Wiper Suggestions...

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xBa380

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Here is the story... I have a 2008 Scion xB... When the wipers were shot the first time, I just replaced the rubber a few times. Eventually, it seemed to never be as good to wipe so I decided to try more fancy blades. I did the Bosch Icon blades and returned them very quickly... They would not even touch my windshield on the last 1-2" of the blade.

I went to the Rain-X beam style blade. Same thing as the Icon's... But since I got them much cheaper, I just dealt with it until I needed to replace them. They were not as bad as the Bosch ones though.

I went back to OEM blades from the dealer and they worked fairly well. Even wipe at least. But I started to get streaking quite quickly in the middle of the blade. Replaced the rubber only and after a few weeks the streaking came back in the same spot. I am guessing the blade itself is going bad? Only thing I could think of.

I stopped at the store recently and bought Trico OEM-style wipes... These were the worst of the bunch. Excellent center performance, but the edge was terrible. 1-2" on EACH end of the blade not touching. Bothered me to no end. So I returned them today.

The xB windshield has weird curvature I guess which limit what blades work best on them. Any suggestions for a good blade that will hug even more "complex" windshields? I know many will say OEM, but they just don't seem to last long at all before going bad... Looking for some other options. I am guessing I need a blade that has the "pressure points" to make sure it clamps down on the edge.

Appreciate any feedback!
 
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try using a glass stripper to deep clean the gunk out of the glass then fresh oem rubber.
if that does not help the glass surface might be rough from normal wear..

I know once windows get over 100k miles on them sometimes they get some "micro-pitting" type damage


have you tried any silicone based blades they are usually very flexible.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
I know once windows get over 100k miles on them sometimes they get some "micro-pitting" type damage


Yes! Thank you! I had this issue on my 89 Accord - original windshield after 23 years and 350K miles. LOTS of little dings and pits. The wiper combination that worked best late in the car's life was OEM blades/PIAA Super Graphite inserts. Seems that PIAA stopped selling the Super Graphite inserts - too bad. They do make Super Silicone inserts. I did not have good luck with any silicone blades on that car. I also did not have great luck with beam-type blades, either. The relatively inexpensive Rain-X blades I used to get at Walmart were the best non-OEM I used.

You more or less just have to experiment until you find what works. Unfortunately, what works well for one may not work well for you. My old pitted windshield pretty much wore ANY blade out in less than a year. I actually considered replacing a non broken windshield just to end annoying wiper squeak and chatter. I guess it's a good thing it doesn't rain too often around here.
 
Your windshield IS an odd shape like the previous xb.

Rainx the [censored] out of your windshield and install the blades with lifetime warranty from autozone. Toss them once a year...forget the warranty.


And who the [censored] can keep a windshield that long. I take vehicles to 200k or more miles... I get a windshield every 15-20k miles. Gravel is a biotch
 
I also have an 08 XB. I had the same problems with the Bosch. I really haven't found any beam/frameless wiper that had proper contact. I've found that on the curvature of the XB glass the best ones were the old school wipers with multiple pressure points along the blade. They seem to conform the best to the shape of the windshield.
 
Originally Posted By: SuzukiGoat
And who the [censored] can keep a windshield that long. I take vehicles to 200k or more miles... I get a windshield every 15-20k miles. Gravel is a biotch


Ha ha ha ha! I know! I was "lucky," I guess. Honestly, I kept hoping I would get a crack that would allow for a replacement.

My Accord was build in the US and used LOF glass. So, it wasn't anything special.
 
My current set of Standard non-fancy Michelin's from Wal Mart are in the top 5 blades I have used in my 42 years of driving. High praise for $15 for the pair. Have been on 4 months now and still great.
 
Silblade..several styles available but all have a silicone blade that lasts quite some time. 5 years or so on the Mazda and still work great.
 
