Replacement wipers question

[hamproof]

Hi,
Barely a year into ownership, I find myself having to replace the wipers. It's even garaged every day to boot. Anyway, it appears the OEM wipers have their own assembly with a fancy plastic cover (I assume for aerodynamic and reduce wind noise - similar to some Audi, Acura etc.).

Do you folks just buy inserts and re-use the metal stiffener and frame? Or buy entire wiper replacement unit? I haven't tried to see if I can actually remove the frame from the hanger. I bought some inserts and replace the passenger side just a couple of months ago, and looks like it is not working as well either. Store ran out of the 24" (IIRC) on the driver side. I've cleaned the windshield with Windex and wipe it with Rain-X as well.

On a recent trip, it was pouring like crazy and the wipers weren't doing their job :(

[TheMAN]

yes, they are aerodynamic and also reduces ice/snow build up... it is very difficult to find aftermarket inserts for this car... most american style wiper blades are 3/8" wide (9mm) but these new japanese blades use 10mm rubber... this means you can't find them at the store, and they use metal stiffeners instead of the plastic backed ones you typically find in an aftermarket 9mm insert

using the wrong inserts will cause chattering and poor performance, so don't try to fit the aftermarket ones in... the ends are also shaped wrong and won't clip on either (I tried)

AFAIK, the only inserts available at the store are the very common 3/8" ones and the old japanese style 6mm ones (not as easily found)... so you're going to have to go to the dealer for these inserts

I don't recommend replacing these with crappy conventional wiper blades as they don't look good and have poorer performance... you can try the super expensive frameless blades like the bosch icons, but they're really not worth the money IMO

[hamproof]

Thanks for the info. How much roughly does the insert only cost from the dealer?

This might explain the poor performance on my aftermarket insert on the passenger side.

[Blendercloud]

Here is a link to my thread on the MS6 forums for wiper blade reviews. Peak your head in there and see if you like the sounds of some of the other reviews. If you pick some up for yourself, come back to the thread and tell us about them! :)

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123742200

[Expygator]

I ordered OEM replacments from Mazdapartscheap.com. Ther were $21.00 shipped to my home. I loike the OEM wiper design so I went with the refill.

[rk2112]

I just replaced the originals with the Rain X Latitude blades. They work very well and I do not notice anymore noise than the stock blades.

[hamproof]

Supposedly within the first year, I should get free refills if they are worn out. I'm going to test this out, as mine were worn and I had bought aftermarket ones. Actually entire unit and only taking out the rubber so I can retain the original casing.

I'm going in tomorrow to get the wiring harness recall done. Will see if they will actually give me the free refills.

I usually don't like to deal with dealerships having not been to one for 7 years now. But this is a safety recall and I got no choice.

First call to a dealership, service guy asked me if I bought the car from them, I said no ... he said, he'll call me back to take my info. Haven't heard from him since this morning :( Not a good sign of things to come.

Later in the afternoon, decided to call another dealership. Same question, put me on hold for few minutes and said to bring it in tomorrow.

[hamproof]

Looks like wipers are indeed free. But the dealership I went to didn't have them in stock. So he ordered them. Sucks I have to be there next time as they need the old wiper assembly back (the hanger portion, not the arm). I thought they just the inserts back.

[The-9]

Honestly, while they really are required to replace them within 1 year, you seemed to have found a nice dealer that did not give you a hassle. I would keep that dealer!!!