I seem to remember back when I was younger that windshield wiper blades and auto thermostats seemed to last forever.
You could just get a replacement wiper blade (blade only) at the gas station, an attendant would install it while they filled your gas tank, after they did your windows and checked your oil.

Now, no matter how much I spend on a wiper blade and arm they start streaking in a few months.

As far as thermostats, I seem to constantly be replacing them in my Jeep Commander with the 5.7 Hemi engine.I have installed at least 3 in the last 5 years. I only purchase the Mopar one that came from the factory.
I remember back in the 60's-70's that a thermostat never seemed to go bad. You could replace them by season if you wanted, a summer stat and a winter stat but that was only if you wanted to, not because they failed.
I also go through thermostats on my Kubota 4 cyl. diesel generator engine.

Does anybody else have these problems?

I hear ya. But, if you're 1) putting in new thermostats without 100% flush and 100% new coolant, or 2) using thermostats from auto parts stores, that's on you. Either of those practices are not ideal. If you use real OEM (Real OEM, not OEM compatible) thermostats and cooling fluids, you'll be gtg. Same goes for radiator caps. Stick with Dealer OEM provided parts for these three items and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I work on old cars for a hobby and I've been burned on those three items as well, before starting to use Dealer Supplied OEM parts only for those particular parts. Not everything of course, but for those three 100% yes.

Regarding wiper blades, yes I agree. Today's blades are not very durable. I heard that silicone blades are more durable than the standard rubber blades, but I'm too cheap to spend big money on expensive blades for my old cars. If I had a late model luxury or performance car, then yea I'd try the silicone blades.

Edit - my mistake, I see you're buying factory supplied thermostats. Sorry. BUT, if you're reusing OLD coolant, that stuff becomes acidic, loaded with dirt, and its additives are used up when it gets some age on it, so maybe that's killing your thermostats. Just because the manufactures claim "lifetime fluids" etc., that's 110% pure f------ b-------. Flush and replace 100% with new Dealer supplied coolant for ANY new thermostat. And when you fill, if you're adding ANY water, use ONLY distilled. Tap water cannot help any thermostat. Keep that system clean and pure. That internal environment is hot and dirty by nature, so don't help it out with two strikes against it.

For wiper blades, I used to buy them on Rock Auto when I made an order. They always for some on clearance for a few bucks.

Now I just buy the rubber blade from Honda for my car. Takes maybe a minute to remove the old rubber blade and insert the new one. I can do both front blades for under $15.

I have gotten to the point where I just swap wiper blades seasonally. Once in spring and again in the fall.

My brothers old car had the thermostat located under a cap. Unscrew cap, swap thermostat, start engine, wait for air bubbles to clear, replace cap. Takes about five minutes.

Mine? Maybe five hours?

As for wiper blades, I've always had good luck with the Bosch Icon blades. They are good for a few years.

Dirty wipers can make a wiper look like it needs replacing. Have you tried cleaning your wipers with alcohol wipes? It'll take several to get truly clean.

My Feb 2019 Bosch Icon blades are finally on the verge of being replaced. To be fair, they have an easy life since they don't experience winter and it's a garage kept vehicle (park in middle level of parking garage at work too). The hardest thing on them is I put up the silver windshield reflector when I park in a parking lot. When I lived in Alaska and Can-eh-duh, I used Icons on those trucks and experienced multi-year life too (it helped that I clean off my windshield fully in the winter).

IME, not all Bosch wipers are created equal. A few years ago, Dad and I were driving in 40 degree rain in his car and the wipers were chattering like crazy. We stopped at a big box store about an hour into the 2.5 hour drive where purchased and installed some non-Icon Bosch (can't remember the model name, but were much cheaper even though they looked similar to the Icon). Bastards chattered almost as bad as the worn out ones we'd thrown away. The next day, Dad returned the wipers, bought some Icons, and zero chattering.

a good cleaning and clay bar of the wind screen may help your wipers as well.

Thompson makes a good thermostat. Napa has most likely changed it to NAPA THOMPSON, good reputable item. 10-4 on the alcohol wipes!

quote:

Originally posted by armored:

As far as thermostats, I seem to constantly be replacing them.... I have installed at least 3 in the last 5 years. I only purchase the Mopar one

Thats absurd. I wouldn't buy that brand again. I only use Stant Superstats, as a plus most have an air bleed valve in it or a V notch. In some 50 years of replacing T-stats as needed I can't remember replacing one more than once in the same engine, unless it's getting an overhaul and I keep my vehicles a long time.

If I can't find one with the bleeder valve I drill a 1/8 hole in it. Hole/valve goes up to the highest direction. This allows a small flow of coolant (and any trapped air) to bypass the T-stat and prevents a slug of cold coolant from being trapped behind the T-stat, preventing it from opening when it should... More a problem on some engines than others.

I use a razor blade on the entire windshield with soapy Dawn water about every year or two followed by a wipe over with a Dobie pad. I then pinch the dobie onto the wiper blades and give them a bit of scrubbing. Unless your wipers are just gone, you likely get them working like new for some time to come.

Oh and I stopped attacking giant bug splats with wipers and sprayers. You can ruin your blades that way. I hit em with the razor wherever I'm parked somewhere. Wipe off with a fast food napkin and then wash the resultant dust off with wipers and washers once I get going again..

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 83v45magna,

quote:

As far as thermostats, I seem to constantly be replacing them in my Jeep Commander with the 5.7 Hemi engine

After you remove the Thermostat, have you tested them to see if it's really bad? Remove it when it's cold and put in a jar of boiling water, see if it moves like it should.

There are a lot of other things that could make your vehicle seem like it's a thermostat problem when it's really pockets of trapped air, leaking head gaskets to name a couple.

My 2019 Fiesta ST is still using the same wipers that were on it when I bought the car new. As for the coolant that and the original radiator got the heave ho within 3 months of purchase, because Ford is notorious for putting a marginal radiator in these cars. Now I can pull a 7& grade for 5 miles without the engine temp ever changing in mid August.

Now for a couple of notes. It seems to me that radiator caps have gone the way of the Dodo. Now to drain the cooling system you have to pull the bottom hose off the radiator and to fill the system you need and air compressor and a vacuum filler.

Second, Thermostats are not easy to replace on many of these engines. On my Fiesta it's about 2 hours work to burrow down to the thermostat. On a Jeep compass it's an 8 hour job that runs close to 1000 dollars at a dealer. The fact is that cars made today are not designed to be serviceable, they are designed by idiots without any supervision and "service" can in some cases require partial dis-assembly of the car.

Wipers, like many auto parts these days such as rotors, are dispensable. I just replace them every year. They go on sale at Costco or Sam's for $7 each. I'm not going to try to salvage wiper blades by just changing the blade or cleaning them with alcohol wipes. My time is worth more than trying to save a few dollars each year.

Had to buy a thermostat at the local O'Reilly's for my squarebody. All they had was some cheap imported brand. Wanted a Stant but took what was available, two months later I threw it in the trash and replaced again with a Stant. Junk Chinese parts drive me crazy.

We are seeing a lot of new parts not holding up. Working on buses and it seems the quality has gone down hill recently.

My last set of blades for my 2016 Chevy Spark were $66.00! I made the mistake of telling the auto parts clerk I want the best.