Wiper spindles

[KindredSpirit]

Anyone had this problem?
A few years ago I started the car on a frosty morning. The passenger side wiper was OK but the drivers side stayed put -frozen to the windscreen.
(Don't laugh).
I sorted it with a bit of superglue and it was OK for a while.
That summer I and the OH were on holiday in Poole. It was persisting down with rain. I was going around a roundabout when the wiper went again. The other one took it straight off the windscreen and it went flying (much to the amusement of my wife).
I replaced the wiper arm at the next services, but the splines on the spindle had been worn away - didn't want to overtighten the nut, just in case
Can you just replace the spindles, or do you have to replace the whole linkage?
I'm fed up with using super glue and keeping me fingers crossed.

Cheers
John

[chopperoli]

You'll probably find that if you clean it all up properly, that the spindles are still good. The wiper arm is soft metal and the spindles bite into it when you tighten it down. Try cleaning it all up properly, and re-tighten using the correct self-gripping washers etc.
It is a weak point in the design, perhaps intentional, as if it wasn't there the motor or fuse would blow when people forget to un-stick their wipers in winter.

[the edmundator]

If you do need to replace the spindles, it'll be a new mechanism (should be cheap and easy to find a decent used one).