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Subject: Easy spruce-up project: paint your windshield wiper arms to look new again! Author: davidc (moderator) : member since December, 2003 : 10446 posts Posted on: 2006-10-09 16:26:02

The problem: both wiper arms appear faded, gray and dull, making the car look older than it should.


Lift the plastic cover to reveal the nut that secures it.


A 10mm socket wrench is all that it takes to release the arm assembly from the car. To make reinstallation easier, make a mental note of the horizontal position of the arms before removing them. Also note that the left and right arms are shaped differently.


Look at those pretty splines in the post that holds the wiper arm!


It is essential to clean and prep the wiper arms before painting. I used 400-grit automotive wet sandpaper. All it takes is 3 minutes of light sanding to get rid of contaminants and prepare the surface for a smooth paint job. I recommend wearing latex gloves to avoid getting skin oil and fingerprints on the metal, which could cause problems with paint adherence.


I used Krylon semi-flat black spray paint. It dries in 12 minutes, can be handled in an hour and closely matches the BMW finish. I applied three light coats at 10-minute intervals. You could also use Rustoleum satin black spray paint.


A coathanger works well for holding the wiper arms while painting. I painted the entire wiper arm assemblies, including the plastic covers (which I removed prior to painting to ensure full coverage). Of course, I also removed the wiper blade assemblies before painting.



The finished arms reinstalled onto the car. It's hard to tell from the photos, but they look brand new again. Funny how clean black wiper arms don't attract your attention any more. Now I'm going to have to do something about those faded B-pillars...


The final result! No more faded, old-looking wiper arms. If they ever wear or become scratched, it's a simple matter to wet-sand and re-spray them. I did this four years agao on my e23 735i and they still look new, so the paint holds up very well.

David Cecil

'97 740iL, 150k miles
'92 750iL, 88k miles
'86 735i, 101k miles

Visit e38.org for everything technical about your BMW

• Easy spruce-up project: paint your windshield wiper arms to look new again! (pic) (url) - davidc 2006-10-09 16:26:02 (3617 views)
  • Excellent idea! The small details really add up, (nt) - beezer02 2006-10-09 19:43:15 (207 views)