Why do wipers crash into each other?

Answer 1

There are a couple of obvious reasons. One could be that the wiper arms were "put on wrong" by someone. The arms push on to the splines on the drives, and it is possible to misalign them. Were one or both arms removed and re-installed recently?

The second possibility is that the drives themselves are messed up and "out of sync" because of some kind of mechanical failure. Was the "transmission" from the wiper motor to the drive splines worked on at any time recently?

Pull both wiper arms. You may need to pry them off, but do this carefully so you don't ruin anything. A block of wood and a tire iron can work, but get some advice or help if you are unsure of what you are doing. There isn't any judgment passed here. Just practical advice. Not a lot of us can suture a wound, so if someone was telling us how to do that, it would be because we probably don't have a lot (or any) experience doing it.

With the arms off, mark the splines with something that is easily visible. White-out works well. Kick on the wipers and watch the splines and your marks. Do they move together and the same distance and all that?

If you step through this and you don't get good results, call the auto parts store and see if they have any suggestions. These guys aren't mechanics, but they have a lot of good knowledge, and it's free. Good luck.

Answer 2

Most places where you can buy cheap running gear online is used places like kijiji or Amazon.com, or even ebay.com. Or if you know the brand you want you can online to their store and get their cheapest gear.