Hi folks,
Is there any significant difference between the various non-beam-type wiper blades available?
I live in Arizona, and the I-didn't-know-asphalt-had-a-liquid-state powerful sun can work wonders on the rubber blades. While the year is mostly dry, there are a few months of intense rain storms that stress even the best blades on my Camry's fastest setting.
I've been using Rain-X Weatherbeaters, as they're modestly priced (about $9 for the passenger side wiper, $12 for the driver side wiper), work well, and are widely available at auto parts stores, mass merchants, etc. According to the packaging, they're made in Korea and assembled in China (seems like a waste to ship them to China for assembly rather than doing it in Korea, but who am I to question them?).
Other Korean-made wipers seem to have the same design and construction, which makes me suspect that they're made at the same factory, likely to the same specs. These seem to be a few dollars cheaper than the Rain-X wipers. I can't think of the names of a few that I've seen (Valuecraft? I think that's AutoZone's house brand. Pylon?), but can anyone confirm if they're the same as the Rain-X wipers?
What about other brands? Any particularly good or bad ones? I don't mind changing the wipers out twice a year, but I absolutely cannot stand chattering wipers or smearing of water around on the windshield; the beam-type ones seem particularly prone to chattering on my windshield and appear to have the exact same blade in the housing, so I don't think it's worthwhile to pay the extra price for them.
Is there any sort of maintenance one must do to keep the blades up to par? Most people, including myself, ignore the wipers until they start to fail (e.g. smearing water around, rubber falling off, etc.) and then simply replace them. Would wiping them down regularly with some sort of cleaner or rubber treatment help preserve them?
Is there any significant difference between the various non-beam-type wiper blades available?
I live in Arizona, and the I-didn't-know-asphalt-had-a-liquid-state powerful sun can work wonders on the rubber blades. While the year is mostly dry, there are a few months of intense rain storms that stress even the best blades on my Camry's fastest setting.
I've been using Rain-X Weatherbeaters, as they're modestly priced (about $9 for the passenger side wiper, $12 for the driver side wiper), work well, and are widely available at auto parts stores, mass merchants, etc. According to the packaging, they're made in Korea and assembled in China (seems like a waste to ship them to China for assembly rather than doing it in Korea, but who am I to question them?).
Other Korean-made wipers seem to have the same design and construction, which makes me suspect that they're made at the same factory, likely to the same specs. These seem to be a few dollars cheaper than the Rain-X wipers. I can't think of the names of a few that I've seen (Valuecraft? I think that's AutoZone's house brand. Pylon?), but can anyone confirm if they're the same as the Rain-X wipers?
What about other brands? Any particularly good or bad ones? I don't mind changing the wipers out twice a year, but I absolutely cannot stand chattering wipers or smearing of water around on the windshield; the beam-type ones seem particularly prone to chattering on my windshield and appear to have the exact same blade in the housing, so I don't think it's worthwhile to pay the extra price for them.
Is there any sort of maintenance one must do to keep the blades up to par? Most people, including myself, ignore the wipers until they start to fail (e.g. smearing water around, rubber falling off, etc.) and then simply replace them. Would wiping them down regularly with some sort of cleaner or rubber treatment help preserve them?
