Replacement wiper blades

[cchase]

Bosch is seriously hit or miss with their wipers in my experience. Don't know what it is. I've had more out of the box issues with Bosch wipers and more issues with the ends of the wipers not actually sitting on the glass at low positions than any other brand.

The only brand I would recommend LESS is Rain-X after having several out of the box with bad rubber.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Bosch is seriously hit or miss with their wipers in my experience. Don't know what it is. I've had more out of the box issues with Bosch wipers and more issues with the ends of the wipers not actually sitting on the glass at low positions than any other brand.

The only brand I would recommend LESS is Rain-X after having several out of the box with bad rubber.



Like what? I've used Bosch blades (ICON, Micro Edge Excel, ICON OE) on all our cars for as long as I can remember -- no problems, ever.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: dparm

Like what? I've used Bosch blades (ICON, Micro Edge Excel, ICON OE) on all our cars for as long as I can remember -- no problems, ever.


Streaking issues, even after cleaning the wiper element, out of the box. For what it's worth, I regularly clean and clay windshields and have not experienced this with other brands (except Rain-X).

I also find that, in the beam style, their wiper blades have more of a tendency to capture and hold snow between the blade and beam and cause the wiper to ride up over the glass than other brands (although the problem exists to some extent with all beam blades I've tried).

As mentioned, poor contact with the glass at the outer edge (where glass begins curling backward) on multiple vehicles, unseen with other brands.

 

[dparm]

Streaking is a not a problem of the wiper, it's from improper windshield cleaning or incorrect wiper change intervals.

But beam blades, by definition, will not exert pressure that is even across the entire blade's width. Some cars with shoddy designs of the wiper arms, or even just improper tension, will have problems with beams. It's why the metal-armature is still optimal for best wipe.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Streaking is a not a problem of the wiper, it's from improper windshield cleaning or incorrect wiper change intervals.

But beam blades, by definition, will not exert pressure that is even across the entire blade's width. Some cars with shoddy designs of the wiper arms, or even just improper tension, will have problems with beams. It's why the metal-armature is still optimal for best wipe.


Streaking is a problem of the wiper if, like my Rain-X wiper experience and to a much lesser extent Bosch wiper, the issue is that the rubber of the wiper is not smooth and has a porous finish. In both cases if you ran your finger along the new blade surface, it was rough to the touch and on close inspection, porous and rough in appearance. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to clean the rubber, assuming it was somehow dust from packaging, but it never went away.

I am aware of the tension issues with beam blade designs, it's one of the reasons I don't put them on my vehicles. But Bosch blades were clearly inferior in keeping clear of snow. As I mentioned above, they packed with snow more readily, probably due to the specific beam design. It is what it is.

I know your father worked for Bosch and you have a fair amount of knowledge about the subject, but defective blade material is defective blade material.

 

[dparm]

True, there will always be some percentage of defective ones. But don't you think it seems weird that you keep getting defective ones? UV, ozone, and other chemicals will of course degrade the rubber over time.

One of the biggest contributors to poor wipe performance is the rubber blade's inability to properly "flip" when switching from upward-to-downward stroke, and vice-versa. It happens because the rubber takes a set due to the ambient temperatures. Very cold weather will cause it to set, just as very hot weather will. It's why you should ideally change your blades in the spring and fall, BEFORE it has a chance to take that set.

We have always changed our blades on that schedule and the wipe performance has been excellent with every pair.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: dparm
True, there will always be some percentage of defective ones. But don't you think it seems weird that you keep getting defective ones? UV, ozone, and other chemicals will of course degrade the rubber over time.


I personally never gave the Rain-X wipers another chance, they were that bad. The Bosch ones I tried twice and had the same problem both times. They may have been from the same batch, for all I know (though they were purchased several months apart). When there are other options out there, why take the chance? Of the other brands I've used, I've never had these issues.

My experience with Bosch snow issues stems from the 2 sets I had as well as driving cars of family members who continue to use them and have not (to my knowledge, I don't make a point of asking) had issues with them streaking.

Ironically, I throw the cheapest set of AAP or Walmart wipers I can find on my truck and have never had a streaking issue. The last set I took off were 4 years old, the rubber had begun to harden to the point they were squealing across the glass but still wiping clear. At one point, I took to putting the cheapest set of wipers I could find on my daily driver, and also never had a streaking issue. I stopped buying them (whatever Pep Boys house brand is) because they were rusting in a period of several months which I considered ridiculous.