I have spent over 40 years in wiper development, testing, and sales/marketing... so my comments are based on engineering and laboratory testing, not limited cases observed on a driveway or local roads... First, never use petroleum based products on the rubber. This includes WD-40. Initial results may be good, but the petroleum eats away at the rubber and reduces the life of the rubber. Use alcohol or water based cleaners on the rubber. You are spot-on regarding the squeegee slicers. The rubber inserts are molded or extruded face-to-face and go through a "slitter" that costs tens of thousands of dollars. This is the most critical part of wiper manufacture and a hand-held shaver will never produce a perfect product. It will produce profits in the seller's bank account. If there is one scam in the video, it is windshield wiper pellets. They do not contain methanol to prevent freezing and usually contain less washing agents than the gallon bottle. Some pellets do provide a blue coloring (with minimum washing agents) that makes you think you have comparable washer fluid. Only $4 a gallon is cheap insurance against frozen reservoirs or damaging washer pumps. You will never see an automotive manufacturer recommend Rain-X, Aquapel, or Nextzeet because they would not take on the liability for possible dangerous vision while driving. These water repellants work by filling in the microscopic pitting found on every windsheet and they provide a slick surface... as well as a layer of foreign material. The repellant can cause tremendous glare , especially as it wears over time. This can be seen in sunrise, sunset, and oncoming bright headlights. The only place I would recommend one of these repellants is on sunroofs or windows that are not used to see through for safe driving. If you are using a repellant and your wipers are not working well, it may be because wipers are made to wipe glass and not Rain-X, which causes more friction. By the way... we clean our windshields in the labs with standard washer fluid (not tablets) and #0000 steel wool. Any coarser steel wool will scratch the glass. Use a swirling motion and virtually all substances come off. We could not get one water repellant off a test windshield... and had to scrap the windshield.
I think what some people mean when they say WD-40 for wiper blades is the silicone spray they make, which does work very well on wiper blades and anything else rubber such as weather seals. You just have to wipe off any excess or it can streak your glass up.
Wow - this is such good information from source who knows. I usually don't read a bunch of the comments, but I'm glad i did today. Thanks for commenting!
Very informative. I was just about to mention about RainX and wiper combo being bad. It looks fine initially but as it wears, It turned into an oily/waxy-looking white coat on a windshield, while causing the glare. And the Wipers were sounding horrible due to the rain repellent. I had to get it polished to get rid of the coat. After that, I decided to not put these repellents on the windshield. I agree that It is useful on Windows, mirrors and rear glass.
Wiper refills were one common in every auto store and Walmart, but they slowly disappeared and were replaced with a range of wiper brands. People didn't used to buy entire new blades unless the old ones actually broke; they just bought refills. If there is a scam with wipers, it's that refills were taken out of stores, at least where I live. I'm glad that the video recommends them, as I didn't know where to find refills anymore and certainly would not have expected ones from AXpress to last more than a year.
This is exactly what I was going to say! I hate to newer blade refills. They are entirely too curved for a lot of the taller windshields. The middle of the blade never really hits the glass, and the ends wear out before the middle even hits fully. That can cause scratches and grooves in the windshield. Good to know that you can order the old school refills when you finally find a pair of blades that fit your actual windshield.
Two reasons for the demise of refills... First is the backing... it coulsd be 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 8mm, or 9mm wide. Install the wrong size backing and the refill flies out during operation... or jam in one that's too tight and you can easily get streaks and smearing. Second... refills were popular when they were sold in pairs and were the same size. Today over 85% of vehicles have two different size refills on the front glass. If you are going to buy refills, go to the dealer... but if you are going to pay their ridiculous prices you may as well buy a quality aftermarket blade.
If you have the factory wipers, get refills from the parts department. They last 3 years 36k miles warranty, and they it perfect. Autoparts stores dont carry them no more as there is no single size anymore, its easier to carry the whole wiper at different lengths than different rubber at different widths and lengths.
One trick that I have learned. Flip the blades, end to end if you can. It changes the way they lay. Sometimes the rubber is bent over a little from the pressure of being pushed down. Has worked for me. Ran a small full service gas station in the 80's. That's where I learned it and doing it even since.
Cars from VW AG (and i bet from others too) already alternate the side the wiper lays regulary to enhance durability. They implemented it since ages ;).