Originally Posted By: Hermann
My current set of Standard non-fancy Michelin's from Wal Mart are in the top 5 blades I have used in my 42 years of driving. High praise for $15 for the pair. Have been on 4 months now and still great.


These blades earned praise from Consumer Reports a few years ago. I didn't have success with them on the Accord, but I have installed them for friends and family with good results. These are readily available at Walmart for a good price. I wonder why my windshields last longer than most? I avoid tailgating. Do you think that helps? Before I had the 89 Accord I had a 72 Catalina with a 15 year old windshield.
 
Quietness and lack of ice/snow build of "beam-less" blades,
"Pressure points" and conformity of old style blades.

This is the first time a hybrid solves a problem
smile.gif


ANCO's Transform's or Rain-X Fusions

I just put transforms on a '06 Camry and they work quite well.
 
Thanks guys for the suggestions!

As a side note, I regularly clay and add rain-x to my windshield. So the glass surface itself is quite good.

I will look for another "pressure-point" style blade.

My windshield has had its fair share of abuse as well... Rocks/gravel... Almost 80K on original shield. But the streaking is more from pressure application, not the wiper itself wearing out. You can tell by the pattern of the streak. I do go through the rubber faster, which makes sense of course.

Thanks again!
 
Originally Posted By: xBa380
Here is the story... I have a 2008 Scion xB... When the wipers were shot the first time, I just replaced the rubber a few times. Eventually, it seemed to never be as good to wipe so I decided to try more fancy blades. I did the Bosch Icon blades and returned them very quickly... They would not even touch my windshield on the last 1-2" of the blade.

I went to the Rain-X beam style blade. Same thing as the Icon's... But since I got them much cheaper, I just dealt with it until I needed to replace them. They were not as bad as the Bosch ones though.

I went back to OEM blades from the dealer and they worked fairly well. Even wipe at least. But I started to get streaking quite quickly in the middle of the blade. Replaced the rubber only and after a few weeks the streaking came back in the same spot. I am guessing the blade itself is going bad? Only thing I could think of.

I stopped at the store recently and bought Trico OEM-style wipes... These were the worst of the bunch. Excellent center performance, but the edge was terrible. 1-2" on EACH end of the blade not touching. Bothered me to no end. So I returned them today.

The xB windshield has weird curvature I guess which limit what blades work best on them. Any suggestions for a good blade that will hug even more "complex" windshields? I know many will say OEM, but they just don't seem to last long at all before going bad... Looking for some other options. I am guessing I need a blade that has the "pressure points" to make sure it clamps down on the edge.

Appreciate any feedback!


Go to Walmart - but the cheapest name brand and try it, slice open package so its returnable. If no good, return and try the next ones up. I think the cheapest Michelin are the best value. You will have a clearer windshield by buying cheaper wipers and replacing them more often than more expensive ones and replacing them less often.
 
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Rain-X could be 1/2 your problem, Not to hate, but I have had nothing but problems with it, it may be nice in the short term. But if you do insist in a coating/additive, May i suggest Aquapel and my prev suggested wipers.
 
When I had problems with a particularly expensive pair of Trico blades I left a comment through their web site. An engineer responded and stated that the use of Rain-X could causes skipping and squeaking. I found that to be true. I do use the Rain-X windshield washer solution or the Rain-X additive in regular washer fluid. It doesn't seem to cause as much issue.
 
I have not had any issue with Rain-X in the past. In fact, I have not applied it in almost 4-5 months now, so the windshield should be quite void of any film on it. It surely does not give the effect anymore!

I don't have any chatter/skipping with them either. It really is just one section of the blade that may streak when it goes bad. I noticed no issues abnormal for my car ever since I bought it with the wipers. Just that I am trying to find a good blade that works well with my windshield.

I may go ahead and try some cheap ones from Walmart and see how those do. I think I just need to avoid the blade-style all together and stick with the classic style. I am sure if I do that all will be good again.

Thanks again guys!
 
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