windshield wipers dying

[Smallpotatoes]

About a half-mile from home tonight, my windshield wipers stop working and won't work again.
Tomorrow, I'm supposed to make a 2-hour drive with the forecast calling for scattered showers.
How wise would it be to change my travel plans?
What are the chances my wipers could start working again just as suddenly as they stopped?
How could wipers just stop working without warning and how costly could it be to fix it?

 

[Cadet]

Check to make sure there's nothing blocking them, like leaves or pine needles or crap like that. Also check to make sure they're not so dried out they're sticking or have melted to the glass (yes, it happens. Maybe not in New England, but it happens).

 

[farmerjerome]

Scattered showers or downpour?

 

[Mystery_Meat]

If all else fails, Rain-X the mother****er until it shines. I went six months without functioning wipers once because the Rain-X made the rain go away. It was a sight to behold.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

http://www.rainx.com/

 

[Cadet]

Rain-X is fabulous stuff. There's also stuff that goes on the inside that keeps glass from fogging.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

They stopped in the middle of the windshield and wouldn't move on when I turned them on.

 

[blueview]

Hmmm ... the motor may have died on the wipers, or it could be a broken relay.

 

[slappy4428]

Guess its time to buy a new car...

 

[RedHotChiliPrepper]

Check the fuse as well. This is a quick, easy and cheap fix.

 

[BYH]

Rain-X is fabulous stuff. There's also stuff that goes on the inside that keeps glass from fogging.

Damn, I needed that yesterday. Torrential downpours outside, fogged up windows inside. Not sure how I didn't meet a tree.

 

[imjustagirl2]

Because God hates all of us?

 

[BYH]

Because God hates all of us?

God screwing with Smallpotatoes' wipers does not mean He hates all of us.

Stay on topic please. Now **** you, eat **** and have a happy broken windshield wiper day.

 

[imjustagirl2]

I was answering why you didn't meet a tree, dipwad!

Have a happy ignore button day!

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I just bought some Rain-X. Hope it works and hope for the weather to cooperate tomorrow.
I realize with cars and car parts, when it's time to go, it's time to go, but no warning, on a Saturday, when no mechanic's shop is open until Monday and needing to get up early to drive 2 hours tomorrow (not a business trip, fortunately, but still kind of an important trip), one minute it's working, the next minute it's not, give me a ****ing break.
(One of these days I'll learn to be a little more understanding of inanimate objects...I hope).

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Rain-X is fabulous stuff. There's also stuff that goes on the inside that keeps glass from fogging.

Doesn't work. The previous car had no defroster, so I tried it.

They stopped in the middle of the windshield and wouldn't move on when I turned them on.

Check the fuse, the control module and the windshield wiper motor itself (in increasing order of expense). If it's the wiper motor, look into a rebuilt motor rather than a new one.