Wiper Blade Replacements

[NovaResource2]

My original wiper blades are almost 2 years old and today I noticed the driver side blade is starting to split. So I call up a local Pontiac dealership for prices on insert replacements. Then I call a local Toyota dealership for their prices (both the Pontiac and Toyota dealerships are owned by the same person and are less than a mile from each other).Driver side front: Pontiac = 12.95; Toyota = 6.55Passenger side front: Pontiac 12.95; Toyota = 5.52Rear: Pontiac = 12.26; Toyota = 3.41Total for all 3: Pontiac = 38.16 + tax; Toyota = 15.48 + taxWhere do you think I bought them from? BTW, the Pontiac dealership only had the rear wiper in stock while the Toyota dealership had all 3.Another note, my original wiper blades have "TOYOTA" stamped on them.

[Jahntassa]

Man..that toyota dealership is cheaper than getting them from Pep Boys! (I think)... It at least has to be less annoying than trying to replace that rear blade...

[ArcsVibe]

I really don't understand the Pontiac dealer trying to screw you with those prices??? I have done the same thing in the past as well, called a Pontiac dealer for a part then called Toyota...and Toyota ALWAYS qoutes me the lowest price.Good job Nova on getting the best price ( and I am sure the best service at Toyota! )

[ragingfish]

More likely than not, the Pontiac dealer is more costly because GM has to buy the parts from Toyota...double markup.

[Mavrik]

GM always has higher prices... sadly I know I lose jobs in the shop because my parts department is priced us out of the market. Toyota prices would seem cheaper then Wal-Mart. GM has this high price with everything, not just Vibe parts. Wipers for a montana are like $25 canadian... each.

[ArcsVibe]

And then they wonder why dealerships close??

[Mavrik]

$24 for a Vibe oil filter? yeah ok sure... I talked them into selling it through our change package at cost so my oil change price did not go sky high...

[NovaResource2]

Quote, originally posted by ArcsVibe »Good job Nova on getting the best price ( and I am sure the best service at Toyota! )I didn't have the dealership install them, I just bought the parts from them. In a side note, the replacemet were just the rubber blades. You reuse the metal inserts from the originals.

[knighttony13]

Better get the Toyota wiper. Its cheaper and will surely fit your car. After buying my wiper blade refills for toyota i was excited to install it because i have been told that the quality is really excellent but then i realized that i am not yet familiarized on doing stuffs on my own. i even had to research online for some DIY steps. lol. keep it up!

[ehoff121]

Anco wiper blades and refills from Wal-Mart are a good value.

I've used Toyota blades and refills in past, but it seems like they changed the "formula" at some point in the last couple of years and the last set I had didn't last very long.

The Anco blades were rated highly by Consumer Reports and they are cheap enough to change as often as needed.

Also, consider installing driver side blades that are an inch or two longer to decrease the size of the "triangle" in the middle.

[Mark]

I like the Michelin Stealth blades, about $12 ea at Walmart. I replace them once a year, usually just before winter so later this month or in October, depending on the weather. Probably don't need to do it that often, but the Vibe is not garaged and the sun at 6000 feet takes a toll on them. And I'd rather know I have good ones than find out during a blizzard in December that they suck.

[circuitsmith]

There's lots of online vendors that sell Toyota parts at reasonable prices.
I order wiper blades, filters, drain plug washers to last a couple of years.
Here's a few I've used:

http://www.toyota-parts-dealer.com/factory.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ ... eid=214001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.toyotaparts4u.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;