(T) Wiper Arm Linkage

Hi All,

Yesterday, travelling back late at night, driver's side front wiper decided to pack up. Passenger side perfectly ok.

Today, took the thing apart and (fortunately) only discovered that the wiper arm linkage had just popped out of the driver's side wiper arm. No real sign of damage or wear. Took a wee while, but finally managed to pop it back in. Greased all the joints. Seems to be OK (actually smoother - perhaps the grease). Touch wood, it will last for a while.

I've seen threads for other Fiats, but is it also a common problem for Brava's ?

Has anyone tried to remove the front wiper motor plastic covers ?

I failed miserably, because of the last TWO screws, which holds the plastic covers in place. There is one on each side of the car near the edge of the front windscreen/mirrors. The screw heads on these two screws have completely rusted away, and there was no-way I could unscrew them. I battled for ages, and even tried drilling them out. After breaking 2 drill bits , I gave up drilling. Those screws just didn't want to budge. Fortunately I have got small hands and managed just snip my hand just under the plastic covers, enough to pop the linkage back into wiper arm.

That was ~1.5hrs trying to remove those plastic covers (of which 1hr spent just on those TWO damn screws) and 15 mins to pop the linkage back in. What a morning !

I would be absolutely dreading it if the problem turned out to be wiper motor failure.

Anyone with good DIY tips on how to remove these knackered screws (without damaging anything other than the screws)?