branshew Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I just picked up a Bosch ICON wiper blade yesterday. I was running regular Bosch Microedge blades, but I was having problems with the far side of the driver's side wiper blade not making contact with the windshield on my Gen I. (So there was this annoying spot towards the passenger side that wasn't getting cleaned.) I have seen complaints about this from other members as well. Bosch has a new "aero" type blade out for the aftermarket that puts even pressure out on all parts of the blade (it uses an internal spring instead of the traditional arm). It is more aerodynamic in shape as well. I know that VW, Audi, & Mercedes have switched to this type of blade for their OEM use. I found a 22" for the driver's side, but I haven't been able to find a 16" for the passenger yet (at local stores). On Gen I cars the blade attachment has to be "modified" (cut) to work as the Bosch design won't fit on the Lexus arm out of the box. Gen I is not listed in the ICON fitment guide, but it will work if you buy them. Gen II from '95 + are listed. One warning though - they are about 2X the price of regular blades! I think that NAPA has their own brand that uses similar technology, but I've always had good luck w/ Bosch so I went w/ them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMax96 Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I've tried several different brands of wiper blades before - and I'm talking about the ones found at the various auto parts stores, not the premium ones that are $30/40 each. And since I've only had my LS for a few months, this is from use on other vehicles. I've found that most work really well initially - it's a matter of how long they last. I remember the Bosch micro edge working very well, but just didn't hold up as long as the Anco Aerovantage blades. I'm super picky when it comes to wiper blades so I replace mine about every 6 months. If they start to streak and can't be cleaned - they get pitched. On my LS, it had some crap, worn out aftermarket blades on there when I got it so I bit the bullet and purchased the Lexus brand blades. I heard they were the way to go especially since refills were so cheap. So far so good. What I'd really like to hear is an update a few months down the road to see how those Icon wipers are holding up. If they truely are that good, I'd have no prob spending the extra $$. Keep in mind my wipers have to withstand the freezing winters of the Midwest unlike some of you west coast folks. :P Thanks for the info on the Icons though - I might have to check them out, at least for my wife's vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branshew Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 I'll let you know. I'm picky w/ my blades too. I was considering going back to the stealership for some OEM blades, but I hate giving their parts dept money. The reason I went with that one is that I wasn't getting coverage w/ the MicroEdge nor w/ the other 2 aftermarkets that I tried so far. I think it's probably something to do w/ the path the arm travels in relation to the shape of the windshield as most aftermarkets have had the same problem for me. From what I can tell the Bosch look almost identical to the OEM ones on my Wife's Passat and hers have held up great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Its tough to beat the Lexus blades when it comes to quality, I've yet to find another blade that lasts as long, including Bosch and Valeo (the OEM maker of the new aero style blades). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapper_daddy Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 down here in LA blades are a pretty big deal to me too because of the rain we catch down here! on my FLAT ford windshield 2.00 blades work just fine and then i replace them every six months, but on the lex i've had really good luck with those $10 rain-X blades, i don't know what kind of technology the blade is but they are spring loaded and wipe very well without streaks at least for now, i wonder how long they'll last though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Anyone ever use PIAA wipers? I've always wanted to try them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I was going to but got the Valeo's instead. I liked the low profile look, but they didn't quite have full tension all the way at the base of the windshield on the passenger's side and they didn't last nearly long enough for the $40 a blade they want for them. I'll try the PIAAs after the Lexus ones I have on there now get old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRK Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I have used Bosch wipers for years - I put them on lots of customer cars. So when I got the LS, and the blade assemblies showed show metal through the black, I went with Bosch to get that nice new look, and new blades at the same time. Big mistake. They became noisy and skipped a lot, completely out of character with the car. On the GS I bought Toyota refills for about $7.00 each and slipped them into the original blade assemblies. Perfect. Quiet, wiped perfectly. So as I had thrown out the original blade assemblies for the LS I had to buy new from the dealer. Not cheap, and from now on I can just use the refills, but they were worth it. Quiet and wipe perfectly just like on the GS. No Bosch for me on a Lexus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CUMan Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I use after-market parts for the most part because I detest paying Lexus dealers the price that they require for their goods. However, I don't use after-market wiper blades. I have tried them all, including Bosch. None seem to work for me as well as the Lexus blades. The rubber refills are available at a very reasonable price from the Lexus dealerships that sell on the internet. Many of the after-market blades are only available now with the refill pre-attached to an inferior blade holder. The cost of this package is usually in line with what you will pay for the Lexus refills. The refills are easily attached to the OEM blade holders. I purchased my last refills from www.newlexusparts.com. They ship quickly (usually same day), and they pay shipping charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I have used Bosch wipers for years - I put them on lots of customer cars. So when I got the LS, and the blade assemblies showed show metal through the black, I went with Bosch to get that nice new look, and new blades at the same time. Big mistake. They became noisy and skipped a lot, completely out of character with the car. On the GS I bought Toyota refills for about $7.00 each and slipped them into the original blade assemblies. Perfect. Quiet, wiped perfectly. So as I had thrown out the original blade assemblies for the LS I had to buy new from the dealer. Not cheap, and from now on I can just use the refills, but they were worth it. Quiet and wipe perfectly just like on the GS. No Bosch for me on a Lexus. Thats exactly been my experience. Don't know