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Wiper Blades

bigapple

Explorer Addict
Joined
September 11, 2006
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City, State
Baton Rouge LA
Year, Model & Trim Level
'02 XLS Touring
i recently purchased the bosch icon wiper blades and i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on increasing wiper blade longevity cuz they were 20 bux a piece... i recently put 100% acetone (strong polish remover) on a rag and wiped it across the blade... seemed to work alrite and i got alot of excess rubber off but it still streaks in some places... does anyone have any suggestions on preventing streaking and smearing from the blades? seems like everything nowadays is purposely made to go bad so u have to buy new ones and im trying to find a way around having to get another set of 40 dollar blades
 



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I use winter blades from Anco. They last for years, and don't cost as much.
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I use the 3 dollar wal-mart ones. You have to replace them every few months, but with how cheap they are they work good for me.
 












You could sometimes find wiper blades in a dollar store. I don't know how good they are, but for the price they are, you could use them until they have to be replaced.

You hit my theory!
 












well i understand that... i already bought the things though and i was wondering if anyone knows of any rubber treatment or just a simple method of extending the life of the blade
 












Wow!

i recently purchased the bosch icon wiper blades and i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on increasing wiper blade longevity cuz they were 20 bux a piece... i recently put 100% acetone (strong polish remover) on a rag and wiped it across the blade... seemed to work alrite and i got alot of excess rubber off but it still streaks in some places... does anyone have any suggestions on preventing streaking and smearing from the blades? seems like everything nowadays is purposely made to go bad so u have to buy new ones and im trying to find a way around having to get another set of 40 dollar blades

Weather plays a part because if they sit without use they dry up; if they are overused, they fail... That's a lotta cash for blades! In No Ca I used the double blades from Kragen.com - inexpensive - Rally 22". In So CA, same thing, double blades, but not much rain down here... Except the rear wiper - about $15.00 for that one. They work, no issues. (I keep the old set in the back just in case one fails on the window).

What do you use them mostly for? Rain, fog? How often do you use them? You got to consider they need to be replaced about twice a year.
 












You're right, but...

I once tried those tripple edge silicone blades. I think they are junk.

It depends on the weather and how often they're used. If they were used in extreme weather zones, they probably don't sell many... but in LA what's the weather like?

If you have to use them daily, they are junk; but if you use them once in a while they are just dang purty! :D
 






ive had my icon blades on for a year now an am very happy with them never given me any problem. id try a good cleaning of the windshield an see if you streak problem goes away . do both sides have this problem ? i know when i got my pair their was a different part number for a left an right side not just a blade inch size measurement
i only paid 17 or 18 dollars for them here if they last me 4 or 5 yrs as advertised that will be money well spent in my book
 






bigapple, how long ago did you buy them?
 






I'd like to hear what you guys to do reduce NOISE from the wipers. I just put in very cheap blades and they are noisy as hell.
Bosch ICON is called "Aerotwin" here in Europe and they cost $50 a set so I will only buy them if they really help in the noise department...
Greg
 






Maybe try some silicone? Should help keep the blade from drying out and silicone is a water repellent as well. As for those wipers that have the 2 or 3 rubber wipers attached to a single frame, you have to watch as they can cause a lot drag wearing the motor out faster. My buddy had them on his jeep for a while, the motor went out during a downpour as he was heading down the highway... Used some cat 5 cabling tied to the wipers and did a richard simmons down the highway. I have been using RainX wipers for a while now and have been happy with them, have also used the teflon wipers with success as well, I have gotten well over a year on several sets of those with just cleaning them with alcohol prep pads or when washing the vehicle. I tried the michelin version of the bosch wipers, they were noisy and did not wipe well at all, tried cleaning them and the window with no luck, finally went back to the RainX and everything is quiet and wiping very cleanly.

Dan
 






I'm just put these on.
http://www.silblade.com/
I've noticed some minor streaking, but not bad. I don't know if they'll go the full 5 years, but if I can get 2 or 3 years out of them, I'll be happy. I got a year out of the last set of Bosch teflons. Mine get used an awful lot and my truck is parked outside all the time.
 






It depends on the weather and how often they're used. If they were used in extreme weather zones, they probably don't sell many... but in LA what's the weather like?

If you have to use them daily, they are junk; but if you use them once in a while they are just dang purty! :D

well i just use them to get rid of built up pollen or small dirt smudges with washer fluid maybe once a day... its usually just rain and i recently treated my glass with rainX windsheilf wax but im planning on reapplying soon... it keeps alot of stuff off but mainly im just trying to prevent minor streaking... i just hate using washer fluid to clean off the windsheild and still ending up with small white streaks... maybe im just too picky haha

bigapple, how long ago did you buy them?

i bought them in about mid july to early august... not sure which one but late summer
 






I believe standard wipers are made from neoprene, which isn't resistant to acetone, so I wouldn't use acetone to clean them. Alchohol or ammonia(Windex) are ok.
 






while we're on the topic, RainX makes a washer fluid additive. This stuff is great because when you need to reapply the RainX, just wash the windshield, and you have a new coating of RainX. This stuff is great and because of it my windshield wipes the cleanest of anybody I know.
 



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I once saw something interesting in a mail order catalog. It was a washer fluid heater which gets its heat from the engine's coolant. The idea behind it is that warm washer fluid helps loosen dirt (or bird droppings) which are stuck on the windshield. I don't know if this would be good in the winter time with a frozen windshield. The sudden blast of warm fluid might crack it.
 






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