silicone wiper blades

[93Leg-c]

Has anyone had experience using the silicone wiper blades that TireRack sells? How good are they and how long do they really last? I'm kinda tired of having to replace mine every 4-6 months. It seems like the last time I used them they were fine, then it rains and the driver's side wiper blade is all streaky or smeary -- real safety hazard!

[JasonGrahn]

A) suggested interval for replacing your wiper blades is every 6 months.

B) i personally clean off my wiper blades every time i stop to get gas in the car. Get one of those paper towels and dip it in the water at the station, then wipe the blades off. You'll see a ton of gunk come off. This will help keep your window streak free. Also use a good window cleaner.

[93Leg-c]

Thanks for the recommendation, Jason! I clean my windshield when I fill up with gas, but wouldn't you know it, it never really crossed my mind to clean the wiper blades. Duuuh. Something so simple and quick to do, too! Heh heh, this might sound funny, but I'm now actually looking forward to cleaning my wiper blades each time I fill up.

When's the next wiper blade sale at Wal-Mart so I can stock up for the year? I guess I just need to keep replacing them regularly. It'll take two years before I break even with the silicone blades anyway.

[entirelyturbo]

I normally bash Bosch for making crappy oil filters and ludicrous claims about their spark plugs. But their wipers are very good. I have had the same set of Bosch wipers on my Legacy for over a year. I'm even too lazy to clean them, and they still don't streak or make noise. They're quite pricey, and their design means you have to replace the whole wiper, you can't just replace the blade. But they will definitely last longer than the standard 6 months...

[93Leg-c]

subyluvr2212: Thanks for your input! Right now I'm inclined to just use the "regular" replacement blades (unless I see them at a really good price) BUT if you happen to remember to post again as to when you had to finally replace those Bosch wipers or two years, whichever comes first , I'd be interested in knowing that. If they indeed do last for a couple of years or more, I'll probably buy them.

[vrg3]

I always use Bosch Micro Edge XL blades, and on my parents cars I usually don't get around to replacing them more than once a year... they seem to work well. I haven't tried any blades that work better than these, but I also haven't tried the silicone ones.

I'd have a hard time trusting any wiper blades for 2 years. Silicone may be resistant to hardening, but it can still be damaged mechanically.

One thing that I've found really helpful when driving in the rain is Castrol AccuVision. It's a product that competes with Rain-X; you apply it to your windshield and it helps keep the water from smearing on your windshield. Rain-X works well but the application process takes a while and it wears off in patches which is worse than not having it at all. You're supposed to apply AccuVision with the windshield dry, spraying it on and buffing it off with a towel, but I have found it effective to just turn the wipers on at low speed and spray it on the windshield, allowing the wipers to spread it. It works even if it's raining at the time, so I just keep a bottle of it in the car and re-apply it before going on a trip of it's worn off.

[Legacy777]

I don't like any of the silicone crap because it's like rain-x and it will wear, and when it does, vision sucks even more then if you don't have it on there. A buddy has the piaa silicone wiper blades and he had to wipe the windshield with something....most likely some form of silicone spray.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....rain-x type products are like crack.....once you start, you can't stop.......trust me.....I went through the twelve step process to get myself off it.

[legacy92ej22t]

it's like rain-x and it will wear, and when it does, vision sucks even more then if you don't have it on there.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....rain-x type products are like crack.....once you start, you can't stop.......trust me.....I went through the twelve step process to get myself off it.

Hmm. I've had some rain-x that I've been meaning to put on my cars for quite awhile. Maybe I should just skip it, huh? How long does it last before you usually have to reapply it?

[vrg3]

Hehehe... I agree with you about Rain-X, having had it on two of my cars. But AccuVision is different. It does wear off, and faster than Rain-X, but it wears off pretty cleanly and evenly. It's also super easy to apply.

Oh, and if you are unfortunate enough to have Rain-X on your windshield, it can be removed almost completely with a detailing clay bar. It's painstaking, but it can be done.

[Legacy777]

I'd skip the rain-x.

Depending on how much you use the wipers....will depend on how long it lasts.

[evolutionmovement]

I never have a problem with Rain-X. I only have to reapply it maybe four times a year. It's the only thing that allows me to go over 80 in the rain as the wipers are useless.

Steve

[93Leg-c]

vrg3 and legacy777: Thanks guys! I trust you know your stuff. Silicone wiper blades are out of the picture for me now! You saved me and probably a lot of guys on the forum a lot of grief.

This is the first I've heard of Castrol AccuVision. Have you ever heard of Aqua-pel? A professional is supposed to put it on the windshield for $40 or was it $50? There was a lot of advertising of that for a while but I've never heard of anyone using it.

I used to use Rain-X. Seeing the rain bead off the winshield at night with the wipers off and driving at over 40 mph reminded me of going into hyper-drive (Star Wars) but in slow motion. I do believe the Rain-X also wore out the wiper blades more quickly.

