2nd Gen Rogue wiper redesign & recommended replacement blades

[Leo2005]

If you just purchased '14 Rogue be careful with driver's side viper! My viper got frozen and I tried to clean it up this morning. Guess what? Because of the design of the hood that is located too high the viper doesn't go all the way up and doesn't stay. So first of all it will be really easy to scratch the hood where the viper is touching the hood on the edge. Also I'm already thinking about when time will come to replace the viper it will be really easy to crack the windshield since the viper arm doesn't stay and without a rubber it may just release to the windshield if you are not too careful about it. This is really unacceptable with design of the Nissan! I'm asking Nissan to redesign the hood to lower it a little bit or redesign the viper arm.

[Leonard1818]

wow, that's silly! What kind of oversight...

They'll certainly need to do something about that. Probably not a huge deal -- like you said, just be very careful, but still should be able to be propped up and stay up on their own. I used to go out and prop mine up on my vehicles before a large snow/ice storm so they wouldn't get frozen to the windshield. Doesn't look like you can do that in this vehicle.

[frapjap]

Are you German, or just not into W's?

Only kidding. Have you brought the vehicle back to the dealer to see if they could rig a sensible fix for it?

[Rockhound2.0]

I noticed this the other day, Leo. I was cleaning the windshield and realized I couldn't lock the wiper arm in an open position. I agree that it looks like an oversight but as long as it has enough travel to allow the wipers to be replaced, that's really all you need. I'm curious if there are any other cars that experience this? One solution may be to activate the wipers and then turn the car off in mid-travel, then you would have the clearance to fully extend the arms.

Occasionally I'll lift the wipers completely while I wash my other cars, but I guess I won't be doing that on our Rogue!

[Leonard1818]

One solution may be to activate the wipers and then turn the car off in mid-travel, then you would have the clearance to fully extend the arms.

Occasionally I'll lift the wipers completely while I wash my other cars, but I guess I won't be doing that on our Rogue!

I wonder if this would work? That could possibly be the ticket... I mean, still stinks but whatever. Like you, I *sometimes* lift during a wash... as long as I can lift enough to get a MF towel under the wiper blades and wipe off the blades, that'd be about it.

[DTASFAB]

Why don't you guys just adjust it to a higher position?

[ImStricken06]

this is a common problem with many American cars. pure stupidity on Nissans' part.

[sprocket]

Wiper blades are tucked lower on more new cars to improve aerodynamics/wind noise. It's typical with a lot of German automakers and is starting to make its way to other car makers so that we don't hear the wind noise at highway speeds due to air flow being interrupted by the wiper arm in the "old position we're all accustomed to."

There's a procedure in the owner's manual on how to "raise" the wiper blades for service position.

When ignition switch is ON or within 60 seconds after placing the ignition switch from ON to OFF position:

1) Quickly push the windshield wiper and washer lever to the mist position twice within 0.5 seconds.
This action will cause the wipers to take the service position automatically so it won't contact the hood.

2) Lift the wiper arm away from the windshield.

3) Pushing the windshield wiper and washer lever to the mist position will cause the wipers to resume the set position.

Other OEMs do this as well for the same reason ... some have a similar procedure where you "electronically" raise it with the wiper and washer lever to move it to the service position, others require you to physically grab the wiper arm and "sweep" it up so that it clears the hood.

Far from pure stupidity.

[Rockhound2.0]

Thanks for the input Sprocket. It certainly makes sense that the tucked wiper arms reduce drag. I read the owner's manual but must have skimmed over that!

[Leonard1818]

Thanks for that input. I'm glad to hear that it was more a design implication than oversight. I don't own a rogue so I have not RTFM but let that be a lesson to others -- it's always good to RTFM when you get a new vehicle!!

[otto888man]

Thanks for the heads up.

[sprocket]

You're welcome

[ImStricken06]

Far from pure stupidity.

caught your sarcasm. i didn't know about that little "service" procedure to raise the wipers; so easy.

the idea to reduce drag & noise by placing the window wipers slightly below the hood-line is a good idea in theory. especially if i was buying an aerodynamic vehicle. with the oh-to-common whistling faulty door seal & driver side-view mirror, and the aerodynamics of a rolling box - i think this wiper idea is kinda lost.

being able to raise your wipers without having to have electrical current in your car is; in my opinion VERY important. as we all know, winter time destroys car batteries. being able to clean your window off, so one can raise his/her hood to jump-start your dead battery, is important. ever try to lift a hood that has 6+ inches of frozen snow on it? try it some time. its best to clean off as much snow as possible, not only from the hood, but from the area between the hood and windshield. that often times requires you to lift up your wipers to shove the snow brush, to remove excess snow from that area. it just snowed in my area, and i was grateful to be able to lift my wipers up without having to jump through any extra steps/getting into the car.

