Lets talk wipers

[hardcore302]

Through my non scientific and almost surely guesswork opinion, I have found that the wipers that last the longest and streak the least, are factory wipers. I don't know how or why. I do know that all the fancy wipers I've bought at parts stores always seem to streak and chatter in a faster time. And are more expensive. What say ye?

 

[MParr]

This should be fun.

 

[hardcore302]

This should be fun.

 

[fsdork]

Through my non scientific and almost surely guesswork opinion, I have found that the wipers that last the longest and streak the least, are factory wipers. I don't know how or why. I do know that all the fancy wipers I've bought at parts stores always seem to streak and chatter in a faster time. And are more expensive. What say ye?

Agreed, with the caveat that more and more factory wiper seem to be beam-style. Those seem to get stiff in extreme cold and stop performing as well as old-school metal frame wipers. The parts counter at Ford will give me beam-style by default unless I specifically request metal.

 

[joekingcorvette]

My favorite type of wipers are the factory Honda Civic wipers that have a very slim refill wiper. The original frame is used and all you have to do is insert the wiper refill. I just bought a pair for my Honda and they were $18.00 on ebay for both and they work great. Otherwise Discount Tire Direct will install a cheap wiper for around $12 and they have another bigger, better wiper for around $25 each side. Wipers last a long time because the only thing that sits outside is the Honda Civic.

 

[atikovi]

The $2 Anco blades at Rock Auto work just fine and you can replace them every 6 months cheaply.

 

[Gasbuggy]

I've had the same set of factory wipers on my CTS-V since 2016. Never had a set last this long, not that they have a ton of miles of them but still.

 

[vavavroom]

The $2 Anco blades at Rock Auto work just fine and you can replace them every 6 months cheaply.

I haven't lived in a rainy climate for some years so maybe I'm spoiled but my wiper blades last at least 3 years here despite UV degradation and lots of fine abrasive sand particles. Admittedly, I probably have gone several months without any rain here. Although, I do use my wipers daily for getting rid of the salty deposits I get in this coastal climate.

 

[MParr]

Agreed, with the caveat that more and more factory wiper seem to be beam-style. Those seem to get stiff in extreme cold and stop performing as well as old-school metal frame wipers. The parts counter at Ford will give me beam-style by default unless I specifically request metal.

I tried buying the old style conventional 22” from my Ford dealer. No luck. They have been discontinued. There are two different 22” beam blades listed for the F-150.
The conventional style performs better than any beam style that I’ve tried.

 

[bullwinkle]

Bosch Icons-unless you have a pin style wiper arm (although the OE ones may fit). I literally can get YEARS out of a set! Unfortunately, they've gotten really expensive.

 

[PimTac]

The $2 Anco blades at Rock Auto work just fine and you can replace them every 6 months cheaply.

Another fine product from First Brands.

 

[SC Maintenance]

The OEM blades on the Toyota were good enough for me to spring for another set - online dealer of course. Made in Japan.

If I could figure out there part numbering system I would buy a set for my truck if the size existed. Possibly made by Denso since Toyota owns Denso? Just a guess.

 

[hrv]

OEM Honda inserts...they are the best for me and work great...

 

[meep]

I’m pretty sure ford sources their oem from valeo. What I don’t know is whether it’s the same valeo I can get at the store or if they have a better formulation for the oem. And that also doesn’t mean the dealer gets the same thing either.

I think I now have a set of valeos on there, and they are holding up very well.

 

[samven]

My 2012 Fiesta lives in the garage and it only has 80k on the clock but I am still using the factory installed wipers. I bought a new set 5 years ago because I thought for sure these would eventually fail yearly inspection and I would have them ready for the inspector, but so far they pass every year and they do still work fine.

 

[Hall]

If I could figure out there part numbering system I would buy a set for my truck if the size existed.

OEM part number systems don't typically have the type of "logic" you're looking for, i.e. including the length, for example, in the p/n.

What size do you need ?

 

[SC Maintenance]

OEM part number systems don't typically have the type of "logic" you're looking for, i.e. including the length, for example, in the p/n.

What size do you need ?

24 and 18 inches.

 

[NismoNVT]

Look at this way. You either pay once or you pay frequently.

Per blade
OE Toyota blade refills: $15 last two years
RA cheapo blades: $5 every 6 months or $20 for 2 years

Your choice.

 

[Jdeere562]

I bought a new 2018 Subaru Forester. The original blades lasted 3 1/2 years. Longest I have ever had for wiper blades

So I went to the Subaru dealer and bought new blades in the original Subaru packs. Those lasted a little over a year and were falling apart. Must be different than was originally installed on the car. So I just went to the local parts store and bought a set of mid-line blades. I even let them do the free swap out.

 

[Kira]

I was the wiper organizer in the family and bought replacement blades for years.
Watching the racks for 'refills' go empty and finally disappear was painful.
In addition to length, width was either wide (older fashioned) or narrow (newer).

What I have is a sheaf of stainless steel reinforcements from discarded blades. What to do with them?