Windshield Wiper Replacements?

[Buffalo]

I have an '03 (12/31/'02) & I just noticed that the wiper blades are coming apart. This truck sits outside, all the time, in the AZ desert environment.



Who makes the best, most durable wiper blades & where do you get them?



Thanks for your help.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[jwilliams3]

Joe,

I use MICHELIN's available at Wally World.

Cost about $12 for both and work great.

 

[jwduke]

I use ANCO winter blades, I have the best luck with them. $8 at O'Relly's

 

[mberry]

I bought PIAA's. Very expensive for wiper blades but they have been the best one's I have ever bought and I won't hesitate to buy them again when the time comes.

 

[rbattelle]

I bought Bosch MicroEdge Excel. Extremely expensive, and a complete waste of money. I keep them clean with alcohol, but after less than 1 year they are junk on both my wife's Civic and my truck. Noisy as heck, constant chattering across the windshield on both vehicles.



Learn from my mistake - don't waste money on them.



-Ryan

 

[Truckie]

Joe,

I use MICHELIN's available at Wally World.

Cost about $12 for both and work great.

That's what I just put on my truck last night. I used them this am and worked very well. I am pleased with them also.

 

[Wayne M.]

I went through a lot of inexpensive blades, and none lasted more than a few weeks. I bit the bullet and got the premium Trico teflon coated blades at $20 each from Advance auto. They are the best so far. If they streak, I just clean them with my bare fingers when I wash the truck and they come back. I can't believe the junk that comes off- my fingers turn black!

 

[HMistica]

I use PIAA Silicone's. Good stuff. Try em!

 

[JHofmann]

I tried those Michelins from Wally world on my wifes Durango... . hate them. Uneven coverage and noisy. Yes the wiper arm angle is correct. Its time for winter blades now anyway. Put factory Mopar blades on my truck this summer, they have been good.

 

[JStraw]

Blades are relatively inexpensive. I change them out yearly.

 

[Buffalo]

I'm the one that started this thread & am surprised that the stock Mopar blades lasted me 3 summers sitting outside in the Phoenix heat.



Are the PIAA silicone's supposed to last longer in the heat & how much are they and where can you buy them?



Thanks for your replies.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[DBrickel]

I'm the one that started this thread & am surprised that the stock Mopar blades lasted me 3 summers sitting outside in the Phoenix heat.



Are the PIAA silicone's supposed to last longer in the heat & how much are they and where can you buy them?



Thanks for your replies.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

It ever rain in phoenix? :-laf :-laf

 

[SThorud]

I too noticed the Bosch MicroEdge Excel blade are horrible. I've always associated Bosch with quality, but not when it comes to their wiper blades.



Speaking of which, what ever happened to just buying the damn refills? It seems everywhere I go now you have to buy the entire blade at about 10-15 each. I notice that not one manufacturer uses the same interlock between the rubber blade and the arm, but very few stores seem to have refills available for the blade assemblies they sell.

 

[CLAYTON]

I replace mine every year with mopar ones from dodge dealership. They seem to work good and don't squeek at all.

 

[JOblenes]

Best wiper blade I have used yet.

Here in Canada we have a chain of stores called Canadian Tire. They market a wiper that is known as a "Reflex" wiper. The typical segmented and hinged pieces have been replaced by a single piece of spring steel with the rubber blade bonded to the spring steel. The spring steel is pre-bent so that when in place they maintain contact with the windowright out to the very tip. They are bar non the best wiper blade I have used. There are no hinges to freeze up in the winter and the width of the spring steel acts like a small defelctor plate to help keep the wiper blade against the window at highway speeds. I also had a set of those helper springs and with that combo you can wipe the windows going 160 km/hr with absolutely no problems (not that I normally drive that fast). Most Canadian Tire products are simply re-branded products from other manufacturers so you can probably get tehm in the US. Here is a photo,









Regards,

 

[Tony T.]

Joe,

I use MICHELIN's available at Wally World.

Cost about $12 for both and work great.

I also have had better luck with the Michelin wipers.



Tony

 

[rbattelle]

Speaking of which, what ever happened to just buying the damn refills? It seems everywhere I go now you have to buy the entire blade at about 10-15 each. I notice that not one manufacturer uses the same interlock between the rubber blade and the arm, but very few stores seem to have refills available for the blade assemblies they sell.

AMEN AMEN AMEN!



That Reflex blade looks pretty good... I'll have to do a search for them. I figure the Canadians gotta know how to make a high-quality blade.



-Ryan

 

[Briman]

I just installed 24" Rain-X weatherbeater blades. They perform as the originals did. No noise, chatter, or streaks. I don't know what they cost retail. I picked up about ten of them at a salvage place for a two bucks apiece. My OEM blades were 22 months old and the rubber was just starting to seperate. They worked well right up to the end. Bosch has a bad rap with the Volkswagen crowd as well. They are OEM on my Passat and are/were propriatary to Bosch = $70. 00 a pair.

 

[JOblenes]

AMEN AMEN AMEN!



That Reflex blade looks pretty good... I'll have to do a search for them. I figure the Canadians gotta know how to make a high-quality blade.



-Ryan

Nope, most of ours are crap too. Its funny how things "improve", I can remember 15 - 20 years ago it seemed like you never had to change a wiper blade, now I have to get typically two sets/year (at least before these Reflex ones). Not everyone loves the Reflex design though, but on our Dodge application they do work quite well, and even better with the helper springs. Think I read that they are also standard on a few of the European cars (some models of vw, audi, and volvo). Its a rediculously long link but here they are at Canadian tire



http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortme...<>ast_id=1408474396670271&bmUID=1132270394664

 

[Buffalo]

DBickel,



I know you are just kidding but, Yeah, we do get some rain, down here.



We've, actually, had people drown on our streets in low lying areas where normally dry creekbeds called "washes" fill with fast running water after heavy rains.



Back in 1995, we had a storm with 115 mph winds clocked at a nearby airport. Blew about 20% of the shingles off the roof & knocked a large Saguaro cactus over, crashing into my back porch, breaking the roof.

Roofs & fences all across the northwestern part of the valley were destroyed.



We have a Monsoon season, from July through September & it's not uncommon to get rain most days.



Arizona is a pretty interesting, diverse State.



Joe F. (Buffalo)