GOOD wiper blades

~MRVIBE2006~ · Post by **~MRVIBE2006~** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:19 am

It's time to replace my sucky wiper blades. Anyone have any suggestions for GOOD wiper blades? I would like to buy them locally and not have to send off for them if possible.Thanks in advance!

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:42 am

The only time I will ever recommend a Bosch product would be for the Teflon blades... Not the new spring blades, just the traditional style blades, but with Teflon in the rubber, or it's a Teflon edge... Personally I don't even use them, but they ARE good... I just keep fresh ones on my car.. 20$ every 3-6mo it's a big deal..

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:18 am

Rain X wipers. What a difference, they are the solid rubber with no metal arms. It hugs the windshield, cleans it without leaving streaks (even if you have a dead bug or schmeg on the window). Just performs flawlessly. Well worth the $30-40 for a set.

lovemyraffe · Post by **lovemyraffe** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:21 am

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»Rain X wipers. What a difference, they are the solid rubber with no metal arms. It hugs the windshield, cleans it without leaving streaks (even if you have a dead bug or schmeg on the window). Just performs flawlessly. Well worth the $30-40 for a set.+1This is what I use.

lowincash · Post by **lowincash** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:24 am

yup i used the rainx ones on my previous car and it worked great. looks good too.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:32 am

i haven't used the rain-x ones because they were a bit more than i wanted to use, but i use ones made by Aanco. they are made like the rain-x ones where it hugs the windshield.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 4:44 am

I bought into the hype of the Bosch Icon "beam" blades for both of my cars - they look nice and do a good job. I am satisfied though they are somewhat expensive. But I am a bargain hunter so I got them with a rebate twice, and then on a 25% off sale at Nationwide Parts. Some time ago Consumer Reports had an article on Wiper Blades. The Bosch Icon's were rated about in the middle. Before I buy again I will look up that article at the library. I think CR said you should replace wiper blades every six months. I tend to keep mine at least a couple of years. Perhaps my light use makes a difference. I save my original "holders" so I can always go back to just replacing the rubber blades.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 4:55 am

Here's a free link to the CR articlehttp://forums.corvetteforum.co....html

Vibe_dude · Post by **Vibe_dude** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 5:16 am

I really recommend the Michelin wiper blades from Costco..here in Canada they are 12.99$ each...and can get them on sale quite often..I would also recommend that you use Rain-x washer fluid with them too...work great together,the only bad part of these wipers is that you may have to buy 2 sets a year...they seem to wear out fast...but at ubder $25 for 2 blades its not a bad deal.

~MRVIBE2006~ · Post by **~MRVIBE2006~** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 5:26 am

I completely forgot to look at Consumer reports. I usually like what they have to say. They did rate the Rain X Lattitude blades second on their list under Valeo 600 series (never heard of them). I might try the RainX to see how they work. Anything will work better than what I got now! Heres the link to the Consumer reports site: http://www.consumerreports.org...s.htm

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 5:35 am

http://www.silblade.com/i have used them for over 5 years winter and summer... and they come in colors if you like LOLthey used to have a warranty of 5years... but not anymore

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 7:57 am

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe Â»http://www.silblade.com/i have used them for over 5 years winter and summer... and they come in colors if you like LOLthey used to have a warranty of 5years... but not anymore 90 day warranty - what a testimonial to their product.

Houston · Post by **Houston** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:31 am

Since I don't know where else to ask this, I'll do it here. Reading the Owner's Manual for the 2009 Vibe, I can't for the life of me find the two pins they talk about pressing prior to lifting up the arm assembly in order to replace the rear blade. Do any of you know how to do this on the 2009s? The rear wiper assembly doesn't lift up nearly as far as it does on my '03.Thanks for your help.

BadBrew · Post by **BadBrew** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:40 am

Quote, originally posted by Vibe_dude Â»I really recommend the Michelin wiper blades from Costco..here in Canada they are 12.99$ each...and can get them on sale quite often..I would also recommend that you use Rain-x washer fluid with them too...work great together,the only bad part of these wipers is that you may have to buy 2 sets a year...they seem to wear out fast...but at ubder $25 for 2 blades its not a bad deal.+1 on Rain-x washer fluidHowever, I bought a generic Rain-x like curved wiper at Walmart, CAP brand, green packaging (don't try to find it on google), got through 2 winters and still going very good.I'll never buy a steel frame again.So curved wiper + addon spring http://www.surewipe.com/en/index_800x600.htm + Rain-x washer fluid =

Jyik40 · Post by **Jyik40** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:18 am

Quote, originally posted by Houston Â»Since I don't know where else to ask this, I'll do it here. Reading the Owner's Manual for the 2009 Vibe, I can't for the life of me find the two pins they talk about pressing prior to lifting up the arm assembly in order to replace the rear blade. Do any of you know how to do this on the 2009s? The rear wiper assembly doesn't lift up nearly as far as it does on my '03.Thanks for your help.On the 09's there is a plastic cap on the base of the rear wiper (where the arm attaches to the hatch. If you lift that piece (it is on a hinge) the whole wiper arm is free to move away from the glass.