Finally, a subject I have good (and I mean excellent knowledge about). I have been working as a development engineer for wiper system development at an OEM automotive manufacturer for almost 30 years. First of all: Yes, wiper blades are expensive, but they are safety equipment that you need when the driving conditions are at its worst. When it is cold, dark and rainy you don't want bad wipers, especially if you are driving for more than an hour. Take care about your self and your safety. About the 3 tips. 1. Yes, you should clean your wiper blades. But gently and absolutely not (!!!) with WD40. Use a piece of paper and some soapy water and wipe away the debris from the wiper lip. The black stuff is not tar, oil or soot and it should be on the blade. It is a graphite coating that helps the blade to move smoother over the windscreen but most important, it stops the squeaky noise from the rubber moving over the glass. The term "squeaky clean" comes from the sound a rubber scraper makes when cleaning a window... 2. Cutting the wiper lip. It's a thing you can do if you are broke and it is an emergency during daytime in the summer. There is a reason that the lip has its length and it is not so that you have some extra rubber to cut of. It is there to take up the uneven curvature of the glass and to make a smooth and silent wipe. You will especially notice this when it is in the 40-ies and below. 3. Exchange the wiper strip. Yes, that is actually a good tip abd that is what many OEMs do when the service your car. You can do it your self, but please know what you are doing. If the part is not already pre-cut to length, measure the old one and cut the new to spec. Better an 1/4" to short than an 1/8th too long. The rubber need to have room to move in the frame, when travelling over the windscreen surface. The two bonus tips. 1. Rain-X is good, very good. Just clean the glass thoroughly before applying. 2. You do not need any tablets from Amazon. Skip that crap. 1 tea spoon of (hand) 6:34 dishwasher soap to a gallon of water makes the best washer fluid. Have in mind though that when it is close to, or below freezing you must have ethanol in the washer fluid! A mix of 3 part water and one part ethanol (or isopropanol) will prevent the washer fluid from freezing down to ca 10 °F (or -12°C) 2 part water and 1 part ethanol will keep the washer fluid down to 0 °F (or -18 °C). Drive safely and don't be foolishly cheap! 😊
@@radleybradford1356 I've used both, and most recently an "OEM" blade from AMZN. The latest one works well and isn't as pricey as brands for which one is paying for marketing. We'll see how long they last.
'Wiper system development'? We're talking about the synthetic rubber part that goes into the 'wiper arm system'. I've worked on my own cars for over sixty years, never gave wipers a second thought, they just worked and you replaced them when they needed to be replaced. Gas station attendants used to refill your wipers while you sat in your car while your gas tank was being filled. They also cleaned your windshield. Also your choices of brands was Trico or Anco, that's what my local NAPA store carried. In the past ten years I noticed the refills disappeared from the auto part store peg hooks, but the replacement wiper blades were under five bucks and lasted a few years. I replace wipers for family members and began noticing they were calling more often about their wipers needing replacing. Received a flyer in the mail from NAPA, those wipers that were less than $5 were now $7, on sale, half off the regular price. I bought three sets, and a year later my blades needed replacing. Well, the price was $15 and they didn't have my size in stock, they did have pricier blades in my size, but the cheapest was $25. Went to Walmart, they had some generic brand priced under $4 and the next tier was Michelin at $5.67. Since last year they discontinued the generic brand, and the standard Michelin blade is the cheapest at $7.87. The generics were mediocre, first time I ever noticed new blades not being quite right. The tolerances in the metal frame were not as good as the NAPA branded Michelin. I still had the old frames so I just swapped out the blades from the generic frame to the Michelin. I was doing this until they discontinued those generic wipers. Also I scammed some of those $35 RainX treated beam type wipers for the price of the $7.87, and after a year I'm noticing mild streaking and squealing during a light rain.
"The black stuff is not tar, oil, or soot [...] It is a graphite coating" Thank you for this info. I've seen many times people cleaning the blades and showing the result as evidence. The last time I tried cleaning the blades, no matter how thoroughly, I would still get the same result which told me it can't be dirt. I'm glad to know what it actually is, and I will keep that in mind the next time I am cleaning them.
I'm going to get a little extravagant and suggest you spend a whole buck on distilled water to use with the washer fluid tablets. Where I live, the super hard water will eventually cause a problem in your windshield washer lines. I think it's worth a dollar to avoid it.
Same for radiator. My 1981 truck I bought new and still drive has no radiator problems. Also, oil your battery terminals and let some wick into the cables. Mine are original.
Something to be cautious of with those tablets: It says right on the Amazon page that it's only suitable for summer use. It has no anti-freeze properties, so you risk bursting the rubber lines and/or the tank itself if you are in an area with below freezing temperatures. Even straight Windex is subject this to this. I had a bottle of Windex in my outdoor covered parking area, and the bottle shattered. We live in northeast Georgia and I recorded temperatures down to 3F a few weeks ago.
yeah, found this out the hard way using the concentrate bottles though instead of tablets. Add some methanol to lower the freezing point. Get tablets not just for cost reasons - it's stupid to ship gallon jugs of water around the world.
