Cleaned/ Reconditioned my Bosch Icons Wipers Today

[Jonny Z]

My Bosch Icons, installed on Groundhog Day 2007, started skipping and dancing around when cold six months ago, and later in all temperatures.

I was going to get a new set of RainX Latitudes but due to the uncertainty of my line of work, did not want to spend the money.

Today I took them off, cleaned them with a 3M Scotch-brite sponge and Simple Green. A lot of black gummy rubbery particles were released. The rubber parts have no cuts. I then blew it dry with compressed air. Soaked it in 303 Aerospace Protectant, wiped, soaked again, wiped again, reinstalled, and bam, they work like new again.

It remains to be seen how long this new found smoothness will last, but I am quite happy with the results right now.

 

[parimento1]

I once tried to clean my wiper blades with brake cleaner and they melted to the windshield after...it was a pain to get the rubber off the windshield after, as u can imagine. I'm happy u had luck your way.

 

[mechtech2]

Some people use 3M wet sandpaper.
It also removes the outer oxidized stuff and leaves a sharper edge.

 

[AcuraTech]

Some of the packaged wiper blades come with a little wet nap pad of "wiper optimizer" to be applied before installing. Not sure what exactly it does, may be worth looking into.

 

[mstrjon32]

Originally Posted By: AcuraTech
Some of the packaged wiper blades come with a little wet nap pad of "wiper optimizer" to be applied before installing. Not sure what exactly it does, may be worth looking into.


Trico's come with these. I think it's just a moist towelette soaked with isopropyl alcohol. I had a set of ICON's on my old car and while they worked great new, their longevity was not impressive. I've got the Trico NeoForm's now and so far I've been much more impressed.

 

[Kestas]

I see lots of good wiper blades replaced and thrown in the trash. Some of them probably needed no more than a good cleaning, or the windshield was to blame. Being the cheapskate that I am, I take these blades from the trash, clean them, and use them on my cars with good results. At $5 a pop, the savings add up fast.

 

[CharBaby]

I don't like the idea of using the Isopropyl Alcohol(IPA) on the wiper blades. Although the IPA may clean the blades nicely, it contributes to drying the rubber and causing chatter during the cold months(not a nice clean quiet sweep across the windshield).
I do agree with fine grit sandpaper or light abrassive(Scotch- Brite) for cleaning the blades and removing the not seen rough edges that cause streaking. I also use amonia after cleaning the wiper blades as it keeps the rubber soft and plyable during the cold months. Learned these tricks from some oldtimers in the early 70's when I was a teenager.

 

[D189379]

I just but the cheapest ones I can find and replace them every 6-8 months. Not worth the hassle to me.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Although the IPA may clean the blades nicely, it contributes to drying the rubber and causing chatter during the cold months(not a nice clean quiet sweep across the windshield).

Do you realize that the wipers operate in an alcohol environment every time you use the washer fluid? A few minutes with IPA during cleaning won't do any damage.

The chatter is probably because the blades are stiff from the cold and not because they're dried out from the alcohol.

I clean elastomers all the time in an alcohol untrasonic bath to prep for viewing in the scanning electron microscope. The alcohol does nothing to alter the elastomers.

 

[parimento1]

thats good to know, next time I will use IPA instead of brake cleaner...Oh and by the way, Rain-X wipers are amazing, they clean great and last a long time, very happy with them.

 

[jldcol]

Has anyone seen a little blade in a mount, it's supposed it cut a new edge on the rubber?

 

[daves66nova]

what about using wd-40 on them?