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:31 am

Quote, originally posted by jake75 Â»90 day warranty - what a testimonial to their product.They changed it last year because people were lieing about their wipers going bad.I called the company and they said it's the same wiper. As long as you take care of them correctly they will last for years and years. I have had mine for over 4years now with out an issue. Every three months or so i take a wet paper towel and wipe them down.I wouldn't buy any other wiper anymore other than theirs.

Caretaker · Post by **Caretaker** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:09 am

On the 2009-2010, to remove the blade arm, you have to pivot up the small black plastic cover (right most side as you are facing the back of your car) with one hand underneath each side (like lifting up the hood of a car). The black cover stops the blade from lifting off of the window (unlike the first generation vibe which pivots up automatically). Once you have the black plastic cover pivoted up, you now have the ability to move the arm freely away from the window. Do so. With the arm up, grab ahold of the lower end of the blade, closest to the window, and gently pull the lower blade arm (like you are going to rip it off) over the plastic retaining point near the center of the blade arm. The arm now comes off. Is that what you needed to know Houston?

Houston · Post by **Houston** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:39 am

Quote, originally posted by Caretaker Â»On the 2009-2010, to remove the blade arm, you have to pivot up the small black plastic cover (right most side as you are facing the back of your car) with one hand underneath each side (like lifting up the hood of a car). The black cover stops the blade from lifting off of the window (unlike the first generation vibe which pivots up automatically). Once you have the black plastic cover pivoted up, you now have the ability to move the arm freely away from the window. Do so. With the arm up, grab ahold of the lower end of the blade, closest to the window, and gently pull the lower blade arm (like you are going to rip it off) over the plastic retaining point near the center of the blade arm. The arm now comes off. Is that what you needed to know Houston? Yep, that's exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks to both you and Jyik40for responding. Now that I see how it operates, I hope some employee at a car wash doesn't lift it up like they sometimes do with my '03.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:39 pm

I've always replaced them each season, one for fall/winter, one for spring/summer. I could never imagine my blades lasting longer than six months.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:02 am

It is good to hear that everyone that has used the Rain-X wipers has had a good experience.Maybe its the shape of the window but I used the Rain-X wipers on a '97 Civic and on a '01 Accord and they did not work well. Streaked some on my Civic and left a big patch of water on the downswipe on the Accord.I switched to Bosch Icon on one car and Bosch Evolution on the other. They are spendy but both work flawlessly.I change my wipers yearly - they get a workout here in the NW.The Silblade is intriguing but I'm nervous about it - I failed to change my regular old Anco/Trico what have yous one year and before I realized it I had permanent rub marks across the window on the driver's side where the mounting points were - like four lines where the glass was abraded. (Good news, finally got a rock chip that spread to a crack so now I can replace that windshield).

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:37 am

the silblade is sillcone not rubber. So it shouldn't be an issue

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:13 am

I think I'm sold. So, is the only maintenance needed a wipe with a wet paper towel every three months?Have you used their silicone windshield treatment also? I once used the Rain-X treatment but it actually left little teeny droplets on the windshield rather than a clean swipe.

Neouka · Post by **Neouka** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:48 am

I miss the Aerofoil blades that Crappy Tire used to sell. They were awesome.I refuse to buy the Reflex wipers. In the snow and ice, they snap and fall apart. One day driving through a snowstorm, I saw at least 10 reflex wipers laying on the highway, and many cars pulled over wondering what the heck to do with their broken wipers.I just run the slightly better metal-frame teflon blade ones that crappytire sells now.

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:49 am

Quote, originally posted by Kincaid Â»I think I'm sold. So, is the only maintenance needed a wipe with a wet paper towel every three months?Have you used their silicone windshield treatment also? I once used the Rain-X treatment but it actually left little teeny droplets on the windshield rather than a clean swipe.yep thats it wet paper towel on the blade now and again.I haven't needed to apply anything else, if you read the web page you will see the wipers deposit a coating to help will clearing the windshield.

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:12 am

For winter I always used the rubber-coated plaric frame wipers. Although they were completely useless above 120 and only marginal above 100, the never freeze!!!

