paint would be a cheap fix.

 

[Meintc]

I grew up in Wyoming with sub zero temperatures for months on end. Never saw people leaving the wipers up till I got to warmer places.

My procedure was start car, scrape windshield then all other windows, lift wipers and let them smack back down to break ice off them. Then drive away, engine heats up better driving than idling.

Obviously Maverick would require stopping car when wipers are fully up to smack them, requiring getting in and out of the car an extra time.

This is also my experience living in Northern Michigan. Never saw cars with their blades up until about 30 years ago. I don't know why people even do this. Use an ice scraper the rubber on the wipers can take the scraper abuse. Loosen the blade with the ice scraper.

 

[Sjbuck2021]

Regardless if its in the manual, this is a poor design to have them contact the edge of the hood when raised.

This is one of those "expected real life situations". Not everyone who operates the vehicle will have read and remembered the entire manual. Most basic functions should be intuitive and idiot proof.

Built Ford Tough!

 

[Scupking]

What a dumb design. I have never owned a vehicle that you shouldn’t raise the wiper blades when they are parked. I do it often when cleaning snow, ice or replacing the blades.

 

[FakeCowboy]

What a dumb design. I have never owned a vehicle that you shouldn’t raise the wiper blades when they are parked. I do it often when cleaning snow, ice or replacing the blades.

Then sell your Maverick and buy something else, you're complaining about a design constraint on a freaking 20k truck in a time when the average cost of a new vehicle is over 40k and even luxury manufacturers like Mercedes do the same thing. There's literally an ice blanket you can buy for $35 to put over your windshield to keep ice and snow off of it. People will complain about anything that they think inconveniences them

 

[Aherpa]

Actually the post you've called out is exactly what Ford says to do. There is a TSB on this from Ford for both the Bronco Sport and the Maverick.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10202628-0001.pdf

You have to be careful, yes. You have to be careful in lots of ways to not damage your car. But saying that Ford's instruction is why people are damaging their hoods is 100% false. People are damaging their hoods by pulling up on the blades while the blades are parked.

For over 40 years now, this TSB describes exactly how I have replaced wiper blades and arms. In fact, this is how my dealer replaces blades as well. I know because they sold me a set that didn't fit and when I came back for the correct ones, they put them on for me while I watched.

 

[FakeCowboy]

I'll bet your mobile home that it won't be changed.......

 

[huunvubu]

From the few times I have stood my wipers up the paint on the edge of the hood has been rubbed off and is down to the metal.

A couple of previous threads have covered this subject already:

Wiper design Fail?

Wiper arm hits the engine hood

Primary reason for this problem is incorrect procedure in extending the wiper correctly:

There is an "nhtsa 10202628" warning telling you how to correctly extend the wiper blades so that they do not hit the hood (causing paint damage) or damage the wiper motor.

Would this be covered under the warranty?

No as this is basically operator error

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Here is a video for doing it the correct way:

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