How long do your windshield wipers last?

[BHopkins]

This is so subjective. What is acceptable in a windshield wiper for you, may not be any good for me. I may have replaced wiper blades long before someone else, because I wasn't happy with them.

That said, I replace wiper blades about yearly, give or take when it matches up with a service on the car. I don't wait until the performance starts degrading. Who wants to get caught in that rainstorm, and not have good wiper blades.

 

[supton]

Every 2 years? something like that. I try to get OEM inserts, they seem to last longer than inserts from Walmart. And aren't that expensive.

 

[Oey12]

I must be doing something wrong. I replace mine about every 6 months but they are usually bad in about 4 months…

 

[f355spider]

I have found three factors impact how often wiper blades are replaced:
1) Blade quality...factory oem are usually best, though there are a few high quality aftermarket, like Valeo, Bosch (premium ones like their ICON), or PIAA. Cheap from Costco or budget ones are 6 months at best before they start streaking.
2) Ambient weather conditions...searing sun or constant rain (like Phoenix or Seattle) seem to add to the wear.
3) Whether the car is parked in a garage or on the street.

That said, I can still get around two years using Valeo/OEM or Bosch blades on my BMW parked outside in Seattle. About one year using Valeo on my Tundra, parked outside.
My BMW that is garaged, and only driven a few times a month, is still on the original factory Bosch blades after 7.5 years. My Ferrari (garage queen) has factory Bosch wiper blades that are at least 8 years old and work just fine.

 

[97prizm]

My 2018 Honda CRV's were replaced in January of 2023. They still seem to be doing alright. Will probably replace them before the end of the year.

My 2003 Honda Civic's were replaced in September of 2023. Still doing great. Will probably revisit them in Spring of 2026.

The 2013 Volvo S80 was replaced in October of 2024. Still doing great.

Seems 2-3 years is the lifespan I'm seeing on our vehicles.

Maybe it's just me bit wipers don't seem to last nearly as long as they used to. In High School the Bosch wipers were ALL made in Germany and seemed to last. Now that they're Chinese/Indonesian made they don't hold up. The longest lasting blades I've ever had were a premium set of Michelin and a set of Valeos that I picked up at Costco. The best wiping blades hands down are the PIAA blades but they are a very soft compound.

 

[f355spider]

I must be doing something wrong. I replace mine about every 6 months but they are usually bad in about 4 months…

Not uncommon with cheapo blades. If you get some from the dealer, you will be surprised how much longer they last, usually at least one year...sometimes two. Valeo or Bosch ICON are pretty good aftermarket option and reasonably priced. I recall about 20 years ago, Consumer Reports tested wiper blades and said the factory ones from most car dealers were superior to what is sold in autoparts stores or mass merchants at the time. They no longer test wiper blades.

My friends claim PIAA and Rain X Latitude last well, but I have not tried them.

 

[97prizm]

Not uncommon with cheapo blades. If you get some from the dealer, you will be surprised how much longer they last, usually at least one year...sometimes two. Valeo or Bosch ICON are pretty good aftermarket option and reasonably priced. I recall about 20 years ago, Consumer Reports tested wiper blades and said the factory ones from most car dealers were superior to what is sold in autoparts stores or mass merchants. They no longer test wiper blades.

My friends claim PIAA and Rain X Latitude last well, but I have not tried them.

The rain X are a solid choice, but they have a wide price range. Does anyone remember the "Triple edge" wiper blades circa the late 90's?

 

[f355spider]

The rain X are a solid choice, but they have a wide price range. Does anyone remember the "Triple edge" wiper blades circa the late 90's?

Yes! LOL...kinda like the Gillette five blade razors...

 

[TmanP]

Much longer than I'd have guessed originally (and I don't have a high tolerance for the wipers streaking/chattering).

I assume that the dealer replaced the Camry's OE inserts before I bought it in April of 2018 (30k miles), but I am not sure on that. I finally had to replace them for the first time in summer of 2023 (with about 135k miles on the car, so over 100k on the blades). Those OE replacements are still doing great two years later/70k miles later. While the car has been parked indoors at times, it's spent far more time outside than in.