Gotta tell you this funny story. I used to be caretaker for this elderly lady. One day she comes back from the auto body shop and complains about something greasy they put on her windshield and she wanted me to get if off right away cuz she was going out for the evening. Dishwashing liquid didn't work, rubbing alcohol didn't work, scraping with razor blade didn't work, nothing did. I was going to try gasoline but then I remembered that Rain-X would remove bugs and sap from my windshield (I used to use it then). So I squirted it on to her windshield and rubbed hard and whatever it was on her windshield came off. I was so proud of myself. The windshield was so clean! The lady comes home that night and just laid into me something fierce! It had rained while she was driving home and all of those beads of water rolling off her windshield and with her wipers going full speed made her eyes go every which way. Yes, I KNOW she was a danger on the country roads and she was in danger too because the beading water impaired her vision, but when she told me about her eyes it took everything I got not to burst out in laughter. I could just imagine her jowls flipping back and forth as she shook her head while batting her eyelashes rapidly all the while saying, "oh! ooh! OOHHHH!" If any of you think that I'm cruel to laugh, please forgive me. I don't mean to be. . . O but it was funny.

[93Leg-c]

Just saw your post, evolutionmovement. I guess I'm in between you and legacy777. I liked Rain-X at highway speeds because the wipers couldn't give me clear vision. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if it was a danger for me because I would start driving faster to get the clearer vision. Just cruise with the wipers off with clear vision while everyone else was straining just to see where they were going. But I had to reapply the rain-x about every 3 to 4 weeks for it to work properly; otherwise, it would be a little bothersome for me.

[vrg3]

Matt - Yeah, skip it. It lasts maybe a few months in the kind of weather you get in northern PA... I don't meant to sound like a salesman, but try AccuVision. :)

Steve - Those little wiper blade spoilers will help get better windshield cleaning at high speed. I would consider these windshield coatings only as adjuncts to improve wiper performance.

93Leg-c - I haven't heard of Aqua-pel. Is it some kind of coating that is permanently applied?

The thing that attracted me to AccuVision was that it's sold by Castrol, a company that already has a big name in automotive chemicals. I wouldn't expect them to put their name on something that had a lot of drawbacks. It turned out that I was right (in my experience anyway).

That old lady must not have had her wipers on fast enough. Like I said, if you just use the coating to make the wipers work better, then all you'll have is a windshield that gets wiped completely clear a few times a second.

Oh, and another way to get the Rain-X/AccuVision/whatever effect temporarily is just to wax your windshield next time you wash and wax your car. It'll only last through a few rainy drives, but you can decide whether you like it or not that way too.

[legacy92ej22t]

Matt - Yeah, skip it. It lasts maybe a few months in the kind of weather you get in northern PA... I don't meant to sound like a salesman, but try AccuVision.

.

Ok, anyone want to buy a couple bottles of rain-x

[czo79]

I've been having problems with high speed performance of wipers...I went and bought some clip on spoilers for the wipers, they attach to the wiper arms. They don't really seem to work very well. At really high speeds, they create so much drag. The wiper won't do anything at all on the upstroke....and then on the downstroke, the wiper motor can barely overcome the resistance from the spoiler, and it takes forever for the wiper to come back down, but it cleans pretty well. Unfortunately, the whole effect ends up being pretty comical, and isn't really an effective setup. On my GT I am going to switch to the drivers side arm from the 98 OB limited, which had a stock wiper spoiler, that seems angled and positioned better than the aftermarket ones on my turbo. I think maybe a wiper designed with a spoiler built in, so its over the wiper and not the wiper arm, that it would work better. Has anyone seen anything like that out there?
thanks
micum

[93Leg-c]

vrg3, I used to have a brochure on Aqua-pel but I must have gotten rid of it. I don't believe it was a permanent application. That's why I thought it might be a rip-off. Maybe marketed for the ulta-rich?

[vrg3]

Micum - Hmm, so not all wiper spoilers are made equal... Maybe we need to figure out how to adapt OEM Subaru spoilered wipers.

93Leg-C - Maybe. :)

[czo79]

Well, I'm pretty sure I will be ok using the OB limited spoilered driver side wiper on my 97 GT. But I think we can't use them on the BC/BF's cause they switched from a 12mm to a 14mm mounting bolt, or something like that. The clip on's I have are for my turbo, so I have to figure out something besides that for the turbo. Maybe I will have better luck moving the spoilers, I wonder if I can put them on the blades themselves. Or perhaps the problem is related to my wiper motor getting old and worn out, or the linkage (is there one?) and if the wiper motor was strong enough, I wouldn't have the problem with the spoilers creating too much drag.
Hmm
Micum

[vrg3]

I don't know how it all fits together. Maybe we could adapt it anyway...

You say they made the bolt bigger -- does that mean the BD wiper doesn't fit snugly on the BC? Maybe a little bushing. Or a different nut. Or something. It's gotta be possible.