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:25 am

Star Deceiver - 120 degrees or 120 mph?

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:32 am

Quote, originally posted by Kincaid Â» Star Deceiver - 120 degrees or 120 mph?read his post again.. he/she is in canada... (British Columbia)

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:56 am

Okay, I'm thinking that 120 degrees celsius might actually melt the wipers, if not the windshield. So, this must be 120 kph.Good to know.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:00 am

Ordered the Silblades today. I did even a bit more research on wipers and it seems like wiper performance varies between cars and between wipers (of the same brand/style/model).The Consumer Reports article is interesting because it said that the Rain-X tested "good" and was still performing the same at six months, where most others had degraded. However, my real world experience has been that my Bosch blades (one car running Icons and the other Evolutions) have been excellent all along and we are now at about 10 months since I put them on.I did replace the windshield on the Civic but since it and the Accord are older, I'm not going to get the Silblade for them - never know how long they'll stay in the family. I getting the (marginally cheaper) Bosch Evolutions for both.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:31 am

At Sam's Club last night - they had OPTIX SMART BLADE's 7.99 and 10.88 depending on size. They are the "bream" type. Might be Sam's own brand. At that price I would be willing to give them a try next time I need blades.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:32 am

Okay, don't laugh but I didn't do it.Just after I posted I went back to the Silblade site and was reading some of the user reviews. They were generally positive but had a few troubling complaints. It was going to cost me about $60 bucks for two blades. That will buy a lot of inserts at two a year. The 2009 Vibe comes with "beam" type arms, and the wipers have been performing flawlessly. I got nervous about spending that amount of money and then having one get nicked or something and that isn't covered by the warranty.Strangely, Amazon.com only listed some Trico blades when I put my vehicle info in. So, I'll be doing some figuring out what inserts will work and using those (hopefully Bosch but since a lot of the wiping quality has to do with the arm I'm thinking any high quality insert will work).

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:20 am

$60..... for wipers..... and the sad thing is, people buy them! But, whatever works for you!And yes, that is 100km/h and 120km/h, but we'll see how they work on the Vibe this winter. The Sunfire has the same wipers since when I bought it, just new blades. Refills are quite cheap at Cambodian tire, as are those rubber coated winter wipers.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:18 am

Correction: The 2009 Vibe does NOT have beam style blades - they just have a shroud over standard blade arms - I think with four contact points. Still, they are working just great for now and they look good so I'll be looking at just replacing the blades with a high quality insert.

MotoXdog · Post by **MotoXdog** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:00 pm

Waiting for the factory washer fluid to run out. As soon as it does, the Rain-X washer fluid goes in it. With all of the rain here in central FL, I won't use anything else! Pretty much doesn't matter what the wipers look like, even with the rubber starting to degrade and come off, I get a clean sweep with the Rain-X coated windshield!

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:02 am

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver Â»$60..... for wipers..... and the sad thing is, people buy them! But, whatever works for you!Yep thats what you pay for quality. I have had the same set of silblades now for over five years. Winter and summer. Just need to wipe them down with a wet paper towel every month or so and your GTG.

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:12 am

I have been getting the Anco Contour type blades lately. The perform great. I usually replace them once a year sometime in the fall.I also keep a good coat of rain-x on the exterior glass and rain-x type washer-fluid.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Fri May 21, 2010 2:20 am

I did go ahead and get the Silblades - actually the beam-style Flexblade. I ordered them last fall shortly after my last post. However, the factory blades kept chugging right along so I left them working thru the winter. I finally put the Silblade wipers on about six weeks ago.First of all, I do not recommend the beam style wipers. I think the wiper is too long (something confirmed by talking to Silblade's customer service). Out of the box the wiper kifts in the middle, right in your straight ahead line of site, leaving streaks and mush. The driver's side also chattered badly unless the window was fairly wet. The passenger side at first worked great. I hoped maybe the one would "settle down" but it has not. I did wipe the window down with Silblade's silicone treatment, and this eliminated the chatter issue. However, that also maybe explains why the passenger side to also streak a little. Pretty disappointing on blades that cost $60.Anyway, I was not a happy camper.However, I have to give big kudos to Silblade as a company. Technically, I am way outside of the warranty - which is only 90 days after purchase. I didn't even put the wipers on until well after six months after I got them. But I called Silblade today and they are sending out their standard four-point Silblade wipers today. I didn't have to b!tch or threaten - just explained the issue and their rep said they'd send me the other kind. I am hoping I can give them an excellent review after getting them on.So to recap:Thumbs down on the beam-style Silblade for the Vibe - the blade is apparently just too long to work correctly.Thumbs way way up on Silblade the company for their great customer service.

