Windshield Wipers

Digital-Nitrate

Digital-Nitrate

1955-2011 R.I.P.
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D-Nitrate / GTP_DNitrate
OK, I must admit, I have a pet peeve about wipers. The moment they start streaking or squeaking I immediately replace them, and for the most part no matter what brand I buy I am always replacing them every six months or so.

I am happy to say that I think I finally found wipers I can not only live with, but in an odd sort of way, I even look forward to using them. :D

I bought a pair of Bosch ICON wipers nearly a year ago, and have since replaced the wipers on all my cars with these as I am that pleased with them. These are the quietest wipers I have ever had and even in misty conditions, they never leave streaks.

What types of windshield wipers have you all used, what have been your likes and dislikes, and which brands are your favorites?
 
I stick with factory replacement ones(OEM). I have tried PIAA ones one time, but it wasn't worth the price. Factory ones are easy to install, and the quality is good. I'm willing to try a pair of Bosch though, if it's better for the same price. I live in the Portland, Oregon area, where it's gray and rainy all the time. Kinda like London, without any of the cool stuff. :D

Digital-Nitrate: Do you take care of your blades by cleaning them?

P.S. Rain-X stuff definitely helps too.

Edit:
skip0110
I have some Bosch teflon edge wipers my parents gave me for Christmas a year ago.
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How do you like them, skip? Do you think they are worth switching for?

I'm really clattering up my post!
 
a6m5
P.S. Rain-X stuff definitely helps too.

Edit:

How do you like them, skip? Do you think they are worth switching for?

I'm really clattering up my post!
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They are pretty good, and I'd say they might even last a little longer than "regular" blades. They don't chatter, and they haven't started streaking yet, which is a common problem here in New England because they sand the streets.

They do a good job of cleaning the water but I'm not sure if I can attribute that to the wiper blades because I started using the Rain-X washer fluid at the same time. Considering that they are like $15 versus $5 for a regular blade, I'd say go for it.

After googling, though, I think they might have been Trico brand because I can't find Teflon Bosch wipers. I'm not at home now so I can't go outside and check for you either :indiff: I am sure they were teflon, however.
 
skip0110
They are pretty good, and I'd say they might even last a little longer than "regular" blades. They don't chatter, and they haven't started streaking yet, which is a common problem here in New England because they sand the streets.

They do a good job of cleaning the water but I'm not sure if I can attribute that to the wiper blades because I started using the Rain-X washer fluid at the same time. Considering that they are like $15 versus $5 for a regular blade, I'd say go for it.

After googling, though, I think they might have been Trico brand because I can't find Teflon Bosch wipers. I'm not at home now so I can't go outside and check for you either :indiff: I am sure they were teflon, however.
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Nevermind the wipers, there's a Rain-X windshield washer fluids? :sick: :eek: I gotta get me some!
 
a6m5
Nevermind the wipers, there's a Rain-X windshield washer fluids? :sick: :eek: I gotta get me some!
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Yep, it's fluorescent orange (I kid you not). And you can mix it with regular; well at least I did and my windshield hasn't melted or anything yet ;)
 
when I used the pink rainex washer fluid it streaked and left pink residue on my hood so I switched to rainex wipes with no complaints except for the pain in the ass container they come in. I just use standard wiper blades because thats usually all that fits. They are definitely more noisy than the Teflon or Bosch micro edge I've used in the past.
 
Digital-Nitrate
What types of windshield wipers have you all used, what have been your likes and dislikes, and which brands are your favorites?
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For most my cars I just bought some cheap-o wiper blades and they wore quickly but I never worried.

About a year ago I bought some genuine Nissan wiper blades for my Skyline as I noticed the originals were still in fairly good condition but were old. Nissan ordered some from Japan and they are very nice, soft and quiet. They also came with stanless steel wires and clips in them unlike the cheap plastic wiper blades. Guess you get what you pay for.
 
a6m5
Nevermind the wipers, there's a Rain-X windshield washer fluids? :sick: :eek: I gotta get me some!
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Yep! It works great, too. They have orange for de-icing (winter) and pink for bug removal (summer). I can't guarantee there's a difference other than color, but they both keep the windshield notably clearer during light rains.

On the subject of wiper refills, I almost always use OEM. I find that they are usually contoured to fit the windhield better.
 
Skip, you've got Trico Teflon's. A decent blade by all means, but I'd go for Bosch personally.
land sea air, does your car have the mono-wiper, or the regular system?
Either way, try looking at a different parts store then you've been at. They come in alot of different lengths, so there should be an application to fit your car. Keep in mind that the length doesn't have to fit exactly, as long as it still fits on the windshield and the adaptor fits your wiper arm...
I've got Bosch Micro-Edge blades on my car, had them for about six months now and I'm happy with them, so far. No lines on the windshield, yet. They've got their fair share of use this season, too.

Oh, and just for the record, don't get PIAA blades. While they are indeed slightly better than a decent set of Bosch blades, they are by no means worth the price whether you're getting the PIAA "Graphite" blades or the PIAA "Silicone" blades. No blade is worth a $25+ sticker price per blade.
 