A bit of isopropyl alcohol can lower the freezing point adequately for freezes. I have used ammonia, isopropyl, and water to make my own. It's cheap, and has worked for even subzero conditions. I have also looked for the possibility of the alcohol degrading components of the system and have seen nothing after several years. Recipes readily available online.
Think twice about using anything with ammoia, like Windex. I used it during a muddy spring, when I had run out of the normal fluid, and it worked great. But before it ran out, the wiper arm and the edge of my hood were both rusting. Ammonia is very good at cutting through wax or even some paints and some tiny scratches that would allow very slow rust growth from water or alcohol will allow rapid rusting if ammonia gets into them.
I have the same large bottle of Rain X for about 30 years. I haven’t needed it except for after replacing a windshield. The key is I started using Rain X washer fluid which replenished the Rain X each time I use it. I’ve even used it without applying Rain X to the windshield and after a couple of weeks it’s working as if I did.
Silicone wiper blades only cost a little more than standard wipers, but last ~10x as long, they also imbue a similar effect as the nextzett. I've been using silicone wipers for over a decade, oldest set currently in use is 6 years old, and still working great,
@@DAjugRnaut You can get very cheap silicon refiles that work really well, have them on my daily for 3+ years now. 4 pack (4 pairs) for $10 on average from U.S. or 8 pack from China for about $6. I got the Chinesium ones and they defiantly work better than any rubber wiper blade. But @tailsneon556 is right, the PIAA's are the best. Had some on a car back in the day and worked better than new after 7 years and 120K miles when i sold the car. I would clean them with PB blaster once a year. Not the best when you first put them on, but amazing wipers after they break in
For cars with steeply sloped windshields, I found the same that you did. Using Rain-X (or similar), you don't need wipers above about 30 MPH. Wipers actually make it a little worse, because the water's already gone by the time the wiper reaches it. The droplets just race off the top of the windshield. It's a little distracting at first. Sort of like driving into snow. It also makes it much easier to remove ice and frost. Just give the ice a couple light taps to crack it and it shatters right off. Putting Rain-X on the wiper blade helps too.
I find only when the rain is heavy do I need the wipers. I don't think speed changes it. If anything, goinh faster will help with modern sloped windows
I am going to weigh in on this subject because it is one of my biggest pet peeves. It wasn’t that long ago that you could walk into any walmart or chain auto parts store and buy wiper blade refills cheap, I’m talking $1.99 for a set of refills at walmart. At that time you could buy a complete OEM quality Trico replacement blade for $4.99 and the best premium Silicone blades from companies like Rain-X or Bosch for under $10, now wiper refills are no longer available at retail stores and Rain-X Silicone are up around $25 each and Bosch OEM quality blades are around $35 a pair. As someone who spent years in retail auto parts I am extremely perceptive of changes in the auto parts market and can say without reservation that almost none of this is due to inflation; this like almost everything else in today’s economy is almost all the result of greed based market manipulation, for proof all you have to do is look at the record high profits corporations are reporting to their share holders. Companies across the board are now in the stock market business and their customer base is the expendable consumable used to reward their share holders………
I agree the the rise in prices has nothing to do with inflation. I have also seen my company raise prices on the highest selling items like batteries and wiper blades. First $10 then recently $5. Our pay hasn't increased at all so its not due to the increase in wages and with all the new products they send out it doesn't appear to be due to supply shortages. It's all just corporate greed to see how much profit they can get away with.
Totally agree! At first, I thought it was local availability, but I’ve moved around a lot and travel even more, and eventually I just never saw refills anymore. I’ve experimented with different types in different climates, and I’ve found you’re better off buying the cheapest ones unless you live in a more favorable climate that you can get more a year out of them. I remember we use to get much more life out of them than ANY now. I’m hyper sensitive to the quality of my windshield viewing, especially during rain, and I remember usually get 2-3 years out of most wipers until the last 10-15 years. Greed by just about any company these days is getting out of control.
My 2016 Mercedes S550 was in for the B service. During that process I received a call from the service advisor to let me know that my blades needed replacing. Cost? Only $219. I thanked him and said no. Over my 58 years of driving I have learned that sometimes the blades just need a cleaning. When the blades wear down and cleaning isn’t effective anymore I would just buy new insert wipers, remove the old, and install the new into the wiper arms. Less than $20. Thanks to this video I found that I was doing the DIY thing before DIY was a thing and also I’ve learned new tricks. Thank you. Btw, I’m happy to now be a Patreon member. 🙋♂️👍
i went to do an emissions test when i bought my first car and the guy looked at my wipers odd and said they looked old and that they should be changed, he just so happen to also sell wiper blades. thing is i had just bought the vehicle used earlier that month and changed the old wiper blades. i didn't see how much the was selling them for but something tells be it wasn't cheap.
