[Locarian]

Hello all...

Wow it's been a while since I posted. Way the hell too busy. Anyway, onto the questions.

My wipers have gone to pot again and I need to replace them. These things only seem to last me a year if that long and they only seemt to work well for like a month after being installed. I have only ever used the good ol' OEM ones from the dealer, but it occured to me that one can do better then OEM even with something as simple as wiper blades. Yea, I'm slow like that.

So, I did some web checking to see if there was something good I could pick up at autozone or something and what I found was more blades then you can shake a stick at. And the only brand I recognize is RainX. And wow, there are even blades with LED lights in them. Freaky.

Are there any blades that I could be pointed to that would be really good? Online resources or testimonials and what not? I really don't care spending upwards of 20+ bucks per blade if they work well. Are there multiblade options rather then just a single blade? Things like that...

"Need input.... more input..."
-To quote a famous robot known only as #5.

Thanks in advance for the help. And I look forward to any and all replies.

 

[Nilt328I]

I've always been told to go with OEM because the aftermarket blades are always made to fit the most applications as possible. This causes the wiper blade to sometimes not be as flush with the windshield which leaves streaks or is unable to collect the water at the lowermost or higher most part of the windshield. This is what I was told and have experienced (on my VW).

Maybe someone out there found a good non-OEM replacement.

 

[B]

I think the OEM ones are great... I just had mine replaced (for free) under warranty

 

[TheProdigalDre]

I agree. Stick with the OEM's and use RainX (spray or wax) to supplement. RainX does help big time with the wet stuff and it is not expensive.

 

[TeKNiC330]

Bosch makes some good blades. I thnk they're called the "Micro Edge Excel" Looks like the ones that mercedes uses.

 

[Locarian]

Hmm...

Well, what I have been using are OEM + RainX on the windshield. And it works okay for about a month then goes to pot. I get streaks and crap and driving at night with rain is pretty damn hard to see straight.

This is kind of funny, cause the first time the wipers went to pot, I was told by my service department that the OEM wipers are crap, but they were free under warranty so no need to argue.

I was just hoping to find something that didn't require replacement every year. I support I could re-apply the rainX more often, but that stuff is supposed to last for months, not one I thought.

 

[SHICKS]

I use the Rain-X washer juice. Keeps the blades working well. However If you have the cold pkg, I am not sure if the pait can be harmed if the Rain-X Juice gets blown all over the hood. The stuff is neon orange.

 

[SHICKS]

Also, I have been using winter blades all year long, you know the ugly ones with the red tips. They are just about spent, and we get tons of crap weather here in NH. I usually replace them every 6 months.

 

[Bimmer150]

I hear the piaa wipers work well but I am still on my original wipers and still the best. (00 bmw)

 

[wyu]

Doesn't rain-x cause the wipers to go bad? Thats is what I have experienced. So I usually just clean the wipers evertime I wash the car with a clean cloth, and put rain-x on every other window that does not have a wiper.

 

[mchwe]

i'm like bimmer 150: the piaa are made out of silicone, and therefore chemically inert, i.e. sun, oxygenation, rain-x will not cause them to decompose like rubber.

supposedly, they rub a tiny bit of silicone onto the windshield, which helps the water bead up.

would love to hear if anyone has actually used these, tho.