Hello all! I've already done a search but wondering if anyone had any issues with your rear wiper not wiping very well. It seems the blade contact is only touching the lower part of the blade and not the top. I've tried to replace the blade/insert and even tried to bend it a bit but I almost broke it.
I'm almost out of warranty at 49,850 miles and it's such a hassle to take it to the dealership when I could try and repair it myself.

Thanks ahead for any suggestions.

i had the same problem make sure that the wiper is in the guide on the wiper arm. and it does not work real well to begin with i only use it when there is alot of water on the window and usually control it manually

I normally control it manually also. But just one word of advice, don't take it to the dealership to get the wiper blade changed even if they offer it to you while you are there for a service. I took mine in for a service and they changed the wiper blades. The douchebags put the rear blade on backwards so everytime i turned it on it would scrape against the brake light. Now i got them to replace the wiper and the brake light for free but just double check the work they do if you do take it to a dealership. I asked them how they could make such a stupid mistake and their excuse was that it was a rookie changing the blades and the rear wiper blade is a bit "tricky" to change.

I have a brand new 2005 X5 4.4i and the coverage of the rear wiper is as you describe. I changed the blade with an Anco metal blade and it made no difference. I stopped the blade at mid travel and you can see the top of the blade is not making contact with the glass! I think part of the problem is the guide is too tight and it's restricting the movement of the blade to freely move to cover the surface of the glass. I've yet to find the solution. Bothersome since I live in the Northeast and the back glass gets real dirty real fast.

Check the nut that holds the wiper arm to the motor. If it's loose (or too tight), it could cause the symptoms you describe. Just pop off the cap at the base of the wiper arm and you should see the nut...crazy the dealer did not check this, but then again, some of them need to sell parts, not a 2 minute labor job...

I had the same problem. They are putting in a new one

At least in my case the wiper coverage got significantly better by making sure the guide was not too tight. I removed the blade, saw where it was rubbing against the guide as evidenced by paint wear. I then tapped the blade with a hammer on a metal surface to slightly pull-in the sides of the blade in the guide area. You can only reduce a little or the blade will bind but you don't need much to make a difference. I then cleaned the blade housing and guide and reinstalled. Almost no rubbing now and the blade contacts the glass about 95% better. I think the problem is a tollerence stack-up between the blade and the guide. I will be checking other X5's as I see them to see if the blade moves freely up and down in the guide. This seems to be a pretty common problem. I wonder why BMW uses that guide? Most other rear wipers don't seem to have it?

Yet another opinion...

My mechanics (Eastside Bavarian, in Issaquah, WA) told me that the plastic wiper arms that they put on the X5's as standard were garbage, and BMW will replace them for free with the new updated metal arm. My wife's X5 is at the dealer right now getting this replaced at no cost to us. The service advisor at the dealer didn't flinch when we mentioned we wanted a new rear arm assembly, which leads me to believe they're used to this complaint.

I'll check back in after a week or two of driving and let you know what improvements the metal arm made.

Graham

I just had mine replaced with the new matal wiper. It took about an hour to have it done and washed!