Let's discuss windshield wipers

[rxryanm]

Never heard of those. Are they good? Used some Trico’s a few years back and they were horrible.

Yeah, I've not ever had a problem with them

Best driving there is.

Very easy to slide the butt out, which is, of course, the best part of rain driving.

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[Garfy]

Need to keep them clean, too. I wipe mine clean and then wipe them down with tire shine whenever I wash the car. My blades last a long time, but the car is kept in the garage. I'm sure that sun exposure drastically affects the blade life.

Something to remember: when you use the wipers for whatever reason, when you get home, wipe them down. By lifting each blade off the glass, the rubber element becomes straight and you put them back on the windshield and it'll sit with the wiping element vertical. This is most important if you park the car outdoors because if you don't "reset" the wiper blades, the wiping element is bent upwards as the wiper will "park" on the down stroke or sweep. Then the sun will bake it so the wiping element will take a "set" being bent so when you use the wiper, it will eventually streak or chatter on the up stoke. I've done this on my cars and find that the wipers will easily last a year or longer without chattering, etc. since the wiping element isn't bent upward. (If you life the wiper arm off the windshield and look at the wiping part of the blade, if you see it curved upward then it's already taken a "set" and you'll have to eventually replace the blade.

One final thing; as the rubber is baked in the sun, over time the rubber will become harder. This is not good as over time it will scratch the windshield where you'll be able to see little fine streaks that can't be removed as the surface of the glass has been damaged.

 

[Crais]

Wow, reading this has really put my wiper shopping in perspective.

Bought my car new in June '15, got 47k on it, spent the last three years out of the garage. I religiously clean/protect my car, wipers included, and they've worked great (silent and streak free) until now. I use Aerospace 303 on them. Washing my car a few days ago and a thin strip of the passenger wiper edge began to separate in several places down the length of the blade. Fascinating failure, the blade was still supple and appeared nearly new. Almost like it was a delaminating sort of failure.

1-2 years of life seems awful! I settled on RainX last time I bought blades but it's been a few years so I wanted to check on the state of things. I don't buy Bosch plastic/soft products, they have disappointed me every time. It's good to hear that RainX still has a decent reputation.

 

[Stangnut]

What's everyone's opinions on the Rain-X silicone blades? (AdvantEdge & Endura) I used the standard Latitude years ago and they were pretty good.

 

[Bruce 8858]

I live I Florida and the heat really shortens the life of the wiper blades. I have a 1996 Ford Ranger as a daily driver. It sits outside in the sun so the blades usually only last about a year no matter which brand I buy. I have tried different brands but the last time I bought blades the Ford dealer had a sale and so far they seem to have lasted the longest.
I use rain-x aerosol spray on the windows on both the Ranger and Mach 1. It really cleans the glass and water beads up nicely.
I hate to admit it but I just use the cheap blue glass cleaner. Our temperatures never get below freezing long enough to cause a problem and both vehicles are in the garage. Both vehicles get regular cleanings.

 

[3pdl]

the oem wipers are still working great for me for 3 years so far. perfect fit. cheap from rock auto.

WW1964 {#FR3Z17528A}
WW2160 {#FR3Z17528B}

 

[jd_cobra]

What's everyone's opinions on the Rain-X silicone blades? (AdvantEdge & Endura) I used the standard Latitude years ago and they were pretty good.

They aren't bad to be honest. Pick up a set 4ish months ago and wipe em down every couple of weeks. So far so good

 

[oneheadlite]

Believe it or not, I was a Bosch wiper blade user for eons... Until the last few years, their blades just don’t last and turn to shit in 6mos time (even when maintaining them) and especially for their rather high cost; I stopped buying them.

I decided to try the RainX blades from the local WalMart. Figured WTF, if they don‘t work, the cost of two complete RainX blades was far less than losing what it normally cost me for two BOSCH blades.

Bought the RainX blades, installed and guess what - they work perfectly and look exactly like the original OEM blades. They don’t skip, chatter, streak or smear and they work excellent in rain (heavy & light) and still work great in winter for snow/slush.

https://www.rainx.com/product/wiper-blades/rain-x-latitude/


Been using the RainX wiper blades on our cars for the last 5+years now and would keep buying.... For their price point and after trying them out long term, IMO, they’re worth the $$$ and perform the same if not better than the original OEMs.

No BS.

—

I’ve also used different washer fluids over the years. IMO, regardless of brand, I personally can’t tell if one is better than the other. I’ve used Rain-X, the cheap ass blue stuff from multi-vendors as well as multi-Prestone brands and all seem to clean the glass of bugs/debris and power through the winter months.

I think if the driver has shit blades installed, they’re going to get shit results regardless of washer fluid brands or type.

Be careful of Dealership refills especially for those folks in colder climates - some will just top off your washer fluid with WATER to save their Dealership bucks... have fun when temps are at or below freezing...

...hey!!!
I was gonna recommend Rain-X........

Anyway, good choice...............................................

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