Procedures

Servicing the Saab 9000 headlamp wiper arms

Introduction

The headlamp wiper arms on the Saab 9000 consist of the arm assembly, including the washer jet, and the wiper blade assembly. The wiper blade assembly, at the last count, costs around £15 for a pair from a Saab dealer. While servicing the headlamp wiper motors on my 1996 9000 Aero, I took the opportunity to renew the headlamp wiper blades and clean the headlamp washer jets.

Time required

Probably 10 minutes per wiper arm for the wiper blades. For the washer jets, the time will depend on what you need to clean from them (limescale is the biggest problem in my area).

Tools required

Screwdriver
  • Small cross-head screwdriver
Sockets
  • 8mm (if the wiper arm isn't already off the car)

Procedure

  1. Purchase some cheap wiper blade rubbers - I got roughly enough for three pairs of headlamp wiper blades for £4.99 (c.f. £15 for a pair from Saab).

  2. Remove the washer jets using a small cross-head screwdriver.



  3. Clean the jets. I placed them in a proprietary de-scaling solution and left them while I got on with replacing the wiper blades.

  4. Re-fit the jets.

  5. Remove the headlamp wiper blades by pulling them off the blade carrier.

  6. Cut the new blades to size. I had to cut some slots in the plastic stiffener provided to clear the clips on the arm.

  7. Fit the new blades, crimping the clips on the arm to retain the blade, if necessary.