Good Wipers

[coolwater]

I wonder how much they charge for wipers at Toyota or Lexus dealer. Does Denso make genuine Toyota/Lexus wipers?

From my own experience on my Honda, Bosch wipers aren't that good. However, Hondas are known for bad wipers--mechanically. But, I did find surprisingly good wipers at Wal-mart and it's called LEXOR. They are of course a few bucks cheaper than Bosch yet IMO do better job in rain.

Let's hear from you guys. What do you recommend?

[bdonkersgoed]

Not a recommendation on the wipers, but have you ever tried RainX? That stuff is wicked! Put some of that stuff on your windshield and you will be amazed . . . it is like a teflon coating. Quite seriously, I could drive in heavy rain without even using my wipers!

Regards,

Bryan

[tundra-lover]

I like the stock replacements my self- cheaper. But, I've used the Michelin with good luck, and the PIAA's look really nice if you want to drop $20 a piece.

Rain X works great, just make sure you buy the paste style! I have changed over to some similar stuff in a purple bottle, I think it's made by Castrol?? Its much easier to take off!

[bdonkersgoed]

I have never seen the paste style Rain-X, and have always used the liquid (which works great).

What is the benefit of the paste over the liquid? Why do you say only to get the paste?

Regards,

Bryan

[steviej]

Here is my take on wipers since I have tried it all.

-Bosch/Triton/Napa/Anco are all about the same. Fairly cheap, readily available anywhere. However, they tend to wear out in 6 months and are not that quiet.

-Toyota OEM blades from Toyota Dealerships Parts Counter are not better than the above nor are they any more expensive. From the moment I put them on, they made a loud squeak with every pass. They didn't make it through the week.

-PIAA wipers are very expensive and come with a silicon handy wipe to apply to the window before use. Very quiet and even come in a carbon fiber pattern as well as traditional black. They run ~$25 per blade.

-Rain-X wipers (haven't tried them)

-Rain-X liquid is awesome stuff. Very easy to apply. However, every time I have applied this to any windshield, the life of the wipers decrease by half. Towards the end of their shortened life they would also start to leave trails of rubber on the window. I would assume due to premature breakdown of the rubber due to some ingredient in the Rain-X.

-Toyota/Lexus OEM blades from the Lexus parts counter are by my experience the best for the money. They are a different color than the Toyota parts counter ones and are skinnier. These are teflon coated I believe. They run a couple bucks more than the Toyota ones but last for more than a year. They are totally quiet and don't drag or wear off on the window. The withstand the snow and ice and the sun.

steviej

[bdonkersgoed]

-Rain-X liquid is awesome stuff. Very easy to apply. However, every time I have applied this to any windshield, the life of the wipers decrease by half. Towards the end of their shortened life they would also start to leave trails of rubber on the window. I would assume due to premature breakdown of the rubber due to some ingredient in the Rain-X.

I never noticed any of this steviej . . . in theory, RainX should actually prolong the life of the wiper blades to to the reduced friction beween the blade and the window . . .

Also, what so you mean by "trails of rubber"? Like the rubber was melting to the window, or disintegrating?

Regards,

Bryan

[coolwater]

I once bought and used Rain-X when it first came out (about 7 or 8 years ago?) and I know it is a great stuff. However, I wasn't driving a car that is worth regular detailing--meaning I hardly washed the car. Nonetheless, Rain-X doesn't last long and I didn't bother to re-apply it on the windshield regularly so the rest of the bottle was wasted unused.

Now, I will be using Eagle One's Wax As-U-Dry after each wash and wonder what it will do on the windshield and windows in rain.

[bdonkersgoed]

I wouldn't say that RainX is detailing . . . it is just a cool safety product. It usually last me about a month or so, and is easy to apply. And it is only like $5CAN and you can get MANY applications out of a bottle. To me, it is a great deal :)

Regards,

Bryan

[steviej]

[Also, what so you mean by "trails of rubber"?  Like the rubber was melting to the window, or disintegrating?

just as it describes. Right where the blades stop and reverse direction, there would be a build up of black rubber. It was a very thin coating that was only about 1-5 mm wide, but it was there. It came up with some elbow grease and a scotchbite pad.

But everytime I used Rain-X liquid, I would get this. I will also note that the blades that were in use that did this were Bosch and Triton.

No Rain-X, no build up. I never used it after that.

I will try it again with the Lexus blades and see what happens.

Either way, I still say, stick with the Lexus brand wipers.

steviej

[bdonkersgoed]

Weird . . . I don't doubt you . . . I just never experience that before. Maybe it is the brand of wipers we are using? Maybe RainX has an ingredient that is reacting with something in the coating of your specific blades, causing them to deteriorate?

Regards,

Bryan

[dcfish]

Go with the lexus wipers and see clearly that there is a difference .

[From my experience] ;)

[lexusk8]

I'll also put my vote in for Lexus wipers/blades. I replaced the wipers with the Lexus ones sometime in Nov. '03, and have been using them ever since with no problems. Very quiet and excellent quality.

In addition, I apply carnauba wax (same kind of wax used to wax the body of the car) onto the windshield about once every 2-3 months, which helps with the water beading during rainfalls, thus reducing the use of wipers in general. It's a great technique I've picked up long time ago when I started in the early stages of detailing my own Lex, and I urge any of you to try it out :D

[Matthew_McNally]

I have PIAA Silicone wipers on my car.

they rock.

work very well, and are practically silent

[steviej]

I forgot to mention:

I also tried the Rain-X brand Winshield Washer Fluid. It was outrageously expensive and didn't work any better than the $1.30/gallon stuff.

steviej

[Lexusfreak]

Agreed, the Raix-X washer fluid is awesome stuff! I've tried any different wipers as well (PIAA are out of my league price wise). The Lexus/Toyota are OK for most applications, but the best by far I have tried have from Napa! It's their top "all season" wiper blade (can't remember the exact name & wouldn't you know it! There website is down to boot! :chairshot: ) and a MUCH better blade then anything Bosch or Trico sells for about $30! Something to consider at least once as I will be replacing them before the snow flies. B)

[creamyy]

I hadn't replaced my wiper blades in awhile. I replaced them with Rain-X wiper blades. Doubled with Rain-X spray, it's a real pleasure to drive. The blades cost about $7-10 each.