How often do you change wiper blades

[Inspector1]

every 3 months
every 6 months
once a year
When metal scrapes glass

Theres alot of people that drive with bad wiper blades.....???

[benjamming]

Has anyone had any better luck with blades from the dealer rather than parts stores such as Anco or Trico? I only get 6 months from these aftermarket wiper blades. These are on my Pontiac. I have had my Honda for 18 months & the blades are still good. I clean my blades every few months with isopropyl alcohol. I know that shortens the life but is the best way to clean them.

[feferic]

I am one of those people that drives with bad wiper blades! Its such a treat when I do finally replace them!

[princess]

We usually replace them in Oct. with the first rain. Mine first so he doesn't have to listen to me gripe. They just don't ever seem to make it through the Summer without getting brittle....& my car's garaged!

[BenjiBoy650]

I only replace them when they get too bad. I realized they were "too bad" when one morning fog formed on the OUTSIDE of the windshield even after I cleared it, then the sun was perpendicular to the windshield and the wipers wouldn't wipe all the fog off. Ooo...that's not good...can't see. So yeah I replaced them with Bosch blades, and my dad got very mad at me for spending $35 on that :) Customer appreciation month at Honda in October, free wiper blades!!! Of course that came out about 2 weeks after I spent my $35.

[Inspector1]

Interesting,


I see quite a few cars with blades shredded... I can't understand why?? 6-8 bucks to see when it rains/snows....:confused:

I replace mine after summer and after winter... I "always use" OEM Honda inserts and did for the 180k+ that I put on my 5th Gen.

I know that if you have any type of vehicle with a heated windshield you will have to replace more often....


I1:)

[BenjiBoy650]

I find that some car wipers don't cover enough area or other things like that. For instance the Camry blades start to lift at around 80MPH....so above that they're useless. That's why Mercedes has downforce blades on the wipers haha those are so cool.

[Inspector1]

You can purchase aftermarket downforce blades for most cars....
But, I cannot personally admit if they work or not........

Most European vehicles have some advantage over US, due to the fact that they have such stringent safety regulations and have to rate a higher speeds...

Most Benz's and BMW's have aero/type wipers........

Benjamming,

On the ? Dealer Vs Aftermarket ....
It depends on the vehicle, I use trico on my van, but that is what it came with.(Mazda\Ford)
You will find 75% of vehicles on road today have either Anco/Trico/Bosch blades and inserts, The Blade Frame may be specifically manufactured for each vehicle but inserts with fit several styles of frames....
It's just tough sometimes to figure out who? manufactured frames sometimes.....

I tried Trico inserts in my 5th Gen and was not happy with the job they did, since then only Honda...

I1:)

[benjamming]

Thanks for your reply.
I haven't changed the refills on my Accord yet - 18 months & going. I still have great visibility in rain.
The Pontiac is where I have had terrible time with refills. Within 1 week my Trico & and now my Anco blades are not very good. They stay for 6 months. I guess I'll go to the dealer & see what they have to offer, besides a heart attack when I see their prices.

[Accord9404]

Anco makes WP with silicon rubber which they guarantee for life. What more can you as

[according2me]

I use RainX and very rarely use my wipers. Mostly used at lower speeds when wind isn't sufficient to blow moisture away.

Have used Lexor inserts, but they tend to chatter. Not sure if the RainX causes this or the inserts, but it is annoying.

[Unity1]

PIAA wipers for me. I put a set on shortly after buying the car.

The rain always beads with these wipers..... and no Rain-X.

Rain-X dries out your wipers... leading to cracking that yields streaks when you use the wipers.

There's some cloth they ship with the PIAA's.... that's soaked in some really special stuff.... that I can't read because the package is filled with Chinese or Japanese characters. You wipe this all over the clean windshield before using the PIAA wipers.

I don't know what it does... but when you use it and the PIAA wipers, it beads up the water really well... and for a lot longer than Rain-X will before you have to reapply it.

[benjamming]

What is PIAA?

