Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire when did wipers become a status symbol?

For sure.


Plus...the quality of rubber products has plummeted in the last decade.

Rain-X are garbage. Only got 5 months out of a pair.

Bosch are the best that I've used. I get at least 1 year out of the Bosch. Yes, Bosch do cost more than the Rain-X.

I had to replace a set yday. Bought a pair of Bosch Icon. Have used them in the past but my gosh they have increased in price. Glad they typically have long life span. Summer heat here kills about all blades. I just change them annually for vehicle inspection.

It is almost like inflation causes prices to increase.

^^^^^^^
Good stuff,I put it in my Windshield wiper fluid.Unless it is really pouring you do not need to turn the wipers on.

$50 for a set for my Super Duty. That was for the middle of the road priced ones at O'Reillys.

Yeah, I think $14 and $36 at Walmart. I got the $14 wipers. I'll get some at Costco next time.

https://www.costco.com/michelin-guardian-hybrid-wiper-blade.product.100454345.html

This makes me glad I paid LESS that 20 for a set of the "spensive" kind at wally world a couple of weeks ago!

Oh . . . by the by . . . if ya live where it rains, treat your windows (follow directions (for a change)) with RainX like RR says.

TRUST ME, DO NOT USE IT ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOW, there is a version for that.

I disagree.

I don't change hoses and brake lines like the 70's and 80's cars.

Wipers are a wear component that get a lot of UV exposure and need to be soft enough to comply to the windshield. You can't win with that design challenge.

wife: its raining, turn on your wipers

me: hell NAW, you know how much these things cost?

They used to advise changing them annually.
They lasted several years, finally getting hard.
If they were streaking, an isopropyl cleaning perked them right up.
Refills were a couple bucks. Rich folks bought whole wipers.

Remember bending the clips to put refills in arms meant to be replaced.
Slide in a new one, crimp it in.

Now.
Supposed to replace in 6 months.
By a year the edge separates from the rest. Can't even but refills anymore.


Scheeeeeze.
Sounds like a crotchety old bastage.

If you pickup aluminum cans all day once a month that will help buy you some new wiper blades every year, pard.

Bought my last set at O'Reilly's and the 5 foot tall chubby Mexican clerk asked me if I wanted her to install them for me.

As I was leaving the parking lot I was kicking myself in the ass for declining her kind offer. That would've been some quality entertainment right there.

Hope she has a ladder somewhere, my Dodge 2500 is pretty tall.

Amazon, just buy the blades and cut to fit, rarely need new arms, they are just the holder.
If I can replace blades anyone can.

In 1980 I conned the parts store clerk to install for me.

I thought I invented that move.

Turns out wiper blade install got too tricky for most.

Cannot do this with all makes and models.

Here's a tip for those not in the know.

If your wiper blade chatters in one direction, it's likely your wiper arm is bent and not holding the blade perpendicular to the windshield. There's not enough "flex" in the wiper rubber to make up for the misalignment. Take a crescent wrench and slightly bend the wiper arm in the direction opposite the chattering direction.

This is by far the best answer. And GM wipers have a 2 year manufacture warranty, so they fail and you get a free pair. Rock auto even splits the shopping with you.

Cheapass Michelin wipers at WalMart are $7.97 each and work perfect as far as I am concerned. Of course I don't do snow anymore, just nice warm rain. Hardly even need to wash my truck anymore.

I have had really good luck with the top of the line bosch blades, and we see a little rain over here in the rain forest of the Olympic Peninsula. I always wipe mine down with a alcohol wipe when I wash the truck.