Wiper suggestion for "complex" windshield?

[xBa380]

Hey everyone... I need some help finding wipers that will actually work correctly with my 2008 xB.

I am currently trying to find wipers that work well and contact the entire length of the blade. I get the size recommended by OEM but so many wipers fail to contact the last inch or so of the blade due to the curvature of the windshield.

I have tried the "high end" Icons and Latitude blades (both of which perform the worst) to OEM blades, which sadly were different from the original blades that came with the car... So they don't perform as well. I tried replacing inserts at first with the originals, but eventually they just did not work as well. The replacements from dealer do OK contact wise, but do not last very long. Windshield is fairly new as well, replaced last year due to rock damage. I have clayed and cleaned the glass very well inbetween.

So I am looking at any options that are good quality (not the cheapest) and give a nice even contact across the blade. I figure the "classic" style blade will work best, but looking for suggestions.

Recommendations?

 

[Rand]

I've found beam style blades usually work best with that type of window.. but I have no experience with XB's

 

[Oil Changer]

OEM.

 

[xBa380]

I have tried the OEM replacements, but they did not seem to work as well as the ones that first came with the car. But maybe that was due to my worn windshield at the time. With it being newer, the blades may last longer. That is what I am leaning at now, but seeing if any other options people have found to work well.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
I have tried the OEM replacements

1) Did these replacements come from a Toyota dealer and have a Toyota part number?

2) Did you replace ONLY the rubber insert that actually touch the glass?

 

[DBMaster]

I have had good luck in the past using PIAA inserts w/OEM blades. You can find the brand (which is Japanese) on Amazon. The Super Silicone inserts, if they work well initially, should last a lot longer than a natural rubber insert.

 

[motts]

Piaa silicone oem type blades were the best ones I've used to solve same problem with my Camry...they make 100% contact.You can get them at Tirerack.com. I only use beam blades in winter.

 

[dparm]

Guys, using silicone blades won't fix an inherent design flaw of the windshield wiper system. It's obvious that the windshield has a weird shape that the wiper doesn't fully wipe -- Toyota/Scion didn't engineer this very well. Anyway, silicone doesn't wipe as well as natural rubber.

Try the metal-arm style of blade. It can exert pressure more evenly. I'm also wondering if your wiper arms got bent somehow (unlikely, but not impossible).

How quickly are the OEM wearing out? You should be replacing wipers every 6 months. You can't really expect them to wipe perfectly after that long, especially in a place like Cleveland that sees wide temperature swings during the year.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: Rand
I've found beam style blades usually work best with that type of window.. but I have no experience with XB's


Really? I've found just the opposite- "beam" blades don't work for squat except on a really flat windshield. All the pressure from the hefty spring in the wiper arm goes right on the center of the blade, and the tips of the blade are only held down by the weak curvature of the beam.

My best results are always from articulated style blades that distribute the force from the arm spring over multiple points on the length of the blade. Rain-X "Fusion" blades have an aero cap that make them look and act like a beam blade as far as reduced lift from airflow, but they're an articulated structure underneath. I'm getting good results with them- just be warned to be very careful with the little retaining latch flap- I broke one of the first ones I installed. After that I got to where I close them VERY gently and never have had a problem in 4 vehicles. Other than Rain-X fusion, the very best I've had were the NWB original equipment blades on the Challenger (just a traditional articulated blade, but SUPER high quality). I've had decent luck with standard ANCO and Trico articulated blades, too, but the NWB's really stood out.

 

[xBa380]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: xBa380
I have tried the OEM replacements

1) Did these replacements come from a Toyota dealer and have a Toyota part number?

2) Did you replace ONLY the rubber insert that actually touch the glass?


Yes, directly from the dealer. They did not match the blades that came with the car though. But I did find Toyota has two styles online, so maybe I will ask for those which appear to be identical to the ones that worked great when I just got the car. They are called sightline blades.

 

[motts]

The Piaa blades have much more.travel flex than another I have tried....the silicone.is an added bonus

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
Yes, directly from the dealer. They did not match the blades that came with the car though.

Di you replace JUST THE RUBBER INSERT, or THE ENTIRE BLADE?

If you replaced the ENTIRE BLADE, did the parts guy pick it off a rack behind him?

 

[xBa380]

Entire blade... It came sealed in plastic with the toyota p/n on it. It was fine quality, but not the same identical blade style.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
Entire blade... It came sealed in plastic with the toyota p/n on it. It was fine quality, but not the same identical blade style.

Why do you only answer one of my questions? I asked two in both my posts.

Assuming the blade was off a rack, then it was Toyota's "aftermarket replica" blade. Their quality is indifferent. I cannot tell you why Toyota offers these without clarification to consumers.

If you still have your factory blades, you're in luck. Go back to the dealer and get the parts guy to order the correct refills for your factory blades. He will need to look up the part number on his computer, and you will need to wait a couple of days for the parts to come in.

If you do NOT have your factory blades, then the above paragraph still applies, except that the parts guy will need to order the whole blade instead of the refill, and it will cost you a LOT more.

 

[xBa380]

The entire blade, not the refill.

The original OEM blades I threw out years ago. I was summing up my past few years of experience. I think I am going after the toyota sightline blades, as those are exactly what my car came with... So I know they will work great. Brother works at the dealership so I can get them discounted pretty well.

 

[Nukeman7]

You should try the Valeo 600 Series wipers. They are far and away the best wipers I have found in the past 30 years. Works extremely well on any application that I have tried and lasts ~18 months without noise or streaking. I get them at the local BAP-GEON import parts store, but they are available through Amazon online. Don't bother with the Valeo 500, 800, or 900 Series - they don't compare even though more expensive.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
I think I am going after the toyota sightline blades, as those are exactly what my car came with.

You still didn't answer my second question.

Forget the fancy "Sightline" name. If you want the exact blades the car came with (they will come with the rubber), then you need to have the parts guy look up the part numbers on the system. This is VERY important. It's best if the parts guy starts with your VIN and drills down from there.

 

[xBa380]

Will do... When I got the blades from the dealer the first time, they looked up my car specifically and went and got the replacement blades, but they did not match what the car came with. I just figured they used cheaper alternatives or whatever, because they were not the same.

Sorry for missing your questions... Usually answering at work between other things, so I have been just skimming for the most part. I apologize. Thanks!

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: xBa380
When I got the blades from the dealer the first time, they looked up my car specifically and went and got the replacement blades, but they did not match what the car came with.

If they "went and got" the blades, then the blades were not the ones that shipped from the factory. No Toyota dealer on earth stocks factory blades.

 

[artificialist]

I see 2 different types of Toyota wiper blade:
1. NWB brand. This is what it gets from the factory. It has an adapter that only fits hook-style wiper arms.
2. Generic wiper with Toyota written on it. Those are not what it gets at the factory. It has holes in the side so it can accept both hook arms and pin arms. Those aren't any better than most aftermarket replacements.