[Rockhound2.0]

...and the aerodynamics of a rolling box - i think this wiper idea is kinda lost.

Suggesting that aero improvements are useless on inherently unaerodynamic vehicles seems counter intuitive. The worse the initial coefficient of drag, the greater the gains can be made. Starting with an already aerodynamic shape means only incremental gains can be made.

Nissan is touting that they really worked on reducing airflow turbidity under the car, too - they even put a spoiler on the muffler (just wait till we have aftermarket carbon fiber replacements). Much of this is marketing 101, but with the apparent MPG gains (yes, they tweaked the CVT, too) and the extremely quiet interior, it seems like the effort paid off.

And to insert a little snark, I keep the windshield clear by parking in my garage.

[Rockhound2.0]

Oh, and the '14 Rogue has a 0.33 coefficient of drag despite having a far more blunt nose. The 1st gen Rogue had a 0.37 Cd. And despite gaining over 100 lbs, the 0-60 is only 0.1 second slower (from C&D testing). So it appears some drag reducing techniques have paid off.

[Leonard1818]

I'll take the reduced wind noise on the highway and have to take a few extra steps if I want to lift the wiper blades. My wife has about 1.5 parking spaces in our garage and that's where her vehicle sits. I don't forsee this being an issue. But if there was unnecessary wind noise, that would be an issue. We did note, immediately, the reduction in noise over her current Saturn Vue. The Vue is a horrible benchmark however because it is one of the LOUDEST vehicles I've ever been in (and I just drove a friends S2000 200 miles ha ha).

[sprocket]

Far from pure stupidity.

caught your sarcasm. i didn't know about that little "service" procedure to raise the wipers; so easy.

the idea to reduce drag & noise by placing the window wipers slightly below the hood-line is a good idea in theory. especially if i was buying an aerodynamic vehicle. with the oh-to-common whistling faulty door seal & driver side-view mirror, and the aerodynamics of a rolling box - i think this wiper idea is kinda lost.

being able to raise your wipers without having to have electrical current in your car is; in my opinion VERY important. as we all know, winter time destroys car batteries. being able to clean your window off, so one can raise his/her hood to jump-start your dead battery, is important. ever try to lift a hood that has 6+ inches of frozen snow on it? try it some time. its best to clean off as much snow as possible, not only from the hood, but from the area between the hood and windshield. that often times requires you to lift up your wipers to shove the snow brush, to remove excess snow from that area. it just snowed in my area, and i was grateful to be able to lift my wipers up without having to jump through any extra steps/getting into the car.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say.
I wouldn't dream of lifting up a hood with 6+ inches of snow on it, I'd brush it off first. Why would anyone NOT brush snow off the hood before lifting it?

As for the area between the hood and windshield, I don't disagree that lifting the wipers up will help get a snow brush through since there's less "interruption" with the arm getting in the way of the brush .. however, I have cleared snow off my car plenty of times and been able to sufficiently remove snow without having to lift the wipers up. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be clean enough so that the nozzles and wiper blade are clear of packed snow. You're arguing that Nissan should have tried less in making the 2nd gen more aerodynamic for fuel economy and noise insulation benefits so that wiper arms can be lifted up for the rare occasion that a car battery may die and one wants a snow-free cowl?

When I know there's a heavy snowfall coming up, I usually lift my wipers up in advance. I do this right after I park my car. The fact that the 2nd gen Rogue lets you move the wiper to the "service" position up to 60 seconds after ignition off shows some thought went in to it.

Also, why do you mention whistling or faulty door seals and mirrors when we're talking about the 2nd gen Rogue. Have you driven one yet? Do you know that that's a problem / concern?

This thread is about the a fellow forum member having a concern that his wiper arm on his 2nd gen Rogue was hitting the hood. You called it stupidity on Nissan's part without knowing the facts. I like helping others on the forum whenever I see the opportunity, and won't hesitate to point out something which I feel is in error, or voice my opinion when I see fit. You are entitled to do so as well.

[Leonard1818]

false alarm. ha ha ha

[ImStricken06]

I don't disagree that lifting the wipers up will help get a snow brush through since there's less "interruption" with the arm getting in the way of the brush

thats exactly why i called this idea stupidity. this is a basic function on so many cars: just walk up, lift the arm = done.

