OT: Windshield Wipers

[NHAero]

What do you like, and what wipers last as well as work well?

[Mr_Gimby]

I've been super stoked with my Bosch Icons, paired with Rain-x impregnated windshield washer fluid. The fluid alone will make even the very cheapo blades work great. At highway speeds in light-moderate rain I don't even need to turn on the wipers.

But alas, I digress. The Icons have served me well for a little over a year now, 14 months or so, and I'm just due for a fresh set. That said, my wipers are still working way better than some friends' much newer cheap ones!:banana:

[eddief]

Once a year, I drop into the dealer and have the parts dept. install new Toyota rubber in my original holders. It rains, they wipe.

I wonder if those new fangled ones would improve my life?

Did not know about impregnation.

[dustyrider]

Last year about this time I needed new wipers. Went to the local car quest expecting to pay huge amounts of money for high end wipers...50 Bucks later, all told, I got 3 Bosch icon wiper blades and they're awesome! I don't use any special fluid and we get loads of sunny days, so I expect another flawless year.

[Cat3roadracer]

In my Jetta Sportwagon additives in the fluid will foul the low fluid sensor. VW recommends the regular blue fluid.

[dave thompson]

The Goodyear one-piece blades that are sold by Costco work extremely well, nice clean wipe each time. Excellent in winter conditions. Pretty inexpensive too.

[Louis]

The image from the car wash scene in "Cool Hand Luke" is even more provocative, but I don't dare post it here...

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/06/10/article-0-0C80B1FF00000578-403_468x439.jpg

[fuzzalow]

Whichever model of Bosch wipers or blades I used to get at Autobarn.

The real secret of windshield wipers isn't found in the brand of wipers. It is found in the product you apply to the windshield called Rain-X. Wax for glass - water beads up into little spheres and rolls upwards off the windshield. At highway speeds, never need to use the wipers!

[guido]

Rain-X Blades and Rain-X fluid. They really change the game...

[yngpunk]

I'd recommend using Aquapel...lasts much longer than Rain X and other "off the shelf" windshield treatments.

http://www.aquapel.com/

[Black Dog]

The Icons from bosch are good but these are better in terms of fit and wipe.

http://www.tricoproducts.com/Drivers/WiperProducts/PremiumPerformance/TRICOForce

Combined with Rain-x washer fluid you have 4 season wiper perfection. I find that they fit my cars better and have better contact along their full length and through the full wipe path.

[markie]

I just bought Bosch Insight wiper blades and now I wonder why I used the crappy OEM blades for so many years. The Bosch blades are so much smoother and effective.

I also love the rain x washer fluid.

[veloduffer]

To be honest, I have tried many brands but I generally find the OEM blades last longest. I do like RainX too, as you don't need wipers when on the highway.

[AngryScientist]

The Goodyear one-piece blades that are sold by Costco work extremely well, nice clean wipe each time. Excellent in winter conditions. Pretty inexpensive too.

same for me. they come with all of the important adapters too.

[Louis]

Excellent in winter conditions. Pretty inexpensive too.

Um, Dave, what would you know about adverse "winter" conditions and cars? You're no longer considered qualified to comment on this topic.

[Ken Robb]

My big concern with wiper blades is which ones stand up best to constant sunshine. :banana: As Dave said: the COSTCO ones work fine and cost little.

[Llewellyn]

You're kidding......it's a long piece of rubber that wipes the rain of the windscreen :eek: Buy el cheapo's just before winter and replace them once a year if the sun destroys them over summer.

That's what my mechanic recommends.

[Louis]

it's a long piece of rubber that wipes the rain of the windscreen :eek: Buy el cheapo's just before winter and replace them once a year if the sun destroys them over summer.

In my experience it's a bit more complicated than that.

I don't know if the Acura dealer used to put some "magic coating" on the windshield (I've tried Rain-X and it didn't fix the issue) but when the dealer replaced the wipers on my Integra the wipers worked super well. When I tried replacing them (with the correct units per the wiper manufacturer) they would work for a while then chatter like crazy. I finally gave up trying and let the dealer handle it.

[alancw3]

for like 40 years i have been using Bon Am kitchen cleanser to clean my windshield and stop wiper chatter. old time mechanic once told me about it. haven't used for many years so i hope they still make it.

also if you should get a scatch in a windshield or any glass rainex makes a glass polish that does wonders in removing them. i once polished out a large abrasive rub mark on a rear window with it. worked great. just make sure to wear a glove. i got a burn mark on the end of my fingers from the friction heat it created rubbing.

in a non heavy snow area i have had great success with tripledge silicone wiper blades. move large amounts of water in heavy rain and thunderstorms.

http://www.thewiperstore.com/tripledge-windshield-wipers.html

in a heavy snow environment the type of blade with a rubber boot over the arm mechanism works best as snow cannot accumulate. also i would think that the new style wipers like a squeegee would work well.

[oldpotatoe]

In my Jetta Sportwagon additives in the fluid will foul the low fluid sensor. VW recommends the regular blue fluid.

Thanks for that..didn't know, so will stick with blue.

[weisan]

for like 40 years i have been using Bon Am kitchen cleanser to clean my windshield and stop wiper chatter. old time mechanic once told me about it. haven't used for many years so i hope they still make it.

alan pal, matter a fact they do.
http://www.amazon.com/Bon-Ami-04030-Cleaning-12-Ounce/dp/B000BQYBC6

[cdn_bacon]

I've always bought my wipes from costco.

$12.99 canadian and can be raplaced every 6 months as they should...

