Wiper Blades

I looked at all the different brands out there. Long story short none of the aftermarket look as good or should I say as clean looking as oem. As far as how well they perform they are all about the same when new but the more u pay for them the longer they will last. I love the clean look of oem.
 
Another vote for Bosch Icons. Other wiper blades I've tried don't even last through one entire upper peninsula of michigan winter. The Bosch's lasted two years for me.
 
Whatever they have at Costco when they are running their buy one get one free special. It doesn't have any limit.

I buy three sets and replace them at least once a year. Here in SoCaL It is the sun and ozone from the freeways that ruins them. I almost never get a chance to use them for rain removal. I generally just use them with the washers to clean bugs and dust off the window while I am driving into the sun.
 
Icons for me as well, Rock Auto always seems to have them on sale by a whole seller (at least for my truck/stang when I need them).
 
Another vote for the Bosch Icon's. I figure if they're good enough for those "storm chasers" guys, they're good enough for me. I replaced the first set after a year out of habit, they probably had plenty of life left in them. So I'll hold onto the current set until they are obviously not performing well any longer. Mine also get a lot of abuse even in the summer because I go offroading in really dusty conditions. That means they get to help clear that dust off along with liberal amounts of washer fluid. I just make sure to clean the blades when I wash the Jeep and/or clean the windshield.
 
I only buy Bosch Icons, quality doesn't cost....IT PAYS💡

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RWalleyTX said:
I looked at all the different brands out there. Long story short none of the aftermarket look as good or should I say as clean looking as oem. As far as how well they perform they are all about the same when new but the more u pay for them the longer they will last. I love the clean look of oem.
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An interesting thing is many of the OEM's are just rebadged versions of the aftermarket brands. It's just like the oil filters or their detailing products.

VAG (Audi, VW, etc), and BMW use Bosch blades on some vehicles. Mazda and Toyota appear to use Trico in some applications as well. The rear wiper on my gen 2 Mazda3 is a Trico model, which is also the exact same part from a Toyota Prius.
 
I know for sure most brackets that hold the blade on are a universal fit meaning bulky. Oem bracket fits only one type this makes it have a much lower profile. Aftermarket universal blades fit many many cars where factory fits only a few different cars so I would not compare it to oil filters because as far as being aestetics oem blades are better looking in my opinion. You don't notice a oil filter 99% of the time. Obviously I'm picky when it comes to how my car looks from the outside but for most people just good wiper blades work and are not so concerned with looks so much. I'm only talking about 1 piece blades as well on this topic but I have seen many blades from the factory use "covers" so in this case it does not matter what u use. I have used icons on my other cars and I find those to look cleaner than most on the car
 
I was talking about the aesthetics when I referred to the blades. In the case of the Trico blades on my Mazda, they are visually identical to the OEM because the same vendor makes the parts. The blades on my old BMW and now the VW I drive are identical to offerings from Bosch.

By doing a little reasearch, you can often find who the suppliers are to the big OEM's and then find their parts in the aftermarket. Same product just a different package and maybe different part number.
 
Bosch ICONS are the best wiper blade I've ever had; noticeable above their other blades (like the Clear Advantage and Evolution). They last a long time too--I ran them for about 2.5 years before replacing. They weren't even "worn out" when I replaced, they just weren't quite as effective as they had been.

I have also used the Michelin blades from Wal-Mart--those are sleepers. Not quite ICON level, but very good.

Part of the blade effectiveness relies on the type of vehicle you drive as well.
 
Bringing back this thread to update my experience with Valeo Ultimate wiper blades which are on my better half’s Ford Edge. The vehicle is a garage stored daily driver and driven 12000-15000 miles per year. I have kept the windshield treated with PBL Glass Coating for the duration of the wipers and wipe them clean during every car wash and whenever I clean the windshield. I drove it this past weekend and noticed the driver side wiper was not leaving a totally clear surface. Looked at my purchase records and realized the wipers have been on the vehicle since November of 2014! I am extremely impressed with these blades and highly recommend them. I know that I have never had the same blades on a vehicle for over 3 years, let alone have them perform this for so long.

I paid $14 a blade back then and could buy the same right now for $12 which I feel is a bargain price for a premium blade.
 
oldmodman said:
Whatever they have at Costco when they are running their buy one get one free special. It doesn't have any limit.

I buy three sets and replace them at least once a year. Here in SoCaL It is the sun and ozone from the freeways that ruins them. I almost never get a chance to use them for rain removal. I generally just use them with the washers to clean bugs and dust off the window while I am driving into the sun.
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Now you're just trying to make us in the Midwest jealous!

Another vote for Bosch Icons. I tried Rain-X and was disappointed with their effectiveness from the start, and then their longevity. Switched to the Icons, and effectiveness and longevity both improved tremendously. Not sure if they are the best, but they've satisfied me.
 
Dan K said:
Bringing back this thread to update my experience with Valero Ultimate wiper blades which are on my better half’s Ford Edge. The vehicle is a garage stored daily driver and driven 12000-15000 miles per year. I have kept the windshield treated with PBL Glass Coating for the duration of the wipers and wipe them clean during every car wash and whenever I clean the windshield. I drove it this past weekend and noticed the driver side wiper was not leaving a totally clear surface. Looked at my purchase records and realized the wipers have been on the vehicle since November of 2014! I am extremely impressed with these blades and highly recommend them. I know that I have never had the same blades on a vehicle for over 3 years, let alone have them perform this for so long.

I paid $14 a blade back then and could buy the same right now for $12 which I feel is a bargain price for a premium blade.
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I'm a huge Valeo fan. When I saw the bump on this post, I came here to post about them.
 
Is it Valeo or Valero? When I google Valero..all I get is Valeo.

P.S...I trained the Rain X blades too...garbage...never again...and the Michelin blades that Costco sells are not a whole lot better...they work good at first, but they sure don't last.
 
luvmyrv said:
Is it Valeo or Valero? When I google Valero..all I get is Valeo.

P.S...I trained the Rain X blades too...garbage...never again...and the Michelin blades that Costco sells are not a whole lot better...they work good at first, but they sure don't last.
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Valeo
 
It is indeed Valeo and I have edited my original post.
 
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