9294Forrest

So I have to replace my wiper blades every month or two... Is this not normal?? I have people telling me they go over a year with theirs...

I've had cheap ones to like 22$ ones...

Why???? Lol

xj_maniac_newb

Do you ever wash your windshield? Buy quaility brand wipers.

AoA

yea if your not paying $40+ on wipers that will last over a year. Don't expect them to last more then a month or two... I worked at Advance auto parts for a long time and i saw this same story almost every day. It's not the windsheild or bad lemon wipers, it's you.

jake92

When it comes to wiper blades several things must be considered:
- Are they the correct style? There are different types of wiper blades (beam type as an example) that conform to different windshields. An incorrect type of blade will not sit on the windshield correctly causing streaking.
- How much sun exposure and temperature variance does the wiper blades see? UV and ranging temps of hot to cold cause the rubber to become hard and brittle. Unlike tire rubber for example, cheap wiper blades do NOT have the additives to help them stand up to the elements, while mid range and up do helping them last longer.
- The manufacturing process: Cheaper blades are usually not made of the best materials and workmanship varies between each blade assembled. Mid range and up wiper blades have a quality control standard.

There's more such as how clean is a windshield, what kind of shape it's in, and how the wiper motor is performing.

But $22 blades should last a nice while

AoA

Side note, as well as if the wipers swipe over decals or stickers. That will wear a blade out much faster then normal use.

dBusteR

You know I usually buy $9 to $10 weeper blades and they last me at least two years. I think I have the set on the wife's Ford escape that were replaced three yes three years ago...

I believe it is more environment rather than how much you spend on replacements...

Tom95YJ

I replace my wipers every 6 months even if they are not bad and keep the old ones as spares. But I am sure I could have a set of blades last a year or so I use the expensive trico neoform

9294Forrest

Yeah guys, I buy Bosch blades they're $22, the top of the line blade offered in stores around here, they're beam blades.
Yes I wash my windshield... A lot as I go thru the car wash 2x per week (work for a major car wash company). And my windows are always Teflon treated (like rain x)

xj_maniac_newb

the bosch ones suck. get the rain x latitudes.

Derision

I second this. I went through a bunch because my wipers aren't, er, "regular". In that their arc of travel wanders, and sometimes goes off the windshield. The Latitudes are floopy and work well regardless of how skewed my blades are.

9294Forrest

Everytime I buy any rain x blades after a little while they seep oily crap all over my windshield and make it harder to see, rain x is a huge no no for me. They've been sued a few times over it. I like trico beam blades over Bosch and rain x. Never tried Michillin

blakexcore

Michelin blades are the bomb

Traveller

I don't know if environment or climate are a factor but when I lived in Africa, I'd change my wipers about once every 4 or 5 years and I emigrated to Portugal about 18 months ago (bought my old Cherokee with me) the (wiper) life span seems to be about the same.

I just buy the el cheapo ones from my local car accessory store and the only thing I put in the windscreen washer bottle is water & a bit of washing up liquid.

As far as maintenance goes, I wipe the blade with a wet rag with a bit of washing up liquid about once every two months and let the wipers fall back onto the screen with the spring pressure so they hit with a bit of a whump.

FWIW, both in Africa and Portugal, we get the vast majority of our rain in one six monthly period and then dry for the other 6 months or so.

stang65

well I run aqua repel on my jeep here in oregon and replace my blades every summer with a cheap set. just cause with the mud and dirt it wears them out fast.

blankdeluxe

I bought a set of Rain X around Christmas time since I usually just cheap out on my blades and the clips broke on both sides already. Honestly, I feel like it was a bit of a waste of money for the Rain X vs a slightly cheaper blade that has clips that actually seem to work like they are supposed to.