[youngman]

Hi All,
I have had very good luck with Silblades that are a silicone compound, I seem to get at least 3 or 4 years of use out of them through winters and summers that get bad and tough on wipers. I purchase them through Amazon for a fairly reasonable price.
http://www.silblade.com/

[mktng]

I used to invest in nice wipers for my cars. Michelin Rain X spineless blades or whatever they are called. Tried the Bosch ones too. Ended up sticking with the OEM blades and just replacing the wiper strip from the dealership. Sets me back less than $10 for two years minimum of good wiper performance.

Trust me . Im Canadian. :):cool:

[Fatty]

http://ancowipers.com/product/winter-blade

I had to buy mine online, Summit racing, 5 bucks.
Perfect no chatter wipe and the rubber boot can't be beat .

[carpediemracing]

I didn't know about RainX fluid screwing up the sensors in VW. Thanks for the tip.

I RainX somewhat religiously (spray bottle works best, not the drip bottle). Do the headlights, tail lights, side windows, side mirrors.

At about 40-45 mph I don't have to use wipers if I'm "leading". If behind other cars I have to use wipers.

Good blades work well. I bought some OEM type VW ones for the VWs (from TireRack I think), some Bosch or whatever Tire Rack sells for other cars. Soft rubber, good edge.

Dirt kills blades so rinse before you move the blades across really dirty windows. Gas station squeegee if you have the time/place. I have a squeegee at home and a spray bottle of wiper fluid. Lots of spray before any wiping, let the dirt rinse off.

Snow/ice kill the rubber bits. You turn on the wipers when they're partially frozen to the window and guess what? You just ripped a few micro millimeters of your wiper blades off, a few mm if you're not lucky. Always prop up if it might freeze to the window. I remember getting a ride in my boss's car - the huge parking lot meant a quarter mile walk to my car, he got a better spot. He got in the car and I said, "SHouldn't you clear the window first?" "Nah, check out how good the wipers are!" and he turned them on. I pointed. "See those streaks? The wiper freezes to the window and when you turn it on like that it rips the rubber right off." "Oh now you tell me." haha.

In slushy conditions the slushy dirt stuff ends up on your windows. It's like wet sanding the blades and your window. Use plenty of fluid and wash that stuff away regularly.

I replaced the OEM Nissan blades on my 2003 after 6? years? No snow, some frozen stuff (I drove it down to about 28 deg F the first year, that was a mistake), and RainX. It was almost a game to see how long they'd last. About 65-70k miles. One of the wipers finally started to tear a bit.

[carpediemracing]

My big concern with wiper blades is which ones stand up best to constant sunshine. :banana: As Dave said: the COSTCO ones work fine and cost little.

My friend in San Diego laughs about the SoCal car wipers. "It rains so little around here that when it does you see people driving around with flapping pieces of wiper hanging off the blade. Then it stops raining so you forget about it for a year and then it rains and the rubber thing is still hanging off your windshield wiper."

Of course I visit in the winter which is the rainy season for them. We go out for whatever.

"*&#$ wiper blades, I forgot to get new ones."

[mktng]

to add to ^ its always important to clean the blades too. after every day of commuting in the winter I will wipe down the blades with a paper towel. it drastically increases the performance of the blade.

[DreaminJohn]

I'd recommend using Aquapel...lasts much longer than Rain X and other "off the shelf" windshield treatments.

http://www.aquapel.com/

As a long-time Rain-X guy I was really interested in this. However their really, really bad website is incapable of finding a dealer within 250 miles of central NJ, so maybe next year.

[Seramount]

tried several after-mkt brands...they all seemed to dry rot quickly in the TX sun/heat.

went back to getting OEM replacements at the dealer...I just have them throw on a pair when I get my yearly oil change. saves a trip to the auto parts store and they seem to retain their integrity a little better.

[russ46]

Bosch Icons have worked well for me - last more than 1 year. Since I've switched to Subaru's, their blades are also good. A 1-1/2 hour round trip to the dealer keeps me from buying them. I had a poor experience with Rain-X blades. They didn't make it though half a year.

[bart998]

The Goodyear one-piece blades that are sold by Costco work extremely well, nice clean wipe each time. Excellent in winter conditions. Pretty inexpensive too.

Yep, best I've used... including better than "cool" double blades in the 80's.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/261746929173?lpid=82&chn=ps

[Ken Robb]

... when I get my yearly oil change.

I guess you don't drive a lot of miles? I suppose new synthetic oils extend the TIME limit on the interval between oil change requirements?

[deechee]

I only use my oems during the summer. I use cheaper rubber for the winter since I've often ripped/broken wipers cleaning the ice off the windshield. Ripped a pair of Michelins the other day, I was not impressed with them even in good weather. Picked up Bosch Icons, they seem good so far. Rain-X were also pretty good. I'm annoyed the "cheap" Canadian tire winter wipers have gone up in price - they're pretty lousy but can't complain for the price.

Aquapel is definitely awesome... when I bother to wash the car and apply it. Which has been a while.

[ergott]

In my Jetta Sportwagon additives in the fluid will foul the low fluid sensor. VW recommends the regular blue fluid.

I got mine secondhand and this must explain why my car's sensor isn't working. I'm not sure I will bother addressing it if that's the case. I'd rather use an additive.

[Likes2ridefar]

I've been using PIAA with silicone blades through this winter and am very pleased.

i think they work better than any ive tried to date from bosch to cheapo type blades.

[Seramount]

I guess you don't drive a lot of miles? I suppose new synthetic oils extend the TIME limit on the interval between oil change requirements?

car is an '06 with 69K miles. it's been out of the city limits about 20 times total.

last couple of years, I've cut out a 1400 mi cross-state (TX) trip at the holidays, so now I only drive about 5K annually.

don't use synthetic oil.