Rear Wiper Blade Replacement

[osjohns]

I bought new rear rubber for the wiper on my 08 RX350. I know how to lift the arm up and remove the whole rear blade from it, but could only get the old rubber out by grossly bending the rubber and the steel tines on either side of the rubber. Now the steel is slightly deformed and the blade won't wipe completely at the top of the window where the glass has more curvature. Is there some way I should have been able to remove the old rubber without distorting the heck out of the steel tine?

[1990LS400]

Well, yes ... I guess it takes practice and patience. I wonder if you extracted the rubber insert with it's metal inserts by pulling in the wrong direction. Also, I have never had to removed a wiper blade from the arm on a Toyota or Lexus vehicle to replace a rubber insert.

Remove the wiper refill with its metal inserts, remove the metal inserts from the rubber and, as best as you can, bend the metal inserts back into their original slightly curved shape. The two metal inserts should mirror each other in their curvature. The inside of the arc of the wiper blade should press against the window -- image the wiper blade conforming to the surface of an orange. Be sure to get it right ... a window can be badly scratched by the metal parts of a wiper blade. If you are unsure, by all means take it to a pro -- a window is expensive to replace if it gets scratched by a wiper blade.

[osjohns]

Well, yes ... I guess it takes practice and patience. I wonder if you extracted the rubber insert with it's metal inserts by pulling in the wrong direction. Also, I have never had to removed a wiper blade from the arm on a Toyota or Lexus vehicle to replace a rubber insert.

Remove the wiper refill with its metal inserts, remove the metal inserts from the rubber and, as best as you can, bend the metal inserts back into their original slightly curved shape. The two metal inserts should mirror each other in their curvature. The inside of the arc of the wiper blade should press against the window -- image the wiper blade conforming to the surface of an orange. Be sure to get it right ... a window can be badly scratched by the metal parts of a wiper blade. If you are unsure, by all means take it to a pro -- a window is expensive to replace if it gets scratched by a wiper blade.

Thanks for replying. The problem I'm having is removing the wiper with the inserts without having to distort them to the point that the steel takes on a bend. There is no right or wrong direction to remove the rubber because there are hard plastic stops at both ends of the wiper assembly. I have figured out how to remove the wiper assembly from the arm of the wiper, so I can work on it off the car and damaging the glass is not an issue.

[pauljcl]

Well, yes ... I guess it takes practice and patience. I wonder if you extracted the rubber insert with it's metal inserts by pulling in the wrong direction. Also, I have never had to removed a wiper blade from the arm on a Toyota or Lexus vehicle to replace a rubber insert.

Remove the wiper refill with its metal inserts, remove the metal inserts from the rubber and, as best as you can, bend the metal inserts back into their original slightly curved shape. The two metal inserts should mirror each other in their curvature. The inside of the arc of the wiper blade should press against the window -- image the wiper blade conforming to the surface of an orange. Be sure to get it right ... a window can be badly scratched by the metal parts of a wiper blade. If you are unsure, by all means take it to a pro -- a window is expensive to replace if it gets scratched by a wiper blade.

Thanks for replying. The problem I'm having is removing the wiper with the inserts without having to distort them to the point that the steel takes on a bend. There is no right or wrong direction to remove the rubber because there are hard plastic stops at both ends of the wiper assembly. I have figured out how to remove the wiper assembly from the arm of the wiper, so I can work on it off the car and damaging the glass is not an issue.

Anyway, if the metal tines (or other part of the wiper blade) is bent it is a !Removed! to get it right thereafter, and you're better off replacing the entire blade in my opinion. [Then you can practice on the old one for next time!!!].

Something's wrong. You shouldn't have to bend anything to that degree to replace a "replaceable" rubber wiper blade. I used to !Removed! around with rubber inserts. Half the time they didn't fit right and half the time I bought the wrong ones, so now I just don't have the patience, so I just buy the whole arm with the blade on it. Here is sunny AZ, the rubber on the wiper blades only last about one season.

[osjohns]

Well, yes ... I guess it takes practice and patience. I wonder if you extracted the rubber insert with it's metal inserts by pulling in the wrong direction. Also, I have never had to removed a wiper blade from the arm on a Toyota or Lexus vehicle to replace a rubber insert.

Remove the wiper refill with its metal inserts, remove the metal inserts from the rubber and, as best as you can, bend the metal inserts back into their original slightly curved shape. The two metal inserts should mirror each other in their curvature. The inside of the arc of the wiper blade should press against the window -- image the wiper blade conforming to the surface of an orange. Be sure to get it right ... a window can be badly scratched by the metal parts of a wiper blade. If you are unsure, by all means take it to a pro -- a window is expensive to replace if it gets scratched by a wiper blade.

Thanks for replying. The problem I'm having is removing the wiper with the inserts without having to distort them to the point that the steel takes on a bend. There is no right or wrong direction to remove the rubber because there are hard plastic stops at both ends of the wiper assembly. I have figured out how to remove the wiper assembly from the arm of the wiper, so I can work on it off the car and damaging the glass is not an issue.

Anyway, if the metal tines (or other part of the wiper blade) is bent it is a !Removed! to get it right thereafter, and you're better off replacing the entire blade in my opinion. [Then you can practice on the old one for next time!!!].

Something's wrong. You shouldn't have to bend anything to that degree to replace a "replaceable" rubber wiper blade. I used to !Removed! around with rubber inserts. Half the time they didn't fit right and half the time I bought the wrong ones, so now I just don't have the patience, so I just buy the whole arm with the blade on it. Here is sunny AZ, the rubber on the wiper blades only last about one season.

The Lexus dealer charged $15 for the rubber alone--I nearly fell over. I don't want to think about what they would charge for the assembly. I have the part number and am going to Toyota from now on. I'm hoping the assembly comes apart--there are two rocker arm pieces (each rocker arm has two hooks that fit into the groove of the rubber) on the assembly and if one of them came off it would be a no-brainer.