I go to the dealer to replace wiper blades. Despite being pathetically thin, the wipers on my Tribute are fantastically good. I went OEM with my Volvo too, but those wipers sucked. Stock parts did that car no favors...
 
Slicks: my car has the single wiper system which I like because it has excellent coverage. The first blade i bought was a Bosch micro edge which worked wonders, when i went back to the same store and used the same computer to find what blade size i needed the one it gave me did not fit. The person at the store said it has happened before due to inconsistencies with Bosch. I now use Trico Teflon with no problems except a little more noise. When I looked online I could not find Icon blade for my car
 
Digital-Nitrate
OK, I must admit, I have a pet peeve about wipers. The moment they start streaking or squeaking I immediately replace them, and for the most part no matter what brand I buy I am always replacing them every six months or so.

I am happy to say that I think I finally found wipers I can not only live with, but in an odd sort of way, I even look forward to using them. :D

I bought a pair of Bosch ICON wipers nearly a year ago, and have since replaced the wipers on all my cars with these as I am that pleased with them. These are the quietest wipers I have ever had and even in misty conditions, they never leave streaks.

What types of windshield wipers have you all used, what have been your likes and dislikes, and which brands are your favorites?
Click to expand...
I'll second the Bosch ICON's - I put a set on my G35 about 7 months ago and have been extremely pleased with them. Very efficient at removing water and completely silent even on a dry windshield.
 
I've tried both OEM and the aftermarket on all my cars over the years; Florida's intense sunshine, rain, and humidity means a set of wipers don't last more than a year on any of my cars. I'm picky; I hate streaks. The OEM Toyota wipers/blades seem to be the quietest; but they suffer the same blurring/streaking as any other brand after 9 months on both the GS and the Corolla. Difference is, I get discounts on the OEM stuff thanks to work.

I tried the Rain-X wipers on my wife's CR-V, and they streaked after 2 months. I wasn't pleased, despite the fact I swear by their windshield treatment product. She's had a windshield replacement since then, but they still streak. Time for new ones!
 
OK, so it's been nearly two years now and I am amazed how well the Bosch ICON wipers have held out, still no streaking or chattering! 👍
 
I have ICONs on the Explorer and they're great. Longest-lasting wiper we've had. The fact that there are no metal joints and connections really helps too. The old kind of wiper used to always streak really bad at where the metal met the blade. It was terrible. This has always just been one clean wipe.
 
I have to get my grandpa to replace his. When I borrowed his car on Wednesday it was snowing and I refused to put the windshield wipers on for more than 10 seconds at a time because of the extremely loud skreetch. My grandpa has a 04 Nissan Maxima and I am sure he has never got them changed.
 
Windshield wipers are the bain of my life, one day I will invent a suitable more effiicient process for cleaning a windshield on a car, I will.
 
The Nova uses Bosches, and I like them because they last me much longer. I think it's time to replace them again, though. I have to use Micro Edge Excels, since they dont' make the ICONs for my car.
 
I'll agree to being very impressed with the ICONs.

Here in LA, wiper blades are actually more of a problem than you'd think. Because of how dry our summers are, the blades tend to dry out and lose efficiency very quickly, meaning yearly replacements, despite how rarely wipers are necessary, compared to the north and east.

We put some ICONs on the Prius a while back. That car is notoriously bad when it comes to blades, thanks to its huge, sharply raked, windshield, and nothing had been satisfactory. The ICONs were stunning when we put them on. Silent, streak-free.

I'm planning on a set for the WRX next time it needs new blades, which should be soon, especially as the car will likely be seeing a decent amount of cold weather this winter, as I'll be making quite a few ski trips in it. (Discovered that a whole bunch of my friends ski/board, so we'll be going a couple times a month.)
 
Get a set of heavy-duty "winter" wipers, and use them year-round. The ones currently on my car were bought 3 years ago, and are just beginning to streak a little.

I can't remember the brand I bought, but they weren't overtly expensive, and could be found right next to the "regular" wipers in an ordinary store.
 
I had the Icons on the Blazer and I'm going to put them on the Mini once winter is over. The amount of salt that is put on the roads here in Michigan kills the blades, I typically find myself buying wipers 2 or 3 times per year.
 
I use Rain-X Weatherbeaters. Had them on my car for a year now and they're still working great. I put a pair of the Rain-X's on my mom's Malibu at the same time and they're still working great too. I had bad luck with Anco's winter blades streaking badly & getting noisy after only a few months. My dad's using a pair of Michelin All-Seasons that he's had on his car for over a year now and those work great as well.
 
I just use bog standard Halfords ones. They've been on the car for over a year, and are still cleaning and wiping fine with no streaks. (And you can't say they don't get a lot of use...)
 
At each stop for gas, I wet a paper towel and wipe the blades (as well as clean the windshield). My wipers are still good as new.
 
I can also vouch for Bosch ICONs for being awesome. They are even completely silent on a dry windshield. They've been on my car for maybe 6 months now and have only streaked a little bit a week ago but I think they just had crap on them. They're working flawlessly again.
 
Thirdeye
I had bad luck with Anco's winter blades streaking badly & getting noisy after only a few months.
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Yeah, I think I have some Anco's. They streak pretty badly. One time when it was raining heavily, I barely saw anything for at least a minute.
 

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