Houston · Post by **Houston** » Fri May 21, 2010 2:46 am

It looks as though this is the type of company we'd all like to see everywhere. Bottom line, though: When you get the new blades, let us know how they perform.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Fri May 21, 2010 7:07 am

We have used the Anco NeoForm blades w/great success. We liked them and they lasted well over 2 years here in the Texas sun. But I am currently trying the Rain-X Lattitude blades on the Mazda. Initial impressions are surprisingly not as good as the NeoForms.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 2:01 am

Well, my verdict is in, sorta. Silblade sent me two new wiper blades, even though I was way past any warranty period. Unfortunately, while they were going to send me the regular blade style with the four-point mount, instead, I got another two beam-style blades.They were nice enough to send replacements, so I'm not going to bother them further. I went ahead and tried out the new ones, just in case they were somehow different.No go. Long 26" blade worked a bit better, but still leave droplets on the window, and the short 17" blade worked worse. Both also chatter badly unless the window is pretty wet. I can't leave them on intermittent in a light mist, for instance. I have to have beaded droplets before I can turn them on or else they'll chatter and skip across the window. I do not recommend the Silblade beam-style blade for the '09 and '10.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 2:16 am

BTW, I am going back to the stock wiper holder, and purchased the PIAA silicone blade refills off of Amazon. They were less than $9 and $7 respectively.I recommend anyone check Amazon for blade replacement - not sure about other mail order things but Amazon was much cheaper than any local store when I last bought the Bosch Icon and Bosch Evolution beam-style blades for the Civic/Accord.I can now also recommend Michelin beam-style blades for Accord and Civic as they are functioning just as we head into fall here.

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 4:34 am

I don't have the beam style, i have the four point style. I did find that if you incounter chatter, to clean the window with comet... yes comet. Clean the window and let the wiper re-coat.I had a chatter issue when I first got my set, but not a problem now.I am going on 7years now for the same set of sil-blade wipers. The arms are rusted pritty badly now, but the wiper works great still.I'm sorry you had a bad experience.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:07 am

Yeah, too bad. I wish I'd gone for the 4-point style to begin with. But, I haven't given up on the silicone.

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:46 am

Same here! Been using Rain-X fluid for over a year now...with 2 year old wiper blades.

bull77 · Post by **bull77** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 10:14 pm

I've had the Rain-x latitude wipers for the last year. They work great except the driver side wipe always creates a smudge....

leemur · Post by **leemur** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:17 am

I've had two sets of the Michelin beam style blades on the 04 and both sets failed fast on the driver side and streaked. Since the passenger side was still good from the first set I put it on the driver side. It is only 18" and it lasted two full years.This last time I bought the Rainex Latitudes ($5 more) but got only a 19" rather than the longer original. It is doing well so far. I think the curve of the windshield (driver side) is too severe for the longer blades

jeff618 · Post by **jeff618** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 5:14 am

I switched from bosch icons to trico neoform beam blades. imo they perform slightly better, are super quiet and are less expensive. With the rebates right now, its a no brainer.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:39 am

Quote, originally posted by bull77 Â»I've had the Rain-x latitude wipers for the last year. They work great except the driver side wipe always creates a smudge....I have had the same ones for 2 year now. But they are due for replacement. I'll be doing that this weekend.

jeff618 · Post by **jeff618** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 7:54 pm

Quote, originally posted by bull77 Â»I've had the Rain-x latitude wipers for the last year. They work great except the driver side wipe always creates a smudge.... I've actually heard several times that the Rain-X are too stiff which causes contact problems and thus smudging for several people. I've also heard of guys having problems with the mounts and they sometimes bind or sometimes they're loose which also causes performance problems.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:25 am

ordered a new set of Rain-X Latitudes for the fronts and a Trico for the rear.

GOOD wiper blades

GOOD wiper blades

Re: (Sublimewind)

Re: (Whelan)

Re: (Whelan)

Re: (Whelan)

Re: (tribalman)

Re: (jake75)

Re: (Vibe_dude)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (~MRVIBE2006~)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (keithvibe)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (jake75)

Re: (Vibe_dude)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (Houston)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (jake75)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (Houston)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (Caretaker)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (Houston)

Re: (Kincaid)

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Re: (star_deceiver)

Re: (Kincaid)

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Re: (Kincaid)

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Re: (MotoXdog)

Re: GOOD wiper blades (~MRVIBE2006~)

Re: (bull77)

Re: (bull77) Rain-X wiper issues

Re: (bull77) Rain-X wiper issues (jeff618)