I own an auto repair shop. When you go to advance, pep boys, etc. (Don’t tell me you went to Auto Zone…), you have to ask for the “standard blades”. I can put blades on a car for $30, but you are hard pressed to find them on the floor for that price each. I don’t really understand what happened unless it’s the installation they are trying to make up for, but about 4 years ago, all the cheap wipers disappeared, and the premium lines went on the floor. I put the carquest xtra-clears on my f-250 ($7.00 my cost), and they seem to last and perform the same as the $50 a pop Bosch icons I was buying for a while. I think it’s mostly a fries and shakes kind of thing, sell only the premium lines, and triple your margins.

I just went through this with my truck, I found some cheap Anco winter blades that were the right size only to not get them to fit to my truck. I had to return them and buy some more expensive ones that would fit to my truck.
We have too many engineers trying to build a better mouse trap where it is not needed.

I've used Rain-X on my car windows for more than 15 years. I was initially impressed when I could see clearly through the windshield, as if it weren't there, while in a rainstorm in heavy traffic. However, be aware that if you ever anticipate having a stone chip in the windshield repaired, the repair tech informed me that they will not repair windshield treated with Rain-X as the repair material will not stick to the glass.

quote:

Originally posted by Av8nShooter:
However, be aware that if you ever anticipate having a stone chip in the windshield repaired, the repair tech informed me that they will not repair windshield treated with Rain-X as the repair material will not stick to the glass.

That's not really a concern. Any reputable auto glass repair place should be able to handle stripping Rain-X before repair. They should be thoroughly cleaning that portion of the windshield anyway before repair, and removing Rain-X from that area doesn't require any additional effort or special chemicals.

If needed, like you're doing the repair yourself or if the shop for some reason is going to charge you extra for the stripping and you want to tackle it yourself, you can easily strip Rain-X from a windshield using something like denatured alcohol or vinegar, or you can use a dedicated automotive glass cleaner, with Rain-X even selling one called Rain-X Extreme Clean that they recommend using to remove Rain-X when needed.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Costco. For sure.

Michelin on sale this month $6.99 each.
.

Yep best prices I've found on quality blades for years...

My Tundra uses some stupid arm attachment!
I wish they just used a simple J Hook and I could buy the cheapo blades.

Got lucky when Meijer had Tricos buy 1 get 1 for $1.

The Michelins came with extra plastic parts for other styles of arms. I tossed them as Sienna has the 9mm J hook. Very simple install. Noone had the darn Trico blades in stocks here.

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:
I buy the inserts cost me $12 each last month

buying the whole arm is a scam

I, too, buy the OEM blade refills.

+1 Costco ...

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
The Michelins came with extra plastic parts for other styles of arms. I tossed them as Sienna has the 9mm J hook. Very simple install. Noone had the darn Trico blades in stocks here.

I bought some Hellas that came with all sorts of plastic adapter contraptions and could not get a single one to work. So I returned them.

Rain storms coming in at 8:00 this evening. I'm gonna try em out..yes I am. Getting excited about wiper blades..

Costco. For sure.

Michelin on sale this month $6.99 each.
.

The costco michelin blades didn't work well on my BMW. It seems the blade structure wasn't stiff enough and the end chattered. Unfortunately I found out at night in a driving rain storm on a 55 MPH two lane highway that needed to be restriped.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Costco. For sure.

Michelin on sale this month $6.99 each.
.

Yep this is where I get mine. Are they the best? No but they are the best for the money spent.

This is one item from Costco that I am not completely happy with the product. For the price yes, especially when on sale, they are so so. But usually, almost without exception, I feel that I can buy a product at Costco and it is a fantastic product that meets or exceeds expectations, but these blades are pretty so so. I would love to see Costco get Bosch to make a Kirkland branded set and sell them for 1/2 the price of Bosch.

Long post warning. Recently retired parts guy here. Started as a teen in manufacturing, became a rep, then various regional sales and manager positions. Lastly part time outside sales, retail and whatever else needed doing at a large store.

Here's my take on wipers. Back in the day blades were pretty much the same and for the most part 18 to 22 inches long. So manufacturers could make a large qty of a few styles, sellers could have good coverage with few SKUs. Now there are a gazillion different styles and 26" or 28" blades are common along with various Aero styles, and BETTER materials. So now mfgs instead of making millions of a few styles have to tool up for smaller qtys of more styles for the same amount of sales. Sellers have to stock many more SKUs just to have decent coverage. All of this drives cost up. Adaptors are one way to get coverage with fewer part numbers. ie make a 22" blade that fits several applications. Low cost and low quality blades use adaptors the most. Adaptors SUCK.

To capture more market share, Mfgs and sellers offer blades at good, better, best price points. For example Bosch has 3 levels, as do many others.
I did not sell the cheap blades. I would recommend at least the mid grade. I realize that the top grade can cause sticker shock, but although you can be taken, overall you get what you pay for. I would also tell people to change their blades when they changed their clock or keep a record and do it at least annually.
It's just your Vision. Don't be the guy that saved $25 bucks then had an accident because he couldn't see shit, or even worse on a family member's car. Find a good blade from a seller that gives you a good price and buy them ahead of time. Not when they're falling apart and you're in a bind. Do you wait until your tires are completely bald before replacing them?

Done preaching but I believe this is a subject that's not taken seriously enough. FWIW I'm currently running BOSCH Icons but then I know a guy.

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter01:
This is one item from Costco that I am not completely happy with the product. For the price yes, especially when on sale, they are so so. But usually, almost without exception, I feel that I can buy a product at Costco and it is a fantastic product that meets or exceeds expectations, but these blades are pretty so so. I would love to see Costco get Bosch to make a Kirkland branded set and sell them for 1/2 the price of Bosch.

Michelin offers 5 different levels of blades and they are made by Pylon who makes blades for many sellers. Costco carries the entry level blades.

Thanks for the reminder. Living in sw Florida I replace mine at the beginning of the rainy season which will begin next month. I’ve been using RainX Latitude for years and they have done the job for me since I don’t see snow, ice or frost. Of course being old and retired, if it rains hard I just stay home. Usually nothing is so important that it can’t wait a day.

quote:

Originally posted by Joe 5632:
Thanks for the reminder. Living in sw Florida I replace mine at the beginning of the rainy season which will begin next month. I’ve been using RainX Latitude for years and they have done the job for me since I don’t see snow, ice or frost. Of course being old and retired, if it rains hard I just stay home. Usually nothing is so important that it can’t wait a day.

Latitude is Rain X's Mid/Upper level blade. Good attitude about not having to go out in the rain unless you have to. Too many people driving at half the speed of traffic with a death clutch on the steering wheel, hunched forward because they can't see. Poor skills, lights, wipers, tires, bad news for themselves and everyone else on the road.

I have a Toyota Avalon that needs some oddball wipers. It's something to do with the way they attach and the wipers that go on sale never work. Last Fall I bought a pair from NAPA that were around $50 for the pair. They were a name brand - I think they were Bosch. They were complete crap from the first time it rained.

I replaced them with the cheapest blades I found on ebay - they were about $13 for the pair delivered. Brand name is Xukey. Easy to put on and no crazy adapter like I typically have to use. It's been a few months and I am completely satisfied with them.