[Unity1]

http://www.piaa.com/WiperBlades/WiperBlades.html

[Dave]

i had a car once, years ago, that had a groove etched into the winshield from the metal scratching back and forth. still only replace them when i cant see worth a damn in the rain. dont mean to. just keep saying "i'll do it tomorrow" and before i know it, a month or more has passed....

[Greg]

Originally posted by Unity1
PIAA wipers for me.

Me too, these wipers work really well in the rain, and I would recommend a set to anyone that lives where thunderstorms are common. The water beeds and sheets off really well, and in the down-pours you can notice a huge difference.

[anysia]

might have to try the piaa ones... we have plenty of blinding downpours around here.

i've used mostly honda refills. the guy who does my oil lchanges gets them for about $3.50 i think... so it's about the same price as the refills everywhere else. not bad. :)

but when left to my own devices, i let em go until i notice smearing that can't be fixed by thoroughly cleaning the blades. it varies drastically depening on ice storms/snow storms,etc....

on my first car, i made the mistake of letting the passenger side one actually start to rip... yikes. :blush: won't let that happen again!

my husband's were so bad that half of the blade went flying during a downpour recently! (i had been telling him for MONTHS to get new ones.) of course i was driving the car when it happened and i couldn't see a damn thing! lucky him was driving my brand new accord right in front of me. (during my scared to drive it phase! :blush: ) needless to say i stopped at the nearest store and toldhim to get himself new blades and i was taking MY car home!:D

[BenjiBoy650]

October is the month of free wiper blades around here. At least at the Honda dealer lol. Anyways my Bosch wipers work really well all the time, but I want to see how long they last. So far it's been about 10 months and still working like a charm.

[stiller fan]

i have been browsing ur forum, and decided to join...got a 93 accord 10th anniversary edition with over 203k miles on it! :D :blah: ;) :) anyhow, i can't stand streaks on my windshield...it drives me nuts...but, i somehow live with it. i bought those new teflon blades that they came out with last year, and they're still on there. :-) may have to replace them soon though...i try to give them 6 months of service, along wih using lots and lots of rain-x washer fluid...it does wonders let me tell you... :cool:

[princess]

Welcome, stiller fan!

We have found in the past that getting the window REALLY clean with fine steel wool & glass polish before using products like Rain-x can also help keep streaks at bay.:)

Hope you enjoy the input from the bunch here!:D

203K.....finally broke in, huh?;)

[stiller fan]

203K and counting!!! :D hoping to get about 400k out of her....

[princess]

We got 385+ out of an '82 Accord, & our daughter has about that on her '87 Accord, her '90 Civic was retired at about 350+.....the speedometer wasn't working for about a year, so it may have had more. We estimated from just their "normal" commute driving, not any errand running.

It can be done!!:D

[Inspector1]

Update,
I have been using 303 aerospace protectant on wipers and it works great:thmsup:

May only have to change once a year with this treatment.... we will see how they work when the snow comes?

I1 :)

[princess]

Be sure & keep us posted. I don't deal with snow here.....but there's a bunch in the mix that do.

Where'd you get this 303 stuff?

[Inspector1]

Direct...
http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=protectant

CMA.....
http://www.properautocare.com/303.html


I bought mine here.... had a 75.00 order so free shipping..
http://www.superiorcarcare.net/303aerprot.html

I am not using the wiper wipes.. just the protectant...Thats probably what they treat the wipes with?? All in all I am very impressed with their products... I have Protectant,Cleaner,Spot cleaner and Fabric guard..

I1:)

[Coil99]

I haven't been good about changing them in the past. But I'm going to make a better effort to keep them current. As Inspector1 noted, it's cheap money for safety.

[stiller fan]

still going on the teflon wiper blades....about 15 months now, and the only streaks that i see are when i get sprayed from other cars/trucks....

[BenjiBoy650]

I'm really starting to curse - after I put Rain-X on the windows my wipers streaked like hell. Only been 11 or 12 months now....wipers fault or mine for using Rain-X? I'm gunna go to the store to get some of this 303 protectant - even though the only store that carries it is 20 miles away.

