OT - windshield wiper blade refills?

I'm starting to wonder if I pay more for refills if the blades would last any longer. I live in the Seattle area, and the $2.99 wiper refills are barely lasting through one winter anymore. OTOH these are the only wiper refills I can find, the more expensive things involve selling you new arms as well, so it isn't clear what you're paying for.

Any opinions? Hard information?

thx ..

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin
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Wiper blades can't be expected to last more than a few months, even with careful operation. Sun, heat, ozone, etc. start to degrade the rubber as soon as you put them on. Of course, you already know full well that

*> I'm starting to wonder if I pay more for refills if the blades would
Reply to
JR North

"JR North" wrote: Wiper blades can't be expected to last more than a few months, even with careful operation. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ And, of course, blades deteriorate mostly in the Summer time, when there is a lot of sun, and no rain. My mechanic advised me, years ago, to put back the old blades when rainy season is over, and wrap up the good blades to be saved for the next rainy season. Does this help? It ought to, but I have never tried it.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

On the day of Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:40:47 -0800... Grant Erwin typed these letters:

The biggest problem I have had is that a lot of the refills that I have purchased don't fit the factory arms correctly. I really don't want to buy replacement arms when I have perfectly good ones. Perhaps I should look into buying OEM refills from a dealership? I've not tried this so I have no clue as to the cost difference. I am also disappointed in the off brand refills available to me at the local auto parts store.

Devonshire

Reply to
Devonshire

Rainx every 6 weeks...3 coats. Blades last a LOT longer.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

You obviously don't live around Seattle. I mean to say........How much can taking off the new blades for a weekend in August help.

Dan

Leo Lichtman wrote:

Reply to
dcaster

most universal refills are 24" long - cut with diagonal cutters to length, but they come in three widths so you either check the manufacturers listing for your vehicle or buy "narrow" and squeeze the carrier tabs to fit. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

I agree, Rain-X is great.

Clean windshield with Super Clean or similar cleaner. Don't get it on the paint. Wipe with newspaper. follow with alcohol and a terry towel. Apply rain-X, let it sit overnight if possible.

As for blades, get the whole blade, not just the refills. Get a name brand - Anco, Trico, Bosch. I also like the looks of the Rain-X blades, but haven't tried them yet.

And if your windshield is old and pitted, spend the $200 and get a new one. It's worth it.

Reply to
Rex B

On the day of Wed, 22 Mar 2006 00:17:46 -0500... Gerald Miller typed these letters:

I've never bought the universals. Maybe I should try them. I've always looked up my vehicle in the little book that is with the refills at the store and bought the ones that were intened for my vehicle. I'm aware of two widths. I though the wide ones were for American vehicles and the narrow ones for vehicles made everywhere else. I'm not aware of the third width. I'm guessing the third width is something more modern. If I buy the refills that were intended for my vehicle I should not have to modify the factory arms to accomodate them. But I have had to squeeze the factory arms and trim the refills. This particular vehicle has hide away wipers. The arms draw up under the hood when the wipers are turned off. I though I could fix my refill problem by buying the replacement arms that were intended for my make, model, and year vehicle. Which ought to fit my vehicle. That way the refills would match up perfectly with arms since they are the same brand. Once installed, the arms were too tall to draw up under the hood :(

Devonshire

Devonshire

Reply to
Devonshire

I was going to suggest Rain-X too but I use the kind that you add to the washer reservoir and it works nearly as well and is a lot less trouble. You just have to remember to occasionally do a wash/wipe cycle when the windshield is dry to get a good coating on it. And I'd guess more of it ends up on the blade itself this way which probably helps to keep them in good shape.

I always used to have trouble with blades. The worst thing is that whenever it would first start raining, the first time you turn them on it was just a streaked mess. With Rain-X it's MUCH better.

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Reply to
Keith Marshall

I agree with Rex on name brand (Anco/Trico) stuff. I was at a friends shop in Gunnison,CO two years ago. I needed blades. He put on what he called snow blades.They have a rubber sleeve over the whole blade assembly. They are about ready for replacement but I'm impressed by how long they lasted here in the Texas sun.

Reply to
Andy Asberry

I was surprised to discover that some OEM parts from my Ford dealer are competitively-priced and markedly superior to aftermarket stuff. Two examples: batteries and wiper blades. By "competitively priced" I don't mean cheaper, just in the same ballpark. I have been particularly surprised by their batteries. The OEM batteries in my two Contours lasted 8 years -- in Minnesota. They were still working fine when I replaced them but I figured I had to be on borrowed time and I'd rather not mess with it when it's well below zero. I have never had a battery last anywhere near that long.

Their wiper blades seem to work and last well too.

YMMV

Reply to
Don Foreman

Just a note on changes in the OE parts chain. What you buy at a dealership is more and more the same parts your neighborhood parts store sells. This is especially true of anything in a ACDelco box. Last I looked, and ACDelco shock is a Gabriel in the box - and not the same as the OE. Basically, all OE replacement parts are outsourced to the lowest bidder. Most car makers are essentially assemblers. The aftermarket buys from the same people as the OE.

Pertinent to this thread, Anco and Trico have been OE for U.S. cars as long as I can remember.

Reply to
Rex B

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