A BMW dealer here in Ireland asked if I wanted them to replace the model-specific rear wiper blade during a service (14" long, and it was worn out) - I asked how much it would be? - They said €78 (~$85). I said no thanks, and bought a Bosch one locally for €14, and removed its rubber, and fitted it to the existing BMW blade assembly.
Incredible how you usually can't buy wiper blades (the rubber inserts) anymore, but everyone stocks replacement ARMS. I had one enterprising station tell me I needed new arms. I said thanks, these were 20 years old and still worked fine, all I wanted were blades.
I used to use Rain X washer fluid all the time and it worked great. Until a couple years ago when it started leaving a nasty residue. If I was driving into the sun, or at night oncoming headlights, left me completely blind, not seeing through the residue. It soon "evaporated", but it shouldn't have been there in the first place. I suspect Rain X "improved" their product. We all know what that means. I tried Rain X wiper blades and they left the same residue.
some years ago Rain-X changed their formula, which I can't recall what all was changed but basically they removed the silicone component that would leave the water repellent film on the window everyone liked. Now it's just colored water with some impurities in it like most other brands. You can get the same silicone residue on the window if you use silicone rubber wiper blades as opposed to the more common (and cheaper) plain rubber ones. I also find the silicone wiper blades last a lot longer, being more resistant to degradation from UV and ozone as well as more flexible in a wider temperature range. Worth the extra cost IMO
We have found of you clean the windshield very well and finish with distilled water and a clean microfiber cloth, it leaves no film. Sometimes you think it's clean, but some road films are very hard to remove. Wipe on the Rain-X with a clean white paper towel and after a wipe or 2 if the towel shows any discoloration, stop and clean the windshield again.
Steel wool, rubbing compound/wool pad, buffer, rubbing alcohol, foam pad w/ Fast orange pumice soap/rubbing compound 75%/25% respectively will remove any and all scratches then seal with a graphene or ceramic spray detailer. Mink oil is the #1 ingredient in the old formula rain x, BTW
Back in 2017 I bought real silicone wiper blade refills for my newish car and my wife's car that wasn't new, I had the old Triple Edge wiper blades back in the day, and they were silicone and spectacular. Hers streak a little these days (2024) but I haven't tried cleaning them, so I'll probably do that before swapping them. I sold my car and bought another in 2019, first blade change was to Silicone blade refills, and they still work fine. We do use the Rain X windshield washer fluid, that helps a ton and I never have Rain X the windshield for a re-coat, ever, the water just beads up and rolls right off.
Retired after 42 years in the automotive industry. Here are some pointers on wipers. Any time you have the wiper arm up without a blade attached put a towel or pad on the windshield. If the bare arm snaps down on the windshield it can shatter it. When using a refill insert check that any joints in the backings are not worn and if the wiper backing is twisted or damaged. If using refills or new blades check where the wiper connects to the arm for any play. Then check the arm itself. Any corrosion in the hinge at the base or a weak/ worn spring the arm can’t supply the proper pressure on the blade. Last make sure where the arm attaches to the linkage is tight. I’ve seen far too many complaints of wipers not working properly or not at all with just a loose nut at the base of the arm. Never use anything oil based on wipers, it can cause a smear on the glass. Just wipe them off when you squeegee the windshield. I’ve never been a fan of water repellents, many can cause a haze on the windshield when driving into sun even when dry. Just so of my experiences. 😊😊
I clean blades with rubbing alcohol every 1-2 months and then use a rubber protectant like 303 aerospace protectant(which I also use on tires, headlights/tail lights to stop fogging, and serpantine belts). Keeps blades going for years.
You dont need to put 303 on serpentine belts. It can actually cuases issues in some vehicles like slip....... On rubber hoses and plastics are fine in the engine bay.
Surprise! Surprise! When I first started driving about everybody replaced the blade of the wiper instead of the whole wiper. Then the auto shops gradually quit selling the blades separately so they could make more money. I tried replacing my blades with ones I already had and they wouldn't fit my wipers. With all the problems we are supposed to be having with excess trash, it should be a nobrainer to go back to the old ways.
Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the blades. The wiper refills had a isopropyl wipe included in the package that you were instructed to apply to the wiper prior to installation.
I have the same PIAA silicone wipers since 2018 here in Texas. Silicone wiper also makes your windshield rain repellant. Go pick up some Michelin silicone wiper sold at Wal-Mart. Those have lasted 3yrs on my other vehicles and shows no sign of failing.
The system that I use (been doing it for decades) I saturate a clean paper towel with winshield washer fluid, then I use that towel and rub against the wiper rubber. Removes an amazing amount of dirt. Ju st be sure no alcohol is used because that will cause the rubber to dry out. For the winshield, I use Prolong Waterless Car Wash. I apply it to the winshield then buff it with a soft turkish towel.
