Lets talk wipers

[Ihatetochangeoil]

I use PIAA silicone wiper blades on my cars and they last years and work very well.

The last time I put one on one of my cars was 4 years ago. I live in South Carolina so suns UV is very strong most of the year, and we get lots of rain. Car is parked outside all year round, the wiper blades are still going strong after 4 years.

Also, the most important thing to make sure your wipers work well is to clean the glass and the wiper blade, whenever you see it start to leave streaks or skip, clean it.

Clean the glass with 0000 steel wool, and clean the wiper blades with rubbing alcohol. Apply some uv protectant like 303 rubber and vinyl protectant on the blades. Also, wax or ceramic coat the window or put some rainx on it. My point is, make sure the glass and the blade is clean and smooth. Then any blade will work great.

I have better things to do with my time than install new trash wipers every few months. I think they were around $60+ for the set. Buy once, cry once. I have PIAA wipers on my car that I bought in May 2015, they are STILL quiet and perform well, AFTER parking outside in Midwest winters. Full disclosure; my two cents worth is that I also use Aquapel on my windshield, Rain-X is for folks who have never heard of Aquapel, and I clean my wiper blades down whenever the rare occasion happens that the windshield needs cleaning, like right after a 450 mile trip through summer bug guts.
I'm also the guy on the highway who will maintain speed thru blinding rains when semis are pulled over. Guess what? I can see!

 

[Elroy the Brave]

I've run the gamut of wiper blades. From the Walmart cheapies, to the blades costing $20-$30 each, and I've found the Walmart cheapies wipe every bit as well and last just as long as the expensive ones. They used to be about $5 each, but now they're probably more like $7 or $8...

Agreed. Similar experience.

I gave up caring or spending significant money. Now I just replace them in the summer.

 

[350Rocket]

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.

Best luck I had was those. They lasted several years on a couple of our work trucks plus my car.

 

[The Critic]

I do have the original blades. But PIAA refills may not work on them. They have to different widths on them, and I use 18" and 26", so one of each. And one of them may not work (I'll have to test fit when it comes time to refill the silicone wipers)

View attachment 154136

Only the Toyota inserts will work - and they usually work pretty well.

 

[KenshinHimura]

The USA made tricos i have are still holding up decently after 3 years

 

[hrv]

Only the Toyota inserts will work - and they usually work pretty well.

on my Honda inserts also work best for me too...

 

[thescreensavers]

I've had decent luck with RainX blades and terrible luck with Michelin in terms of longevity here in SFL.

Might try silicone next

 

[grampi]

Agreed. Similar experience.

I gave up caring or spending significant money. Now I just replace them in the summer.

I'll get about 6 months out of a pair of wipers, regardless of brand or type...

 

[The Critic]

I'll get about 6 months out of a pair of wipers, regardless of brand or type...

Durability isn't the only factor. A lot of aftermarket wipers have poor wiping performance due to their design incompatibilities with certain wiper arms and windshields.

 

[97prizm]

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.

Really? I think tye Bosch Icons have gone downhill. I haven't been able to get more than 3-4 months from a set. The longest lasting so far that I've used have been valeo and a set of Michelins coming up on a year

 

[Jay73]

I just put Bosch Envision on the CX-5. One thing I noticed is boy wipers getting expensive these days. See how long they last but I don't drive much anymore.

 

[yagciogullari]

i wanted to change the refills of the blades of my mazda 3. cost aside i don't want to throw away perfectly good wiper blades. it's like burning a house because of a spider. of course nobody sells inserts here. i checked part stores and mazda dealers both in denmark and sweden. nope.

ended up getting bosch aerotwins. i dont know if they are better than oem mitsuba or aftermarket denso. but they are widely available.

also what do you guys clean your wipers with? dishwasher liquid, ethyl alcohol, don't clean at all?

 

[dogememe]

i wanted to change the refills of the blades of my mazda 3. cost aside i don't want to throw away perfectly good wiper blades. it's like burning a house because of a spider. of course nobody sells inserts here. i checked part stores and mazda dealers both in denmark and sweden. nope.

ended up getting bosch aerotwins. i dont know if they are better than oem mitsuba or aftermarket denso. but they are widely available.

also what do you guys clean your wipers with? dishwasher liquid, ethyl alcohol, don't clean at all?

I’ve never cleaned my wipers on any car. I just replace them about once a year. When I buy wipers I don’t go to the dealership although that might be a mistake given what I’m about to say…

Makes me realize both our Equinox EV that’s over a year old and my Model 3 that’s almost a year old are on the originals and they’re still perfect. Despite us being very bad about not washing the car, the cars are always parked outside, and the Tesla wipes a bunch even without rain to keep the cameras clear. So… whatever the original wipers are, are the best!

Now if only I can make it through my two year lease without changing them that would be awesome!

 

[mva]

That makes sense. There were 3 different Motorcraft wipers that fit my 2020 F-150.
There was the 22” Conventional.
There is the 22” Premium Beam blade. This blade fits multiple styles of wiper arms.
There is the 22” OE Beam blade. This blade only fits the hook style wiper arm. (F-150)
Motorcraft discontinued the 22” Conventional blade.

I agree with the OP. I have not had good life out of replacement blades on my vehicles. The original wipers on my 2014 F150 lasted 8 years and 103,000 km so I stayed with the OEM Motorcraft ww2248-A blades.

 

[MParr]

I don't see how anyone is getting more than a year out of wiper blades. After six months, mine are in need of replacement. I keep my truck under a carport. My wife's car fairs a little better. Her's is kept in the garage.
I suppose that the massive amounts of pollen we get here might be a factor.

 

[grampi]

Durability isn't the only factor. A lot of aftermarket wipers have poor wiping performance due to their design incompatibilities with certain wiper arms and windshields.

I haven't had any issues with the wipers I buy not wiping cleanly...they also don't make any sound...

 

[Tdbo]

also what do you guys clean your wipers with? dishwasher liquid, ethyl alcohol, don't clean at all?

I just use alcohol swabs on mine. Works well.

 

[robbobster]

My trucks see a local tunnel washer least once per week. I clean my wipers by running them while in the tunnel wash, seems to help my Costco wiper blades last (and remain streak-free) quite a long time.

Streaks are often just crap on the blade, preventing good contact with the glass.