[Unity1]

Well, from what I know, Rain-X dries out your wiper blades... and dried rubber cracks.. resulting in streaking when you use the wipers.

Basically, Rain-X aged your wipers faster than they normally would.

[Coil99]

Originally posted by Coil99 on 10-22-2004



Finally changed them today. Only took me about a month. :eek:

[Coil99]

Originally posted by Inspector1
6-8 bucks to see


Paid $12 + tax at the Honda dealer. More than most folks pay from a dealer?

[Inspector1]

Call Tim @ HondaAcura World
1-888-RAY-LAKS (Monday thru Friday, 7am-5pm EST).

My last 3 were 6.66 a set from Tim back in March

I buy at least 3 sets at a time and Oil Plug Gaskets, cabin filters etc.

Here's online...
#15 & #17 Your dealer charged more the list?
http://www.torringtonhondaparts.com/torrington/jsp/prddisplay.jsp?catcgry1=ACCORD&catcgry2=1999&catcgry3=4DR+EX&catcgry4=KA4AT&catcgry5=FRONT+WINDSHIELD+WIPER&yr=1999

I1:)

[Coil99]

Originally posted by Inspector1
Your dealer charged more the list?

Yes, I guess the dealer did.

I checked your link and the part numbers match my invoice. But I paid a bit more than what your guy has them for. For me, the total price was $12.15 - which breaks down to $5.56 each plus $1.03 in tax.

[jbungard]

The 110-degree plus summers do a number on exposed rubber and plastic. The wiper blades usually dry-rot from the heat and lack of use. When the summer monsoon season hits the valley in July, I usually have to replace the wiper blades. I've been using Bosch wipers and refills purchased from Pep Boys. The tip about the lifetime guaranteed Anco blades sounds promising.

I use Rain-X during the monsoon and fall/winter rain seasons. Also prior to long trips. Again, the fine steel wool and glass polish prior to applying Rain-X sounds like a good idea.

(The excellent ideas shared on this site are one of the reasons that Drive Accord is one of my favorite web sites!)

[stiller fan]

does anyone know of aerodynamic wipers that won't freeze up in the winter???? i want to replace mine with heavy-duty ones, but they're useless above 65-70mph....:(

[Inspector1]

Well I have stretched mine out to almost a year buy cleaning every time I clean my windshield with a damp cloth. I have been applying 303 every month or 2 and that seems to make a big difference.
I know the cleaning makes a huge difference also, the road grit really likes to sit on the top edge and then when you get rain and turn on it cuts micro grooves in that edge of the blade.
Thats why they tend to streak worse on the up-sweep and clean better on the down sweep??

I1 :)

[anysia]

mine were just changed at my last oil change. a little bit over a year on the original blades and not much special treatment. vlr'd them once, but that's it. :thmsup:

[hermann]

I change about once a year. My blade of choice is the Lexor brand at Wal-Mart. They are quiet and clean streak free. They usually last about a year but never seem to fall apart and put metal on the windshield...And best of all they became available recently as blade only without the arm.

Dan

[04blkpearlcoupe]

I used to armor all my wipers every time I washed the car and never had to replace them. I got lazy after I bought the accord and haven't armor-alled them yet.

[BenjiBoy650]

I don't treat mine special and they work okay still. At least much better than on my dads old cars...when he never replaced them you could never see in the rain.

[SSMV6]

My dad doesn't like changing wipers unless they're falling off the blade! He always complains that it cost too much to change wipers all the time... :nuts:

I like seeing where I'm going when I'm driving!

[stiller fan]

i agree with you, ssmv6... :yes:

i was thinking of buying a set of silblades..... they are supposed to be guaranteed for 5 years. not sure if i believe it or not.

http://www.silblade.com/ <---- their website touting thier blades.

[lilduke99]

I used to change summer blades once a year when I had a garage, but now that its out in the sun all the time they dry up and crack quicker. I switch to winter blades in the winter and they usually last for two years.

