Wiper blades.

[DBMaster]

Here is one of my acid tests for wiper blades or inserts. Notice on this new insert how the squeegee stands straight up from the spine. When the wipers are pressed against the windshield by the wiper arm the squeegee eventually becomes less perpendicular. Often the acquired angle will vary across the length of the blade. Once they become "bent" enough you will get that skipping or noise. The very thin portion of the rubber joining the squeegee to the spine becomes less flexible with age. Once that happens you have no choice but to replace them if you want to restore performance.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I bought some NAPA branded Trico Teflon blades on a clearance sale from Rock Auto. The boxes had that kind of dust on them that screamed "old." They worked well, but did not last long. I guess I got what I paid for, but I won't be doing that again.


I also did that and replaced all the wipers in the Equinox and Malibu. So far so good. I have been very happy with them. Considering I bought them for roughly $1.50 a piece anything over 6 months I consider I got my monies' worth.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: marine65
The Sentra needs new blades.
I always buy them at Walmart. The beam type runs from about $14 to $18 each.
I went on Rock Auto and bought a set of Bosch Clear Advantage beam blades for $15.79 for both blades including shipping.
Why buy at Walmart?
I also saw standard spark plugs for under $2.00.
Iridium plugs for $7.00.


I'm going to offer what is probably an unpopular opinion: BEAM WIPER BLADES SUCK ROCKS. I've tried a few different brands in several applications, and they all simply suck. The problem is inherent- the tips of the blade are only held against the windshield by the built-in "arch" of the beam, which lets the ends lift very easily. In contrast, the center of the blade is smashed hard against the windshield by the full force of the wiper arm spring, and so it scrubs too hard and won't re-orient properly when the wiper stroke reverses.

In contrast, traditional wiper blades have a series of articulated mechanical arches which take the strong pressure of the wiper arm and evenly distribute it to 6 or 8 points equally along the whole length of the blade, and the inherent stiffness of the blade only has to maintain pressure over 3-4 inches between the contact points instead of ~9-12 inches from the center of the blade all the way to the tip like a beam blade.

The downside of traditional blades is wind resistance and tendency to lift at high speed. So the best of both worlds are the hybrid blades that have articulated arches underneath, and an airfoil "shell" over the outside to prevent lift. Examples are RainX Fusion and Michelin Stealth.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I bought some NAPA branded Trico Teflon blades on a clearance sale from Rock Auto. The boxes had that kind of dust on them that screamed "old." They worked well, but did not last long. I guess I got what I paid for, but I won't be doing that again.


I also did that and replaced all the wipers in the Equinox and Malibu. So far so good. I have been very happy with them. Considering I bought them for roughly $1.50 a piece anything over 6 months I consider I got my monies' worth.


I was not unhappy with them, for the price I paid. My car sits in a parking garage by day and my garage by night. They lasted close to a year. So, my definition of "long" is relative. I think they would have been awesome if they had been newer. The rubber spines were a bit stiff from the get-go.

 

[marine65]

The blades came today and I put them on.Ran the washers and of course they were much better than the old ones.
And as poster Duffyjr said I put the old ones in the trunk for emergencies.I never thought of that.
I showed a friend of mine Rock autos site and he was amazed at the price of blades.
He bought blades for his truck and wife's car and it was close to a $100 with sales tax.
On Rock auto with shipping maybe $40 for good blades for both vehicles.

 

[xfactor9]

Wiper blades don't go bad if stored indoors in a controlled climate, like in a store.

One of my cars has 6+ year old blades and they're still like new. That car is always garaged and temps are very mild around here. It's also rarely driven in the rain

 

[ryanschillinger]

Just gotta say. I love rockauto. I started ordering from them several years ago, never had a problem, and have saved TONS of money.

 

[DBMaster]

My use of Rock Auto is more related to being able to find better quality parts than at your average auto parts store and avoid the whole terrible parts store experience.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
Here is one of my acid tests for wiper blades or inserts. Notice on this new insert how the squeegee stands straight up from the spine. When the wipers are pressed against the windshield by the wiper arm the squeegee eventually becomes less perpendicular. Often the acquired angle will vary across the length of the blade. Once they become "bent" enough you will get that skipping or noise. The very thin portion of the rubber joining the squeegee to the spine becomes less flexible with age. Once that happens you have no choice but to replace them if you want to restore performance.

I guess I'm the only one who rotates his wiper blades. To prevent taking a set, I'll flip them over so they bend in the other direction when parked. Or sometimes I'll just lean them the other way in the parked condition.

I don't replace wiper blades until they start falling apart. Also, I don't buy wiper blades. I go trash picking every time I'm at the auto store. People throw out good blades. Half the ones I trash pick are perfectly fine. I believe they replace the blades, when it's really some other problem, like a dirty blade, dirty windshield, or the windshield needs the cerium oxide treatment.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
I guess I'm the only one who rotates his wiper blades. To prevent taking a set, I'll flip them over so they bend in the other direction when parked. Or sometimes I'll just lean them the other way in the parked condition.

I don't replace wiper blades until they start falling apart. Also, I don't buy wiper blades. I go trash picking every time I'm at the auto store. People throw out good blades. Half the ones I trash pick are perfectly fine. I believe they replace the blades, when it's really some other problem, like a dirty blade, dirty windshield, or the windshield need the cerium oxide treatment.


I think you are a bit more obsessive about saving money than I am, but these are all sound ideas.