There was a brand of wiper which I can’t recall the name but doesn’t matter. The rubber insert came with a little foil packet with an alcohol wipe in it. Wipe the contact edge and install. My wife had bought the whole unit from the dealer like 6 months before inspection and at inspection they told her she needed new ones because they were streaking. She was livid. I told her call them and tell them to clean them. She did. They did. It worked.
Awesomesauce! Thank you so much for making this video. I have been telling people for so long how easy it is to take care of your blades. Now I must admit, at 50, I have gotten much lazier. I just purchase the Washer fluid with Rain-X already inside the bottle. After about 3/4 to 1 gallon of use, and my windshield is treated. Not only do I not have to run the wipers; but when I do, it doesn't wear down the blades as much if it isn't treated.
Where I'm from we can get new windshield wiper blades for less than $10. It really makes no sense to start trimming rubber or bother with replacing the rubber when you can replace the whole blade for the cost of a starbucks.
A couple of good tips there. I've been using the RainX windshield "spray version" for a few years now. After it's applied, you can actually drive in a good rainfall without the wipers on. The water just beads up and quickly flows off the windshield.
The windshield wiper tablet thing is cool, but I'd just like to point out that this is a BAD idea for anyone who lives where where it EVER gets below freezing temperature in the winter. Your windshield washer fluid bottle will freeze solid and break.
I bought a 10 pack of silicone refills some 4 years ago for $20 on eBay and replaced the blades on my wipers and friends and family's cars. Still work great on my daily car. I clean the blades with just a paper towel and water whenever i see a streak every few months. *Chicago daily driver Long->Short; Silicone wipers FTW
I used to work at Honda and our wiper inserts were so cheap and good that folks would change out their wipers to aftermarket once and then have to buy the oem wipers as a complete part so they could go back to just replacing the inserts lol. I definitely recommend it. Thanks for talking about the washer fluid tablets, I’ve wondered if they were any good. You earned my subscription, thanks for your help 👌
I have only one question.. Living in a cold climate and having summer/winter wiper fluid is common here, the difference is the amount of alcohol in the fluid. The alcohol is there both to help with quick evaporation and not freeze in winter. DO these tablets produce alcohol when reacting with water? If yes, then great. If no, then you're f-d in the winter when your wiper fluid freezes, maybe even expanding and damaging the washer fluid system. Something you should consider testing before recommending.
No, they don't do anything to lower the freezing point of water. I looked at this guy's link, and there isn't a single word about it changing the freezing point of water. So, it's not a substitute for your typical blue windshield washer fluid if you live where it freezes.
10:33 I use a similar product that I discovered when I was living in Japan and it works exactly like that. All the major car shops like AutoBacs had it. It was in a bright orange hand grip applicator bottle that had the felt brush built into the bottle. The only downside to using that stuff on your windshield is driving for a couple of hours nonstop in the rain during the day will cause your brain to get that warp speed star field screen saver burned into your brain and when you finally get to your destination, you being seeing that moving star field for hours after. Even worse if you pullover into a rest stop for a nap. You close your eyes and that's all you'll see. It made my friend traveling with me get nauseous when they tried to catch a few zzz. 😅
Years ago I used to drive an old car that the wipers just didn't work so I almost always had rain-x. in the car. On the few occasions that I didn't have any and I got caught in a heavy rain I would pull into a car wash and blast the windshield with the hot wax till time ran out. It wasn't the best fix, but it was enough to be able to see to get the car home.
Good informative video. As a Rain-X former user, I found a preferable way to keep the outside of the windows and windshield slick and clean. I use an automotive spray wax. Usually one of the popular known brands. I do this to my windows about three or four times a year after a wash job.
I had no idea wiper refills were still available out there! That was THE way to save on wiper maintenance when I was kid (they were sold right alongside the entire wiper). Also cleaning the wipers and glass reduces friction. It is the friction between the two that really wears down (and pulls apart) the blade. I've heard that wiping the blades with liquid silicone is better than WD40.
When I first read this title I was like... whaaat? Cmon. Scoffed at it. Then I was silent, listened and learned. You shut me up sir lol. Thanks. Definitely subscribed. Love all the options in this video. I do door dash, uber eats, uber and lyft so, even though I have a newer car, I'm deeefinitely implementing these tips.
I use isopropyl alcohol 90% or higher and a paper towel or clean rag to clean the rubber. It basically strips off the oxidation. Then I coat the rubber with a good rubber/vinyl protectant, like Armor All, and let it set for a few minutes to soak in. Then wipe it off. If you do this once or twice a year, the blades will last one or two more years. Start doing this right away, and don't wait until the rubber is damaged, although I've had good results even with older ones.
