Windscreen wipers
The windscreen wipers on the elise can be a bit sucky, so here is a list of things you can do to aid visibility in wet weather.
1) Rain-X. A liquid windscreen coating that costs about £5 from halfords. This causes water to form beads and run off, greatly improving visibility. At high speeds, windscreen wipers are not always necessary even in heavy rain. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10151&productId=222433&categoryId=31293
2) S2 Wiper arm (If you have an S1). The OE S1 wiper arm requires a special blade, and also does not pivot away from the windscreen fully. For about £25 you can replace this with an S2 arm and a standard blade. Fitting the arm is easy:
- take note of the blade position (it's a good idea to stick some masking tape to the windscreen and draw a line on the masking tape showing the blade position) - lift the plastic cap at the bottom of the arm - undo bolt and remove the existing arm. Don't prise the arm away with a screwdriver levered against the windscreen; this will likely crack the windscreen glass. - locate new arm in position noted earlier and then tighten the bolt. The splines on the fitting will cut into the smooth plastic of the wiper arm as you tighten the bolt. - check that the front service compartment lid will close properly and does not touch the arm. Tighten bolt if necessary.
3) JML Wonder Wipers. £7 from Woolworths, or mail order from the JML website (or £4.97 from Amazon). These replacement rubbers for a standard wiper blade are more effective than their price would suggest, and outperform some far more expensive blades. The blades are 72.5cm long. http://www.jmldirect.com/ NO LONGER AVAILABLE
4) Aero Blades. Some drivers have reported these work really well, although they do lift a little bit at the edges. http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/home.php?cat=724
If you notice the edges of the wiper are lifting away from the windscreen, you can gently bend the inner part of the blade frame using pliers to increase the amount of travel available to the brackets.
5) By far the best blade I’ve ever fitted to a vehicle is the Aero Blade from autobulbs, one piece rubber construction, no moving metal parts to bend or rust, the sweep rubber is still as new after one year on my vehicle. You will need an S2 arm to fit these, and about bending the end, which does lift off the screen over by tax disc, why bother it has no affect whatsoever on its cleaning or viewing area. Make sure it clicks securely into the arm, might require some force, have seen these badly fitted and then not sweep correctly.