PIAA Silicone Wiper Blades

[Virtus_Probi]

I have a long highway drive coming up in about a week and I remembered a couple of days ago that I wanted to replace my wiper blades since I wasn't happy with them on another long drive last week...I tried cleaning them off before that trip and it didn't help much, they are at least a year old (maybe two?) and I figure they must have just been shot. I wanted to buy something off Amazon to get the "free" two day shipping and have them read to install before my next drive.

I have been using Bosch Icons and they have been fine, but I started thinking about trying something different. I noticed some listings for PIAA silicone wiper blades and remembered reading some good things about them, so I decided it might be worth paying the premium to give them a shot (their 26" beam blades for my driver's side were about $30, expensive but the Icons are already up around $20 in that size).

I noticed the shipping was free, but the typical delivery time for the blade I was looking at was 2-4 MONTHS! I found another 26" PIAA beam blade and that one was just plain out of stock. I figure there must either be some production problems or these suckers are just plain in demand! I didn't even bother looking for the size for my passenger side after seeing I was out of luck with the driver's side blade.

Ended up getting Icons again and slapped them on the FXT today. Does anybody have reviews of or comments about the PIAA blades for future reference?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Trico Ultra wipers from Walmart are $18 each and American-made

 

[ctechbob]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Trico Ultra wipers from Walmart are $18 each and American-made

And don't hold a candle to the Bosch blades.

One thing I will always spend money on for a better product is wiper blades, I want the best performance possible when it comes to being able to see out of the windshield.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Trico Ultra wipers from Walmart are $18 each and American-made

I was thinking about trying Walmart, but it was already late and Amazon was so easy. The WMs near me stopped carrying Bosch, so I knew I couldn't get Icons there in case I didn't find anything else I liked. Did see an Amazon listing for Trico 26" blades, but it wasn't Prime with the two day shipping that I already paid for with my $99.99...they did have good reviews.
I will keep them in mind for next time, thanks!

Hmmm...I just checked Amazon again and I could get PIAA Aero Vogue 26" beam blades in two days with Prime if I ordered right now. Guess that doesn't help me now, but I wonder if the difference is that I just searched for PIAA in particular instead of just 26" blades...oh well quite possible that the listing just changed, too.

 

[edwardh1]

wiper blades seem to get reinvented every few years, all claim to be the test.
somebody needs to do real testing on them

 

[MParr]

Buy the Valeo ONE. Valeo makes Motorcraft OE wiper blades and KIA/Hyundai OE wiper blades. Valeo makes the best wiper blades I’ve ever used.
Blades: ONE 26 & ONE 17
26 HK & 17HK

 

[danez_yoda]

Best bang for the buck is walmarts rainX bladed. Weatherbeaters i think. These will work fone for 6 months as long as you dont abuse they with heavy dust, polen or sand.

For any wiper i clay bar my windshield and apply ppg aquapel. Then the rainX bladed and the rainX orange washer fluid in the reservoir and it is good.

 

[ENGINEER60]

I always buy the cheapest rubber blades i can find and they last for many years.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: ENGINEER60
I always buy the cheapest rubber blades i can find and they last for many years.



I wonder who this one is?

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

Originally Posted By: danez_yoda
For any wiper i clay bar my windshield and apply ppg aquapel. Then the rainX bladed and the rainX orange washer fluid in the reservoir and it is good.


RainX is only used by people who don't know about Aquapel. I paid $60 ($30 per blade) for PIAA Silicon wiper blades; they're going on five years old and perform flawlessly. I've used Bosch and ACDelco and Rainx blades and almost any brand on the market...These PIAA blades (expensive) are the best I've ever had. NO noise, chattering, streaks or any misbehavior; they just work....and keep working.

 

[AVB]

Originally Posted By: ENGINEER60
I always buy the cheapest rubber blades i can find and they last for many years.
Me too, I get the blades from the commercial department at AAP. They are about $5 each and last me a couple of years with no streaking. I have never had a vehicle with super long or beam type blades though. I used to love Tridon triple edge blades they were great for scraping off love bugs, but I can't find them anymore.

 

[DBMaster]

I refilled my OEM blades with silicone inserts from Malaysia purchased on eBay for about $7. They've been working well at least two years.

 

[PimTac]

I’ve had good luck in the past with Denso blades.

 

[BHopkins]

Denso Designer. Hands down the best wiper blades I have ever used. Absolutely no streaking, squeaking, jerking, shuddering. And they last a pretty long time too. A side benefit is the look sharp.

They are OEM on your Forester, so you can get them from your local Subaru dealership. Of course they will be labeled as Subaru OEM parts. Or you can buy them as Denso Designer from Amazon.

Here is a link to the fit guide for your Forester.

http://densoautoparts.com/find-my-part.aspx#searchResults

You will see a lot of positive comments about Bosch Icon wiper blades. They are a beam style wiper blade. Personally, I've never been that impressed with beam wiper blades. While beam style wiper blades are much better than cheap conventional blades, they really don't measure up to a good hybrid like the Denso Designer or Piaa blades.

 

[oilmutt]

Just purchased 2 Siblades,from Amazon,$25.00 each, 100% silicon,my friends tell me they should last 10 years! Check them out.

 

[cjcride]

Switched the wipers once and there still was some 'smearing'. Cleaned the windshield carefully with a small amount of solvent, followed up with rubbing alcohol. Finished it off with a thorough Windex buffing, it made a significant difference.

Automatic car washes spray a wax product all over the car. Not desirable for glass.

 

[DBMaster]

The silicone refills are even cheaper on eBay now. They come in both the 6mm and 8mm spine widths. Those two sizes will fit nearly every OEM or aftermarket blade out there. You buy them in the length of your longest wiper blade and cut to fit the shorter one. Just don't be in a hurry since they ship from overseas. I found the performance to be similar to the PIAA Super Silicone wipers I used in the past, albeit MUCH less expensive. Just type "silicone wiper refill" in the eBay search bar.

 

[97prizm]

I purchased the PIAA blades for my geo years ago. They were hands down amazing when wiping, no streaks etc. It seems like the frost and ice chewed them up as they were really soft and pliable.