I am in desperate need of new wiper blades and am not quite sure what brand to get. I bought some fairly expensive Bosch a while back but was not impressed with their performance. My cousin swears AT Goodyear said to stay away from any tire company blades. I park my car in the garage so not dealing with snow and ice buildup overnight but I do park outdoors at work and do get ice covered windows from time to time. I really have no desire to get winter and summer blades. Brand suggestions?
Windshield Wiper Blades--
- Thread starter mattl
- Start date
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Matt, do you need blades or just refills?
Even if you're only looking for refills, you may want to replace the blade assembly too. I switched mine to the "bladeless" type and am glad I did. I can't remember the brand off hand, but I can probably find out.
Even if you're only looking for refills, you may want to replace the blade assembly too. I switched mine to the "bladeless" type and am glad I did. I can't remember the brand off hand, but I can probably find out.
If your blades aren’t too old sometimes youcan revive them by cleaning them with window cleaner and a cloth or paper towel. Really give them a good wipe down. This will get rid of the road film and they may just work like new again for another season.
Eddie
Eddie
gusherb
Well-known member
I bought Rain X wipers this last go around. I've had probably 4-5 sets of Bosch and all but one have not lasted. Quite frankly I'm an idiot for buying them so many times but I've usually found myself limited to them and/or in a pinch. I got the Rain X from Hell Mart for about $15 a blade for their TOL model which cost the same as Bosch's MOL model. The last Rain X set I had lasted a couple years.
arbilab
Well-known member
NOT Auto Zone's house brand. They skittered when new and falling apart a year later, despite next-to-zero actual use.
Got the next ones at Oreilly, year later still 'perfect'. Sorry can't name brand, if any. Not TOL, my budget is closer to second from last.
Got the next ones at Oreilly, year later still 'perfect'. Sorry can't name brand, if any. Not TOL, my budget is closer to second from last.
Rain-X
I've found over the past decade or so that using Rain-X on the windshield after cleaning it has done wonders to lengthen the life of blades. I think the lubrication that causes water to bead up also keeps them from chattering.
Living on the TX Gulf Coast, we get boatloads of rain, year-round. So blades lead a steady life here.
However, with global warming we never freeze any more. I would think that really cold places would be tough on blades.
I've found over the past decade or so that using Rain-X on the windshield after cleaning it has done wonders to lengthen the life of blades. I think the lubrication that causes water to bead up also keeps them from chattering.
Living on the TX Gulf Coast, we get boatloads of rain, year-round. So blades lead a steady life here.
However, with global warming we never freeze any more. I would think that really cold places would be tough on blades.
I buy what's on sale. When you change them several times a year, price matters. And the more expensive ones don't seem to last any longer than the cheapies....
I'm still on the wipers that came with the 015 Forester but have noticed they're beginning to streak a little. Whe we bought the car the windshield had been treated with Aquapel and I was impressed. I keep meaning to get it redone, it lasted about 6 or 7 months. In my old Mazda 3 I would just get the $15 wipers put on at the one remaining full serve She'll station. I'm trying to recall what brand they were.
For my 2014 vw Passat I recently purchased OEM windshield wiper blades. The original lasted over three years and at 15 dollars each I thought it was comparable to ones bought at Walmart. My vw dealer provided me the part number and I bought them on eBay.
I bought PIAA 95040 Super Silicone Wiper Blades from Amazon, and have been very happy with them. They glide over the windshield so smoothly, and they work very well. They were the devil to install, though, for me, and I finally took my car to the dealer, who put them on for free--that was a nice surprise.
gusherb
Well-known member
German cars in general seem to have very good wipers. My experience was the same with a '13 Passat. They wiped very well and the blades lasted two years. Those got replaced with OEM blades. My Nissan has shitty wipers in comparison.
Hmm. Still on the fence. Looked at the silicon blade from Amazon, a bit pricey. I need 22" blades and might just try the stuff from O'Rielly, just not sure. The Bosch did last a while just not that impressed with them.
Matt, here are pix of the Trico Force replacements I got a few years ago. They're still performing well, and are aerodynamically designed to, in Trico's terms, "transfer wind force to create maximum windshield contact."
I've provided the clunky OEM blade for comparison. The car is a 2002 model. I think a lot of new cars come with these "force" type blades from the factory now.
I've provided the clunky OEM blade for comparison. The car is a 2002 model. I think a lot of new cars come with these "force" type blades from the factory now.
stricklybojack
Well-known member
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Get Valeo beam type blades.
Beam style wipers give you continuous pressure across the length of the blade.
I installed them about 8 years ago on our Saturn and are STILL working vastly better then the Autozone trash that, because of needing a rare size/type, i recently put on my Mercedes.
Get Valeo beam type blades.
Beam style wipers give you continuous pressure across the length of the blade.
I installed them about 8 years ago on our Saturn and are STILL working vastly better then the Autozone trash that, because of needing a rare size/type, i recently put on my Mercedes.
Thanks - I'll check out those two options...
On my "newer" cars (1997 and 1999) I've been happy with the Goodyear brand wipers (blades and holders) from Costco. They have them discounted every fall, which is when I stock up. During the summer a good wipe with some diluted Mequiar's car shampoo will clean off accumulated gunk. They seem to last well enough in the sun but I usually put in new ones every fall anyway, since that's the start of our rainy season.
For my older rides, I keep the old wipers and holders around in the summers for "looks", but if available will use modern wipers in the rainy season (winter).
For my older rides, I keep the old wipers and holders around in the summers for "looks", but if available will use modern wipers in the rainy season (winter).
RainX and (incredibly enough) Trico
Wasn't impressed with Bosch back home in Germany, not impressed with them here.
Had good service from RainX and Trico, though - I can't get RainX in the size to fit one of my rear-window wipers (Chrysler? Think that's the one).
What definitely helps is to remember to turn the dratted things off when you park the car. Some cars don't start them automatically when you use remote start (our Buick doesn't) but most do and that first heavy snow load/ice spikes is really hard on them.
Wasn't impressed with Bosch back home in Germany, not impressed with them here.
Had good service from RainX and Trico, though - I can't get RainX in the size to fit one of my rear-window wipers (Chrysler? Think that's the one).
What definitely helps is to remember to turn the dratted things off when you park the car. Some cars don't start them automatically when you use remote start (our Buick doesn't) but most do and that first heavy snow load/ice spikes is really hard on them.