You're arguing that Nissan should have tried less in making the 2nd gen more aerodynamic for fuel economy and noise insulation benefits so that wiper arms can be lifted up for the rare occasion that a car battery may die and one wants a snow-free cowl?

the only time i would say concentrating on window wipers to reduce drag is a good idea, is when the rest of the car is so heavily worked; there is little else to fix. its like having a 0:20sec quarter mile car, and concentrating on a muffler tip to reduce drag times. talk about not prioritizing! lol

there are many ways to make a car aerodynamic, without impeding basic functions. in a car like the rogue, there are many ways to reduce the drag coefficient, to improve the MPG's. many cars out there dont whistle, nor cause drag, and have normal window wipers that come up without special hoops to jump through. the only car i have ever had that does whistle, IS the rogue. no other car (aside from the crown vic) had wipers that didnt just come up like 'normal'. this to me seems like the same issue German cars suffer greatly from, when they over-engineer things. the new rogue now has more modules and sensors that will detect the switch process, stop the wipers at just the right location, and bring them back into the "home" position. the position sensor in many cars is a fault(when you turn the wipers off, they stay up instead of going down/home). now you are adding even more complexity to a system that should stay as simple as possible.

conclusion:
lets just both walk away from this, before it turns into a forum brawl lol/jk. i see your point, but i hope you see mine as well. "OVER-ENGINEERING" is a huge problem. im not some old geezer, but somethings need to stay as simple as possible to reduce future repair costs.

[DTASFAB]

conclusion:
lets just both walk away from this, before it turns into a forum brawl lol/jk. i see your point, but i hope you see mine as well. "OVER-ENGINEERING" is a huge problem. im not some old geezer, but somethings need to stay as simple as possible to reduce future repair costs.

It's modern crap. There. Done.

[1019throw]

Just found this video, and thought it was funny. Looks like Nissan added a function to help with it. Hit the wiper level up twice quickly, and they will stay in the up position:

[kots1]

Wiper blades are tucked lower on more new cars to improve aerodynamics/wind noise. It's typical with a lot of German automakers and is starting to make its way to other car makers so that we don't hear the wind noise at highway speeds due to air flow being interrupted by the wiper arm in the "old position we're all accustomed to."

Learned something new today. I never understood this on my other car but it makes sense. Thank you!

[kots1]

If you just purchased '14 Rogue be careful with driver's side viper! My viper got frozen and I tried to clean it up this morning. Guess what? Because of the design of the hood that is located too high the viper doesn't go all the way up and doesn't stay. So first of all it will be really easy to scratch the hood where the viper is touching the hood on the edge...

Wow, you got a new 2014 Rogue? If I remember correctly, like me, you were one of the first users here in the forum with 2008 Rogue and you got the wicked HID/HALO project. What happened to your 08 and what made you stick with another Rogue given our problematic experiences with the Rogue?

[Leo2005]

Wow, you got a new 2014 Rogue? If I remember correctly, like me, you were one of the first users here in the forum with 2008 Rogue and you got the wicked HID/HALO project. What happened to your 08 and what made you stick with another Rogue given our problematic experiences with the Rogue?

1. My car was simply old...6 years...I never drove the car for that long but it was practical and fitted my needs.
2. Customer Service at my dealership and good trade-in value(I already saw my car driving in town twice lol). Since Rogue is like 2nd-3rd in 10 best CUVs in US it holds the value very well.
3. Aggressive design of '14 and I feel myself more comfortable than in CRV (looks like a crocodile to me) or RAV4. I did consider ford escape but it's too small for the price. Considered SantaFe but something clicked in the head that I'm still afraid to buy Hyundai by knowing what kind of cars were made like 10 years ago.

[silvermaxd]

took one home for the weekend to test drive. I noticed that the windshield wiper cannot be raised up without hitting the hood. Looked like the hood was already scratched up from somebody else trying to raise them. Design flaw there. Loved the Rogue and plan on buying a Gun Metallic SL AWD.

[silvermaxd]

sorry if this was posted already. Apparently there is a procedure for moving the wipers up then folding them up. Guess the dealer didn't know about that and scratched the one I test drove.

[SlimSlammedRogue]

of course they can be raised without hitting the hood

[yi_dennis]

You can raise it by turning the car off and pushing the start button. Then push up twice quickly on the wiper handle and it will move to the center of the windshield. Its kind of silly. Not great for cleaning snow off the windshield.

[ImStricken06]

There's a procedure in the owner's manual on how to "raise" the wiper blades for service position.

When ignition switch is ON or within 60 seconds after placing the ignition switch from ON to OFF position:

1) Quickly push the windshield wiper and washer lever to the mist position twice within 0.5 seconds.
This action will cause the wipers to take the service position automatically so it won't contact the hood.

2) Lift the wiper arm away from the windshield.

3) Pushing the windshield wiper and washer lever to the mist position will cause the wipers to resume the set position.
-Sprocket
post6541963.html

please use the search function. i simply searched "wiper" and that thread came up

[Vibe04owner]

I compared my 2014 Rogue wipers to my friend's 2012 Rogue wipers. Her wipers are attached to the car body at a similar place, but have a longer piece before the hinge. Therefore, her wipers can be raised w/o having to do anything special. So, it seems the solution should be for Nissan to use the same wipers on their new models as their 2012 models.