❤ I know this may sound ridiculous to some but what I’ve been using for years to replace windshield wiper fluid is a teaspoon of Dawn dish liquid kind of like you said, put it in the Reservoir first then slowly add water this will prevent any suds, this stuff removes road grime like you wouldn’t believe I think it keeps my windshield wipers, clean as well. Just saying. 😅
Good advise another thing I will add is if you live in a cold climate where you get ice and snow when you start your car in the morning even if it's a light layer of ice scrape it off and spray de icer before you run the blades, best to wait till it's melted, I've had my set of AVA silicone wiper blades for 5 years now and still have no streaks.
Chemical Guys Hydro View is a glass cleaner with repellant. Lasts a lot longer than rain X, about $20 but it also cleans. I can do many car washings and still have the water bead on my window glass. I also use it on the shower glass, mirrors, house windows, picture glass, tv screen and cell phone. Not affiliated with CG, just love this glass cleaner/repellant. There are others such as Adams and Ethos you can try also.
Making your own washer fluid from those tablets and tap water makes no sense for people living or driving in climates where it freezes. In freezing weather, tap water will freeze, clog the washer fluid lines and likely damage your washer fluid pump. Washer fluid needs to contain isopropyl alcohol or similar.
@@sociopathmercenary The major solvent in WW fluid is usually ethanol (close to 50%) with some some isopropyl alcohol and sometimes other additives as anti-freeze.
Forget blade trimmers just clean the windshield and wipers. I have been doing it for years. I use rubbing alcohol on toilet paper or paper towels. When the wiper stops making the white black it's clean.
For those who just started to watch this beautiful video: stop the video and do not try to clean your wipers. Never ever! Just let them cleaned with the car. Do not clean them like this guy. What he is showing is not dirt. They are lead dust which make your wipers work properly. If you wipe thoae black dust off just buy a new pair. Wd40 wipes those off more easily. If you don't believe me just try with only one wiper and leave the other alone and see for yourself which one dies first. BTW if you buy a brand new wiper you can wipe it with a wet towel and see it is "dirty" right out of the box!!! Because it is not dirt!
You are probably right. I have a professional camera lens cleaner and it leaves black "dirt" too when you try to wipe it off. I was wondering why is it like that, now I know.
Thank you flr a simple clear and informative video. Ive had a personal issue with wipers for years. My local parts store charges up to 20 bucks for a single blade. A buddy was on rockauto and saw a clearance deal where he bought cases of the highest end bosch blades for 2.20 each (instead of 23.00), so ive been spoiled for a couple years.
When I was a kid we would travel from the Midwest to the East Coast for summer vacations. I swear that I remember my grandad getting wiper blade refills / rubber blade replacement on the way there and on the way back - he was big on automotive safety when we travelled. I didn't think you could really do that anymore.
Everyone talking about refills. They went away for the most part because one, there were three different widths of refills, second, modern vehicles as a majority, use two different size blades. So costs would be redundant. Plus the new design beams are really hard to replce incerts into. UV does the most damage, those of you who store your vehicles inside or dont drive htem full time, they last much longer.
Yeah, they can solve ALL of these issues by STANDARDIZATION. We only need ONE SIZE for each type of car. Every truck does not NEED different sizes of wipers. The windshields are almost identical. And if the windshields are not identical, MAKE THEM IDENTICAL. We need cheaper windshield repair too! #LateStageCapitalism
I have been cleaning my blades for years. I am in Southern California and use the wipers every day to clean the windshield. I get two to three times more life before replacing with refills.
I'm still running my OEM original from. Factory wiper blades on my 2016 Focus RS. I'm a bit of a nuts about having a super clean glass on my cars, so thorough cleaning inside and outside (not that the inside matter for this) and also I always clean my wiper blades when I wash my car. So basically I agree with what you say/recommend here 😉
I spent a little more the last time and bought the silicone blades, I think they were Michelin. I heard they last longer than rubber. I've had them for probably 5 years and are still going strong. I think they were worth the price. They're cheaper than some of the other brands.
