Bosch Marathon wiper blades: junk?

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Had them on the car for 1 week, and the car is garaged at night. Noticed some minor streaking from the driver's blade.
Wiped them with a wet rag and repeatedly get a huge amount of black gunk...can't get all of it off. Never had this issue with the $5 Anco blades...I assume that the blades are disintegrating.

Anyone else have this issue?
 
Bosch blades have other issues also....the don't glide smoothly across the glass and make lots of noise as a result. I won't buy them again
 
No issues with my Bosch Icons... don't know how different they are from the Marathons. I've had them on my car for around a year and a half now, I believe.
 
I noticed the black stuff with the Rain X latitudes. Well at least on those it appears to be some sort of coating over the rubber.
 
I *used* to use Bosch MicroEdge XL blades but found they didn't last very long before streaking and chattering, especially for the money. I now use $7 Michelin blades from Wally World and they work great.

Bosch no mo'.
 
Loogie,

Did you get the full blades or just the refills for the blades? I have found often that a full blade will work but the refills don't (for any brand).
 
I got the full wiper.

This is strange. Maybe they ship with a coating on the blades? There was noting in the directions indicating a need to clean them prior to use. I know they have not been exposed to anything caustic.
I will be pretty annoyed if they are truly defective as I paid $14 each for them. Not a princely sum, but a lot more than $5-$6 each for my old stand-by.
 
I have always had great service from the metal frame premium napa blades. They work well for at least a full year here in Fl, which is and accomplishment. Not cheap though.
 
I've used Bosch MicroEdge Excel blades with zero issues on my Buick for the past 3 years. A set lasts me about a year and a half. They work well in winter clearing ice and in the summer cleaning bugs.

Are these purchased in Wal-Mart? If so, I'd run. Anytime something high-end that's not motor oil appears at Wal-Mart it's built cheaper than the non-Wal-Mart version.

The Wally's Bosch blades are made in China, while the ones in my Buick are from Belgium.
 
Interestingly, I really cleaned the blades with a clean, wet rag. Now they wipe fine.

Still, I am wary, as tons of black junk on brand-new blades cannot be normal. Bosch typically makes quality items, so this is an unusual experience for me.

An interesting side-note: I wonder if the stock blades were made of silicone (or had some percentage in them)? I noticed that water beaded up on the glass (where the wipers wiped) as if there was a light layer of Rain-X. When I tried silicone blades on my old car, they had the same effect.

Also, I got the Marathons because they have a similar wind-foil shape as stock. I figured that there might have been some reason that Chevy used those blades (perhaps problems with wind lifting or noise?).
Anyone hear anything about that?
 
Hmm....tried the wipers yesterday and the mild streaking is beginning to return (in a 2" area, a couple of inches inferior to mid-wiper). Picked up some $4.50 Ancos at Wallyworld, will see how they work.
 
I was surprised by the Napa wiper blades, I have them for a year up in the northeast and they are still going strong. Bought them last minute for a trip thinking they would not be all that but they are great. Also the Napa blade for the rear window is the only one aside from OEM that does not chatter or streak
 
Hmm...I have had good luck with NAPA parts (especially their rotors).
Might have to give them a try.
 
I put Icons on my cars last summer,some went through this past bad winter with no problems at all(the others are summer cars).
I guess there is a real difference between their lower end and premium products.
 
Originally Posted By: sciphi
The Wally's Bosch blades are made in China, while the ones in my Buick are from Belgium.


The Icons, (NO MATTER who's the retailer) ALL seem to be made in China now.
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The last set of Icons I had on the car (bought almost 4 years ago) were made in Belgium.

Next go 'round I am trying the completely made in (upstate NY) U.S.A. Silblades, despite their cost.
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I haven't really had any issues like that with the Marathons. I've noticed that after 4 months they are beginning to smear. Here in AL they've held up ok during this mild winter, but I would have expected more longevity out of them. They also tend to lift slightly above 70mph, making the smearing worse in some places. Going to get some Trico Teflon Shield blades once these get replaced. They last about a year and a half down here.
 
Bosch blades ain't what they used to be since they moved their aftermarket production to China. I had luck with their MicroEdge and MicroEdge Excel blades. Now, I run Trico or Goodyear blades from Costco.
 
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