[BuyAccord]

The rubber in wiper blades develop a "set" in one direction while pressed against the windshield for a long time. The rubber is supposed to change direction with each swipe of the blade. If the wiper rubber does not change direction with each swipe, the wiper requires replacement. Wipers should be changed at least every 6 months. I change mine 4 times a year.

I've been using the Michelin High Performance Blades lately. They are made by Pylon. They have the huge 26" Accord driver's side wiper blade as well. You can find them at Wal*Mart.

[SSMV6]

Did you perhaps use Rain-X on the windshield? I've stopped using that stuff since I got my Accord back in March. 6 months and 7000 miles later, the wipers still wipe like new! The rubber is still soft and it's not cracked. There are no streaks and no noise except at the end of the stroke (can't avoid that). I've convinced myself that the awe of seeing beads of water roll up the windshield isn't worth having to change the wipers every 4 months. I was actually so impressed with the quality of the OEM wipers that I got 3 sets of inserts 1 month after I got my car! :)

[BuyAccord]

Did you perhaps use Rain-X on the windshield? I've stopped using that stuff since I got my Accord back in March. 6 months and 7000 miles later, the wipers still wipe like new! The rubber is still soft and it's not cracked. There are no streaks and no noise except at the end of the stroke (can't avoid that). I've convinced myself that the awe of seeing beads of water roll up the windshield isn't worth having to change the wipers every 4 months. I was actually so impressed with the quality of the OEM wipers that I got 3 sets of inserts 1 month after I got my car! :)
No, I never use Rain-X. That stuff is terrible. However I have found that Rain-X wipers are good. The 2003 thru 2005 Accords all use a 26" wiper on the driver's side. ANCO (for example) doesn't make a 26" blade. Also, 26" blades are sometimes difficult to find at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc.

Right now I have a 26" Rain-X wiper on the driver's side and an 18" ANCO on the passenger side. Also, I live in the sunshine state and my car is not in a garage nor does it spend any time in the shade. The sun's UV rays cause rubber to become brittle rather quickly. When we get rain in the sunshine state, it pours! Good wipers are cheap insurance.

[stiller fan]

No, I never use Rain-X. That stuff is terrible. However I have found that Rain-X wipers are good. The 2003 thru 2005 Accords all use a 26" wiper on the driver's side. ANCO (for example) doesn't make a 26" blade. Also, 26" blades are sometimes difficult to find at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc.

Right now I have a 26" Rain-X wiper on the driver's side and an 18" ANCO on the passenger side. Also, I live in the sunshine state and my car is not in a garage nor does it spend any time in the shade. The sun's UV rays cause rubber to become brittle rather quickly. When we get rain in the sunshine state, it pours! Good wipers are cheap insurance.

i have visited florida before, and know about your "passing showers"..... :nuts: :lmao:

[princess]

i have visited florida before, and know about your "passing showers".....

When we visited both Julys, those "passing showers" were knee deep!! :yes:

[stiller fan]

they always are knee-deep..... :lmao:

fun to drive on the highway when it happens..... yet another reason to use rain-x..... :nerd: :yes:

[princess]

Our very first day of our first trip there they had a bigger shower.... they were telling people to stay home & off the roads. We waded to the car & drove to Magic Kingdom. All our rain gear was in the car. The window was down & the seat (my side) didn't dry out in the 10 days we were there!! I had to sit on my wind breaker the whole time!

Those showers are fun!

We had one here yesterday. A lady in Modesto was hit by lightening! I house closer to us was also hit. It put a 4' hole in the wall.

[BuyAccord]

Last week I was headed east bound on Interstate 10 and traveling at 75 MPH on cruise. The sky got dark and I observed several rain bands from hurricane Rita passing through. The rain came down in torrents and I noticed that most of the other cars headed for the shoulder or slowed way down because they could not see clearly.

My windshield was clean and I had a new set of wipers. My vision was never obstructed. I could easily continue at 75 MPG without fear of reduced visibility. Of course, I had to dodge the many other drivers that had to slow down because of their improper windshield maintenance, but I was safe the entire time. The other drivers had compromised their own safety and the others on the road with them.