As a wiper freak I have drawn several conclusions over the years: 1. DO NOT buy those crappy wiper trimmers- as said in the video is nearly impossible to make a perfect cut on them that won't create streaks. And anoher thing is that they obviously shorten the rubber, making it less flexible and more prone to vibrations. Cut a piece of old rubber insert and look closely at its shape. Do you think that's totally random and the manufacturer just made it like that just because? Yeah.... trimming it changes it's properties and elasticity and I can guarantee that in the best scenario it will be a really short term fix if you can actually make a decent straight cut (which I doubt) 2. Yes wipers are a scam sort of. Best and the most logical way is for manufacturers to sell replaceable inserts like some of them actually do to prevent reckless spending and waste. This is the best and reasonable way to refresh your wipers really. But there's a little more to it. It works better on newer aero blades as their base structure is simpler an more durable. On old style wipers with beam style structure you will actually get wear in those hinges and make the wiper more wobbly and unable to hold it's initial shape- it won't stand perpendicular to the windshield like it's supposed to and even with a new insert it will wobble and flex. 3.I wouldn't use WD40 to clean them. WD40 is petroleum based and rubber doesn't like petrol stuff. I would use alcohol to clean them instead. 4.Check regularly if the wiper sits perpendicular to the windscreen. If not it could judder across. On most cars you could easily slightly bend the wiper arm to sit perpendicular to the screen, just be sure not to scratch it if using ceretain pliers or other tools. 5.Like in the video- regular windscreen clean and decent quality washer fluid helps. Plus rainx :)
Years ago, as I was driving by, a pigeon flew up and exploded on my windshield wiper, totally vaporizing it, but it had done it's self assigned job of protecting my windshield from any damage. Since this all happened right in front of an autoparts, something shady was obviously afoot.
If you get a good set of silicone wiper blades you may never have to replace them if you clean them occasionally & wipe them with Rain-X when you apply that to your windshield.
@jeffbguarino Yes silicone stays pliable in freezing temps. I would make sure they aren't frozen to the windshield. Start your car & run the defroster on high to free up the blades before you run the wipers. Or you CNN chip them out with a good scraper.
@@jeffbguarino Got some clothes pins or do pizza places still stick those tables in the center? Stick those under the wiper arms so the blades are lifted from the surface before any expected freezing precipitation, then simply remove them before driving. Kinda a chore with my 2000 chevy cavilier, but you live in the upper midwest for 20 years, you get used to it. Don't newer cars lift theirs automatically when off so this isn't a thing?
Thanks for the tips. I remember the old replacement rubber inserts and used to use them. But I still have the original wiper blades on my vehicle after 5 years. I clean them periodically with 91% isopropyl alcohol. They are starting to fray a bit, so I will likely replace the inserts soon now that I know where to find them again. I have not bought washer fluid for 15 years. The dealership that changes my oil (for about what it would cost to do it myself) tops it up for free. I doubt the tablets provide resistance to freezing.
I have to warn against those Rain-X treatments on the windscreen, they can be quite dangerous. They're OK up to the point when you must use wipers, and then they're not OK at all. Reasons: 1) They make wipers bind and chatter. Wiper blades glide over the windscreen on a microscopically thin layer of water, that layer is so thin it evaporates almost instantly after the blade has passed. With treatment, that layer can't form, so the blades are running dry and binding on the glass. They barely wipe at all, they just jump over the glass. 2) Even if the blades manage to make a clean pass and not chatter, the above still applies - this microscopically thin layer of water can't form because water beads up before and after the blade has passed. The beads that are left are too small to be blown away by the wind, and they don't have enough surface area to evaporate quickly. So what you're left with is equivalent to matte glass, and with luck bigger droplets will pass through and create streaks you can see through. This all can get very stupid very fast, in many situations. Just one example: the rain has just stopped and there's bright clear sky on the horizon. You're passing a big lorry which generates tons of fine mist, with droplets too small to bead up and get blown away quickly. Your windscreen turns matte, and also white because of the bright sky. You turn on your wipers, but they either skip and don't wipe or leave a white matte surface behind. Before this surface can evaporate and go away, it's again filled by the fine mist from the lorry. You turn the wipers to super-fast but all that does is leave you with more of one type of matte white surface than the other. You turn wipers off and are blinded by the mist alone. In either case, you can't see jack. Aborting the manoeuvre is not an option because you may get rear-ended by people who don't expect you to emergency brake at that point, and you'll need a lot of distance between you and the lorry to regain vision. So your only option is to shift down and redline it through, blind and navigating by dead reckoning and hearing. Been there, done that. These coatings work most of the time, but most of the time is not nearly bloody good enough. Any product that under any kind of circumstances, however unlikely, can cause me to go blind, has no business on my vehicle. And this scenario is not unlikely enough. I got these blind moments a number of times before I finally managed to get this crap off my windscreen. I still use them though - on my side windows and mirrors. Anywhere where there are no wipers, they're great. Just by no means on any glass that's equipped with wipers.
I mean the trimmers are cute and all, but they won't soften a rubber blade that's gone stiff already. It's important for the rubber to be soft as well as smooth and uninterrupted. Once it goes stiff, it's no good. That's why I'd use silicone blades/refills if I can get them. They stay soft for a whooooole lot longer.
