Recommend some good wiper blades

[Armchair Bronco]

I live in the Seattle area, and we get A LOT of rain here...like 300+ days worth per year.

I need some new wiper blades for my CX-9 and am looking for some "best-of-breed" recommendations.

Don't mind spending more (2x) for some really good and durable blades.

 

[Force-1]

I bought Goodyear Assurance blades for all 4 of my vehicles at Costco several months ago. They perform great, and you can't beat the price at $7.99 a blade.

I know they still carry them here in ABQ, as I saw them when I visited Costco today.

 

[vikefan7]

I would have never thought of going to Costco for wiper blades, but I will definitely be checking there when I go tomorrow. I've been needing to replace mine for awhile now.

 

[blackmica_es]

Been really happy with my PIAAs. Three years going and good as new!

 

[sjg]

I've been tempted by the costco blades but I'm inclined to get inserts to keep the blades that came with the car. The OEM blades (particularly the driver's side) seem uniquely designed for the car. Are people just as happy with 3rd party blades?

 

[tunersteve]

Bosch Icon or the Goodyear Assurance ones. Both are pretty solid and are good for all weather conditions.

 

[Armchair Bronco]

Bosch Icon or the Goodyear Assurance ones. Both are pretty solid and are good for all weather conditions.

Looks like the Bosch Icon wipers are the way to go. Very good reviews, and if you buy 2 of 'em by December 31st, Bosch will rebate $15.

Here's the Amazon Link for the 2 front wipers (26" and 17"):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

And here's the rebate info:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Armchair Bronco]

More info on the Icon blades from Bosch:

The rebate seems to be extended to Feb. 28, 2010. And the Bosch site has some good installation info, including a video (yay!).

http://www.boschautoparts.com/WiperBlades/Pages/Icon.aspx

 

[tunersteve]

Nice. Advance Auto usually runs 25% off in Oct., but my blades were still in good shape, so I didn't bother. The Goodyear ones are good too if you don't want to spend as much cash on blades. You won't be disappointed.

 

[vikefan7]

So what are the stock ones? Where do you just get the refills for them and how much are they?

 

[petesamprs]

Man, this thread popped up just in time. My stock blades are basically new (only have 6k miles on the car) but were not able to cut it when driving in the snowy mess we had last night in the northeast. They weren't able to scrape away even minimal ice buildup so it was impossible to see out of it.

So I'm also looking for something more heavy duty that performs better than the stock ones. Are there special wipers available where the rubber compound works better in cold weather/snow (like snow tires)?

 

[Armchair Bronco]

Man, this thread popped up just in time. My stock blades are basically new (only have 6k miles on the car) but were not able to cut it when driving in the snowy mess we had last night in the northeast. They weren't able to scrape away even minimal ice buildup so it was impossible to see out of it.

So I'm also looking for something more heavy duty that performs better than the stock ones. Are there special wipers available where the rubber compound works better in cold weather/snow (like snow tires)?

Here are some of the marketing blurbs from the Bosch Icon web page I linked to above:

"Better resistance to ice and snow build-up"

"Protects tension springs from snow/ice build-up"

"Windshield-hugging performance in even the worst winter weather"

 

[vikefan7]

So, I went to Costco today to look at these things and they only sell the Goodyear ones and they didn't have a 17" or a 26" blade. Pretty nice. I think I would've bought them too.

 

[Armchair Bronco]

I've been reading user reviews of the Bosch Icon blades on Amazon. Interestingly, you get lots of variation depending on the size of the wiper! For example, the 17" Icon blade (passenger side on the CX-9) gets rave reviews, but the 26" blade (driver's side) has many more very negative reviews.

My guess is that the longer blade may not fit all that well on the windshields of some cars like the Honda Accord. Accord owners seem to hate this blade. So too with the lone Porsche owner. Didn't see any reviews at all from Mazda CX-9 owners -- in this case, no news is good news, I guess.

 

[100$ GUY]

So what about those for sale at tirerack?
Those PIAA withi silicone....
Or everyone mostly sticking with the OEMs.....

 

[CX9 SportOwner]

I'm still using the original blades after 3 years. I will stick with them when I replace them.

 

[Force-1]

So, I went to Costco today to look at these things and they only sell the Goodyear ones and they didn't have a 17" or a 26" blade. Pretty nice. I think I would've bought them too.

You might try checking again. The ABQ Costco's didn't have CX-9 Goodyear Assurance blades size for some time, but they have for the last few months now.

 

[rslam]

I picked up a pair of these about a week ago from COSTCO. So far I like them a lot.(one rain storm later)

 

[Davicho]

OEM for me!

 

[100$ GUY]

I'm still using the original blades after 3 years. I will stick with them when I replace them.

Yeah, these have been pretty good after all. (bike)