[javapro]

Are these cutouts in the driver side wiper blade spoiler normal? They look a bit odd. What about a smaller cutout on the passenger side wiper blade next to where it is attached to the wiper arm?

[exxxviii]

I have them too. My first thought was "that's odd." Second thought was "well, I guess I can only use BMW wiper blade refills."

[Paladin1]

Is there some part of the car you have NOT examined? Actually meant as a compliment - your posts make me go back and look at my car! The cutouts actually look like they're on the wiper blades, and I had noticed them but assumed they were there to accommodate some clearance for a moving part, but turns out on inspection they're just there. Based on how the wipers work though (fluid through the blades) I'll assume they're there to direct some sort of air flow and distribute the fluid, or control how rain interacts with the wiper blades, or provide better contact with the windshield. Or something else. Could be less likely the result of some manufacturing process, or cost savings (make a few dozen and you have enough rubber to make another one ), or weight (the cutouts probably weigh at least, I dunno, a couple of grams). But frankly, beats the heck out of me. Maybe a resident engineer could expand.

[javapro]

Originally Posted by exxxviii

I have them too. My first thought was "that's odd." Second thought was "well, I guess I can only use BMW wiper blade refills."

So, you have the exact same three cutouts in the same three places I circled in red in my photos - 2 on the driver side and one small one on the passenger side?

[javapro]

Originally Posted by Paladin1

Is there some part of the car you have NOT examined? Actually meant as a compliment - your posts make me go back and look at my car! The cutouts actually look like they're on the wiper blades, and I had noticed them but assumed they were there to accommodate some clearance for a moving part, but turns out on inspection they're just there. Based on how the wipers work though (fluid through the blades) I'll assume they're there to direct some sort of air flow and distribute the fluid, or control how rain interacts with the wiper blades, or provide better contact with the windshield. Or something else. Could be less likely the result of some manufacturing process, or cost savings (make a few dozen and you have enough rubber to make another one ), or weight (the cutouts probably weigh at least, I dunno, a couple of grams). But frankly, beats the heck out of me. Maybe a resident engineer could expand.

So, you have the exact same three cutouts I circled in red in my photos - 2 on the driver side and one small one on the passenger side?

P. S. Just was wiping my car after the first wash and noticed this oddity. I thoroughly wipe my cars after washes so I notice all the little things, especially on a new car. It’s kind of fun to see all the various exterior components up close and personal

[Paladin1]

I have the same, and snuffing around, a - possible - partial explanation. In the US we're used to a leisurely 70-80 mph highway cruising speed. In Germany, in my M5 I routinely cruised at 100 mph back in the day. You can get from A to B fairly rapidly going over a hundred. But in the rain, which was a more or less daily occurrence in the foothills of the Eifels (and yes, the Germans and I drove that way in the rain), beyond about 140 kph the car design makes a dynamic difference - like your wiper blades lifting off your windshield and not clearing the water. Other BMW wiper designs have featured cutouts for the specific purpose of keeping the blades glued to the windscreen, because the normal blade extensions that kept them down at normal speeds would become wings at high speed. I'm guessing these may serve the same purpose, although none of us will ever likely need them for that. Just a guess.

[exxxviii]

Originally Posted by javapro

So, you have the exact same three cutouts in the same three places I circled in red in my photos - 2 on the driver side and one small one on the passenger side?

Yup. Looks like somebody carved them with a Dremel.

[javapro]

Thank you exxxviii and PaLa for such quick replies. I am relieved as I almost thought that my wiper blades were damaged or something.