Wiper Arm Corrosion - constant problem Aussie Fords?

[5thFordWA]

Posting this here in general section as the same problem has been on my 1996 EF sedan, 2003 BA wagon and now my 2016 SZ Territory.
How can this never have been corrected by Ford Aust? I am a great fan, but when something hasn't been fixed in over 20 years of production, I have to shake my head. I am sure many others have experienced this annoying corrosion.

I am referring to the corrosion on the lower wiper arms, the paint (or powder coat) lifting with severe corrosion of the alloy blade arm. Photo explains.

I guess the fix is to remove the arm, grind down the corroded area, and repaint.

I am genuinely surprised this has already occurred on a 3 year old car, in a normal suburban environment in Perth, not near the ocean or any industrial area.

(Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, I couldn't find it).

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by 5thFordWA

Posting this here in general section as the same problem has been on my 1996 EF sedan, 2003 BA wagon and now my 2016 SZ Territory.
How can this never have been corrected by Ford Aust? I am a great fan, but when something hasn't been fixed in over 20 years of production, I have to shake my head. I am sure many others have experienced this annoying corrosion.

I am referring to the corrosion on the lower wiper arms, the paint (or powder coat) lifting with severe corrosion of the alloy blade arm. Photo explains.

I guess the fix is to remove the arm, grind down the corroded area, and repaint.

I am genuinely surprised this has already occurred on a 3 year old car, in a normal suburban environment in Perth, not near the ocean or any industrial area.

(Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, I couldn't find it).

I reckon this problem covers every car and truck I've ever owned. Not just Ford.
Easy way to remove power coating or anodizing is spray the parts with oven cleaner, give it a few minutes to work and peel off. Repaint prep as usual.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Never had this issue... What are you doing with your cars??

[Itsme]

Think you will find this is a hit & miss on cars, poor quality powder coating from the supplier in my opinion.
Have had this issue on a couple cars I owned.
Cheers.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Smoke Pursuit

Never had this issue... What are you doing with your cars??

I wonder if the bug remover / windscreen cleaners additives cause this. I don't know.
Most of the stuff I have lives outside, so hot summer sun, cold winter freeze doesn't help, maybe the combination of both.
Like I said I wouldn't know.

[ford71V8]

Has happened to me on a few Fords.
Knew what that pic was gonna look like

[Dr Terry]

This happens with most cars, I'm not sure if it's salt corrosion (close to the coast) or if it's left out in the weather all the time, lack of regular wash & polish or whatever.

I buy & sell cars & I remove, bead blast & then repaint the wiper arms on just about every second car I get. Japanese, Euro, Aussie, Yank doesn't seem to be worse on any particular brand of car.

Dr Terry

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Dr Terry

This happens with most cars, I'm not sure if it's salt corrosion (close to the coast) or if it's left out in the weather all the time, lack of regular wash & polish or whatever.

I buy & sell cars & I remove, bead blast & then repaint the wiper arms on just about every second car I get. Japanese, Euro, Aussie, Yank doesn't seem to be worse on any particular brand of car.

Dr Terry

matt black is obviously the worst, usually repaint mine good ol chromebrite. ADR legal or not.

[Vesper Martini]

That's what my 2015 Territory's wiper arms are looking like, can is garaged at night and parked undercover at work.
previous 05 territory had no issues and lived outside

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

matt black is obviously the worst, usually repaint mine good ol chromebrite. ADR legal or not.

I use matt black for looks, but I use a Wurth brand enamel. Looks factory & seems to go the distance.

Dr Terry

[Jastel]

Happens to all my cars over 30 years...private or taxi.
But it is a long way down the list of faults in a Falcon IMHO.

[Dr Smith]

We had our 2016 Territory wiper arms replaced under warranty last month... parked un-covered from day one, bayside area, washed only when it gets serviced or when I finally accuse my wife of vehicle neglect.

[Bill M]

Wiper arm corrosion is an issue for many makes, not just Ford.
I wonder if it is a galvanic corrosion, dissimilar metals.
Bill.

[BigBad64]

Just noticed this on my 2014 SZ Territory on the driver side.

[zilo]

It my well be that aussie manufacturers all sourced their wiper bits from the same suppliers?

[Sprintey]

Good point Bill M, I wondered if our Terry blades were made of sacrificial anode!

[Sprintey]

Just went out to the shed, checked the 1969 XW - nope they are still perfect and chromed. So it hasn't been a constant problem. How far we fell.

[fps_grandma]

FGX

The driver's side wiper arm failed at the base at the connecting nut when the passenger side wiper at around 70,000 kms.

T minus 2, on the second last day prior to failure the angle of sweep extended over the A pillar.

T minus 1, on the last day prior to failure the driver's side wiper arm barely moved from the original resting position when activated.


Despite having a subscription to the Haynes manual I didn't have much anything beyond basic tools to fix it entirely by myself.

So I took it to a mechanic and surprisingly after $40 it was fixed.

I would have had to spend more purchasing a brand new socket set or thought I would need to pay for more parts like a replacement linkage mechanism if I didn't have a mechanic's second opinion.

[fps_grandma]

Bugger I couldn't edit my original post in time and I should know better than post so late at midnight:

Originally Posted by fps_grandma

FGX
The driver's side wiper arm failed at the base at the connecting nut while the passenger side wiper arm was fine at around 70,000 kms.

[Terror_Tree]

I had a 2009 Territory for 6 years and my current car is a 2015 Territory. I have not had this issue, maybe because each time I wash my car I put Armor All on the wiper arms?

[5thFordWA]

Finally got around to refurbishing my 2016 Territory wiper arms, as I had to remove them anyway for a wiper motor problem. (Full description of that in SZ Territory forum "sticky").

Would have preferred Wattyl Killrust paint, but for weekend urgency and convenience I chose White Knight Epoxy Enamel and the correct Etch Primer as a reasonable alternative. I am expecting it to last at least as long as the original coating. Also would have preferred satin finish, but could only get flat black - looks OK.

Looks good and I am happy with the job.

Photo Album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zdJVnfujSJqN4EUZA

(Click on photos to enlarge and read descriptions)

Cheers.