I don't have data points for the other cars, but I'd say every couple years or so (really when they get noisy or stop performing well).

I will say I'm now a believer in the OE inserts, as they seem to outperform the auto parts store specials (and are far cheaper!)

 

[f355spider]

Much longer than I'd have guessed originally (and I don't have a high tolerance for the wipers streaking/chattering).

I assume that the dealer replaced the Camry's OE inserts before I bought it in April of 2018 (30k miles), but I am not sure on that. I finally had to replace them for the first time in summer of 2023 (with about 135k miles on the car, so over 100k on the blades). Those OE replacements are still doing great two years later/70k miles later. While the car has been parked indoors at times, it's spent far more time outside than in.

I don't have data points for the other cars, but I'd say every couple years or so (really when they get noisy or stop performing well).

I will say I'm now a believer in the OE inserts, as they seem to outperform the auto parts store specials (and are far cheaper!)

Toyota sells two grades of wiper blades. OE are from behind the counter and cost more. They also sell ones on a display rack in the parts dept from their "economy" or "value line". They are less expensive...but never tried them...they could be just as good as the factory OE ones?

The inserts are also available in two grades I believe. The blades and inserts with "YZZ" in the part number are the less expensive options.

 

[rszappa1]

I replace mine on my Honda one a year....I use the OEM Honda inserts....

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

2 years on the Mazda, about the same on the Jeep. On the original set with the Yukon. Never replaced them in 12 years of garaged ownership on the truck

 

[nealberke]

2018 Santa Fe Sport using Trico Force or Trico Edge Beam blades. Two years of great service and then they peter out on the third year. I pull on the rubber one a month to make sure they don't seperate. I just replaced the rear wiper for the first time. Found a compatable blade at O'Reilly. The Force/Edge may be overkill for So. Calif. but very effective for winter driving in Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Colorado. I only use Rain X washer fluid. It cleans off bugs and helps to move rain off the glass even more.

 

[himemsys]

I must be doing something wrong. I replace mine about every 6 months but they are usually bad in about 4 months…

One thing I do that helps is wipe down the blades with a wet cloth every once in awhile. Crusties get dried up on them and affect their performance, but they come right off with a wet cloth and normal performance is returned.

 

[skyactiv]

A pic of the Kimblades so you guys know what's out there. I have the narrow ones.

 

[74DartSport]

PIAA. Last for years, no streaks no noise.

 

[Donald]

My 2018 Honda CRV's were replaced in January of 2023. They still seem to be doing alright. Will probably replace them before the end of the year.

My 2003 Honda Civic's were replaced in September of 2023. Still doing great. Will probably revisit them in Spring of 2026.

The 2013 Volvo S80 was replaced in October of 2024. Still doing great.

Seems 2-3 years is the lifespan I'm seeing on our vehicles.

Give silicone ones a try.

I think it somewhat depends if you live in an area with snow and ice forms on the windshield and use the wiper to get the snow and ice off before it's fully melted. Guilty.

Back in the days when both drivers and passenger were same length my dad would change the driver's side and move old driver's side to passenger side.

 

[wemay]

South Florida: 8-10 months outside.

 

[John105]

Again it seems folks here replace at a set time. Why? It’s easily determined if they are worn, or not. Why replace at a given time interval? These are habits of a wealthy society but I think we should adjust our behavior as things are expensive.

At any rate I always use some flavor of Valeo on every car. They last. What seems to cause a replacement is when frozen to glass and torn. Otherwise streak free more than 1-2 years. GM gets OE and they are pricey. So not gonna replace just because. Jmoymmv

 

[joekingcorvette]

Most of my vehicles that sit in the garage are good for 2-3 years. My Honda Civic needs new wipers every year. We get snow and ice storms which freeze the wipers and my Civic sits outside. Almost every year I end up damaging them from pulling them out of the ice when I am in an extreme hurry to get in my vehicle. Just this last winter I left it sit in the airport and it was extremely cold and the wipers were frozen and we had a lot of new snow and the roads were ice covered. I pulled on the wipers and damaged both of the fine rubber inserts. I just replace the inserts and as others stated they are about $12 each.