I observed several drivers activate their 4-way flashers while driving! This is, of course, a very dangerous (and illegal) practice.

[Unity1]

PIAA wipers come with a cloth soaked in some kind of substance... like a nearly-permanent Rain-X. Clean the windshield, rub this substance on, and water will ALWAYS bead up on your windshield... and, with the PIAA blades anyway, will nearly never wipe off or wear out. As an added-bonus, it won't dry-out your blades like Rain-X will.

My old car, a 2000 Dodge Intrepid, had PIAA wipers with that stuff on the windshield... and when I sold the car, after 3 years of rain, scraping off snow and ice, and insects a-plenty in the summer, etc... water still beaded.

[BuyAccord]

I don't use Rain-X. The active ingredient in Rain-X is isopropanol which is a very strong solvent. Rain-X and other substances like it, will damage paint, plastic trim as well as door and window gaskets. Even if you are careful to apply Rain-X only to the windshield surface, the isopropanol will be carried off the glass by rain and it will slowly degrade all plastic and paint with which it comes into contact.

It's simply better to keep your glass surfaces clean and free from all wax, isopropanol and other contaminants. Whether you drive your car or not, your window glass is constantly getting dirty! The most obvious source of dirt is common road grime. As we drive down the road the vehicles in front throw off an oily mix of junk that sticks to our cars. Rain-X actually causes your windshield to catch more of this road grime. A clean windshield will catch less.

The second cause of glass dirt is not so obvious. Have you ever noticed that the inside of your vehicle glass has an oily film on it? If you're not a smoker, then where does this come from? That film is a mixture of chemicals, mostly a group of chemicals called Phthalates (pronounced Thall-eights). These chemicals are called plasticizers and they are used to soften plastics. Many of the plastic items around you are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This is normally a very stiff plastic, but by adding phthalates, it can be made soft and flexible. Then it is made into dashboards, seat covers and all sorts of other things. When the plastic gets hot, some of the phthalates evaporate. At night, when things cool off, they condense on the cool glass, leaving the film that you see. They are also a part of the "new car" smell that many people like.

It takes some time, but if you want good vision, you must clean both the inside and outside glass on a regular basis.

[BenjiBoy650]

It's simply better to keep your glass surfaces clean and free from all wax, isopropanol and other contaminants. Whether you drive your car or not, your window glass is constantly getting dirty! The most obvious source of dirt is common road grime. As we drive down the road the vehicles in front throw off an oily mix of junk that sticks to our cars. Rain-X actually causes your windshield to catch more of this road grime. A clean windshield will catch less.

I don't understand what is the advantage of keeping glass free of wax. I use wax on my windows and they bead water extremely well - as good as Rain-X. They do seem to make the wipers "chatter" slightly - but they make no noise, you can only tell because sometimes they sweep unevenly on the downstroke.

[stevel]

when they don't clear well anymore.

[BuyAccord]

I don't understand what is the advantage of keeping glass free of wax. I use wax on my windows and they bead water extremely well - as good as Rain-X. They do seem to make the wipers "chatter" slightly - but they make no noise, you can only tell because sometimes they sweep unevenly on the downstroke.
Well, I have to admit that I have an advantage. I live in a rural coastal area of Florida and our local water is very soft (low mineral content). In addition, air pollution in our area is almost non existent. Our ambient air quality is excellent so we don't have the air quality problems you have in the Bay area (I used to live in Hillsborough, CA) such as the high particulate matter and ozone levels. In your area, a coat of wax on the windshield is probably a good idea as it would serve to protect against the dirty rain.

[Inspector1]

Bringing this one back.....

Well after 2 years my right wiper had developed a slight rip, so I replaced them.
That confirms that cleaning blades often and using the 303 has increased the life span of blades(for me personally).
I have been lax on upkeep for the last year due to my past work schedule.
So I believe that with regular cleanings and the 303 treatment I could possibly go for more than 2 years on a set now.

Just an observation I am sharing.:thmsup:

I1:)