Buying New Wiper Blades

I did a quick board search and didn't find anything I was looking for so I figure I'll ask now.

What do you guys recommend for wiper blades? Cars in question are a 2008 Civic EX and a 2002 Saturn SL. The Honda has those flexible blades, sizes 24'' and 26'' while the Saturn has the traditional style. With the snow season coming up and the life expectancy of our wiper blades finishing up I thought I'd ask you guys what you use? I saw some mention of Bosch and the RainX ones but nobody telling me "buy these, not those".

We live right outside of Cleveland, OH, so we do get a bit of snow and the salty sludge spray from the roads. We never had a problem with all season wipers and usually grab them when we need them with no research. We now have Amazon Prime so we get 2 day free shipping and a nice reward when we use our credit card.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks in advance guys!

I've been liking the cheap Michelins lately, they're almost as good as the PIAA silicone blades. I used to like the not top shelf Bosch beam blades, but they recently went to crap.

I have been using the Bosch Icons for my last couple sets. They last 3-4 years which put here is impressive and saves me from scrambling to buy a new set on the 4 times a year it rains because the sun and heat have destroyed the cheap blades in the 3 months between showers. Moe cost up front but less in the long run.

I also run the Bosch Icons. Seem to last longer than those Rain-X ones.

I've run Michelins, and I've run rain-x's. I actually prefer the Michelins.

I got the Valeos from Amazon. Here in the desert, they're the only ones that don't dry rot in 6 mo.

I run the icons.. seem nice enough

I go the quantity over quality route. Regular Anco from Wal-Mart is the cheapest around, and I just replace them frequently so that they stay fresh.

I buy the house brand "exact fit" Carquest blades. I forget who makes them, but according to the crusty old parts guy that works at my local distribution center, they are identical to a wiper blade that costs twice as much.

whatever they have at NAPA.

OK, went with the Bosch ICONs for the Honda and the Bosch Clear Advantage for the Saturn...we shall see how they hold up!

I can't seem to get a blade that lasts for more than maybe 6 months. I find that terrible for what you pay for 2 little strips of rubber I went to buy three Bosch Icon blades for my wifes minivan and three were $75!! I could deal with that if they'd last more than 6 months.

In reply to procker: RockAuto.com usually has wiper blades on clearance. Even the cheapest ones seem to work fine for me. Evidently, a few manufacturers supply blades under a lot of different labels.

I just got Trico blades at O'Reilly on sale -buy one, get one free. They aren't the top of line, but second, I think. $17 for a pair beats $22 & $18 (two different sizes needed for my WRX).

RainX Latitudes.

They aren't cheap, but last forever. I just changed the set on my work van because they started streaking. They were over 2 years old. That's about how often I replace windshields.

I use rain-x but only because we sell them at my shop so I can buy them at cost. They last three or four months for me; however, I drive about 3000 miles a month so maybe they'd be good for six to nine months in normal use.

the rain-x ones last 24-30 months for me. Although i do wipe them down whenever i get gas and clean my windshield. (yes i go old school full service style whenever i fill up the tank)

the high priced ones seem to wear out just as quickly as the el-cheapo's (though they do clean the windshield better)

so I just buy the el-cheapo's, and replace twice a yr

I use the Rain X regular blades. Work very well and the cost versus service life is good. I get 2 years out of them usually.

What I want to know is: why is it impossible to buy refills any more? Why do you have to buy the whole damn blade?

That being said, if I HAVE to buy the whole blade anyway, I have started buying beam units. I usually buy Icons when they are on sale.

Rain-X or Bosch. Whatever is on sale, but will maintain contact. No old style E36 M3. The new ones really do the job, but a brand name doesn't mean much to me.

I use Bosch Icons. They work well and seem a bit more durable than the average blade. I'm also old enough to remember when new tires were about as much as these blades.

Bosch Icons for me. 4 years on my DD and they still work great.

The big key for making wipers last, whether they are high dollar or the cheap-o's, is to clean the windshield and the blades themselves often. They'll work better (less streaks, skipping, etc) and last for years doing that.

I bought my last couple pairs of cheapies at Menards. Somewhat unlikely but the hardware store carries a little bit of automotive. I remember the blades were $1 each after rebate and even then they were only $5 each before rebate.

Last week while there I noticed they had Quaker State fully synthetic oil for $2.49 or $2.99 per quart. This sticks in my mind because earlier that day I had bought M1 elsewhere, for more.

Spoolpigeon wrote: Bosch Icons for me. 4 years on my DD and they still work great. The big key for making wipers last, whether they are high dollar or the cheap-o's, is to clean the windshield and the blades themselves often. They'll work better (less streaks, skipping, etc) and last for years doing that.

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