why really. The Toyota refills are actually different from the Lexus refills, the Toyota ones aren't sillicone coated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRK Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Thats exactly been my experience. Don't know why really. The Toyota refills are actually different from the Lexus refills, the Toyota ones aren't sillicone coated. The Toyota packaged refills for the GS had a grey powdery appearance, stuff came off on my fingers. Sort of like a graphite. They worked great from the get go, and continue to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branshew Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 I have used Bosch wipers for years - I put them on lots of customer cars. So when I got the LS, and the blade assemblies showed show metal through the black, I went with Bosch to get that nice new look, and new blades at the same time. Big mistake. They became noisy and skipped a lot, completely out of character with the car. No Bosch for me on a Lexus. I had the same issue w/ the Bosch MicroEdge on my LS, but never on my ES. It's been raining heavily here all morning and the one ICON blade is performing extremely well and the MicroEdge is exhibiting it's old problems as usual. The true test will be in how well it holds up over time. FWIW - According to Bosch the ICON uses a different Rubber compound/treatment than the MicroEdge and: "The integrated wind spoiler design increases the down force on the blade edge at highway speeds, reducing blade chatter and wind noise." SW03ES - These look almost identical to the Valeos that are on my wife's VW, but the Bosch run @ $20 each vs. the $40 for the Valeos. I am getting full tension across the entire Driver's side (which is where the problem was previously w/ the other blades that I have tried). I can't say how it would perform on your ES though. Again - the initial results are good, but we'll see in the long run as that will be the true test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nc211 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I can't argue there....mine are oem put on by the dealership when I bought the car, nearly 3 years ago, and still work perfectly....of course now that I've said this I'm sure a bird will swoop down and start eating them. Its tough to beat the Lexus blades when it comes to quality, I've yet to find another blade that lasts as long, including Bosch and Valeo (the OEM maker of the new aero style blades). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcpth Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 of course now that I've said this I'm sure a bird will swoop down and start eating them. U crack me up always NC211. I'm sorry to say... but i've never tried using any of those blades. I've never even seen the factory blades in action. I've always bought the ANCO blades. Cheap affordable... n it works. But i'm assuming the life isn't as long as the blades u guys r using. Perhaps i should switch. What is the avg life span of most of the blades u guys use? I'm sure living up here... the life span decreases a lot compared to u folks living down south. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Cool, maybe I'll try em out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHJGTA Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 I got a REFLEX from Canadian Tire for our van. My wife was getting frantic and it was the driver's side so I buckled under pressure and got these for $30. It's been at least a month and it works very nicely also. Snow, rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Culberson Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Hey, how did the Bosch Icon blades hold up?? I need new blades and was going to buy the Lexus set until I saw this. I found a review on Amazon raving about them but then he updated to say they became streaky and noisy 60 days later. I like the idea but definitely want them to stay quiet for more than 60 days! I hate squeaky, chattering wipers. So spill it! Did they end up suckin' or are they still good, two years later? ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonw Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Lexus wiper blades are generally kind of expensive. If you want a more contemporary design, I recommend either the Michelin or Rain-X brand. I've had all three, and I will say the Bosch was the worst, by far. The Bosch does start streaking in a short period of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
python Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 here are the blades i have on both my cars, gen 1 Ls and a camry http://www.tricoproducts.com/brochure.cfm?...;location_id=65 also lexus does not make their own blade, im sure trico makes them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Culberson Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I'm talking about the Bosch Icon wipers that Branshew tried, definitely not the Bosch Microedge which is what I have on there. (And it's terrible.) The Bosch Icon is actually more expensive than the Lexus blades, and they're not refillable. So does anyone have long-term experience with the Bosch Icons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Culberson Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 here are the blades i have on both my cars, gen 1 Ls and a camryhttp://www.tricoproducts.com/brochure.cfm?...;location_id=65 also lexus does not make their own blade, im sure trico makes them Ahh! Those look good, too; how long have you had them and have they held up? Any squeaking / chattering when the windshield is only slightly wet? Thanks! -David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonw Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Sorry, I was referring to Bosch Icons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Culberson Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Sorry, I was referring to Bosch Icons. Ahh, thanks; I know to avoid them then! They're expensive, too, so it's too bad they don't last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Culberson Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I bought the Trico Innovision blades from Amazon for super cheap (over 50% off) and put them on a couple weeks ago. So far, I love them. They left some un-cleared spots on the windshield at first, but they bedded in or something and they clear the whole windshield now. Cleanly, quickly, and quietly. I will report back on longevity in a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexusfreak Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I got my Lexus dealer to put the OE 'refills' on & to be honest I've been disappointed with their performance thus far. At the same time they told me to stay clear of wipers like the ICON's as they are a waste of money......well my Lexus refills have been on for about two & a half months & I want them off my ES. I had a set of the ICON's on my Turbo Forester & they performed just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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