This is a good guide. But there are some things with the refills you need to be aware of that I've learned in 15 years of aftermarket and dealership parts departments. If a car is more than a couple years old chances are it has aftermarket wiper blades on it. In the aftermarket nearly every wiper blade has a different width of channel where the blade itself slides into. So you may get the right length, but that channel may be a couple millimeters too narrow or wide.
I love the idea of the window washer fluid tablets, not just for the savings but to have them easily on the go. My big concern would be freezing (I'm in Utah too), and in looking at the reviews of the ones you linked to, it looks like freezing is an issue with those tablets. Reviews in similar products mention adding 'de-icer or methanol'. Worth looking into which `de-icer` options exist and how to properly blend. Regardless, thanks for the info. I enjoy your videos. I thought I was saving big by getting my full wiper replacements cheap on RockAuto, but I think I'll go the blade refill route now! Thanks!
When you go to your local franchise auto parts store, ask for the economy generic replacement blades they have in back. The ones they sell to repair shops are 1/2 the price of what the name brands one cost in the store aisles.
Best thing I learned is to keep your windows clean. The particles are abrasive and best be rinsed off. I use as much washer fluid as needed to clean it properly and help lubricate the blades.
Thirty years ago it didn't matter if you used the RainX Windshield coating or not as it simply did what it was supposed to. But I would advise not using it on your newer car with auto-wipers or especially lane keeping assist or any of the other fancy modern helper things. The coating will interfere with the sensors ability to detect things through the windshield and may keep it from working altogether. Also, all of the washer fluid I use is methanol based so it doesn't freeze. Those tablets don't make it methanol, you would have to add it to methanol.
My wipers last a really long time. I really hate a dirty windshield so i clean mine at least once a week. Usually at the gas station. I always keep a bottle of glass cleaner in my vehicle. Ill spray my windshield with my cleaner and use the squeegee.sometimes their cleaner can be kind of gross so adding cleaner to the windshield helps. Also, I spray a paper towel with window cleaner, pinch the wiper blade with the paper towel, and give it a quick cleaning. This regular cleaning keeps the buildup off the blades. I use a repelant product on the windshield too.
I'd be cautious using WD-40 to clean your wiper blades. Maybe I didn't remove the residual WD-40 properly after cleaning, but after "cleaning", we went on a long road trip and encountered rain. I couldn't see a thing. The residual oils from the WD-40 smeared the windscreen. As I say, it may have been user error. If I do it again, I'll test it thoroughly before heading out on the road.
I would like to see you run the wipers on the Rain-X treated windshield. I tried the Rain-X once on my windshield, years ago. The water did bead up and tend to roll off, but at some speeds and/or rain conditions I still needed to run the wipers. When I did, it smeared and made it more difficult to see through. Eventually it seemed to wear off and I've never used it again.
Same experience here with Rain-X, even though I made all the key preparations. I have since moved to a glass coating called Ultra Glaco by Soft99 (Japan) and the durability is great (1 year or so). It's been great, speeds over 30mph don't require the wipers (or at least put them in intermittent). The blades glide over the glass pretty good even after 6 months. I keep the windows clean using just the Sprayway glass cleaner.
You should always change lane to keep right, unless you're overtaking. If people overtake you on your right, then you're doing something wrong. Everywhere outside 'murica you'd get honked and brake checked if you'd continuously drive on the left lane without such need...
I don't know if my phone was listening to me or not but your video came just in time because I've been needing a way to not have horrible wipers and ways to keep the windshield clean. My astigmatism has been getting worse combined with dirty glass and glasses to make it sometimes impossible to drive at night. Hopefully this helps a bunch, I might not update but thanks!
I had the worst time trying to insert wiper refills between the metal fittings. So much so that I had to buy new blades. Wouldn't recommend to people who aren't handy, like myself.
The one thing I hate about RainX is the same thing I hate about using Armor All Original. If you use it once you have to keep using it or your view gets cloudy and deteriorates. With Armor All it makes everything super shiney but will also leave it splotchy or even cracked if you stop applying it. The purple kind seems to be good since it just cleans and doesn't polish/shine the dash. WD40 probably can give and cure cancer in some way.
I used to work for a national auto parts store. When dealers ordered wiper blades we sold them blades kept in the back room. You can buy them too. I am sure they have gone up a bit, but I sold them for around $10-13 dollars. Much less than the blades you find out front. I just bought Mitchlen blades from Costco for about $10. They did not fit my old car, but work fine for the car I have now.
I must say, you put out some excellent content. I watch a lot of RUclips and most of what I see when it comes to topics in this space is very clickbait. Thank you for providing insightful and useful content. Keep it up man!
Never use oil like wd40 on any rubber product. It swells the rubber. Windshield wipers usually start failing because of the suns uv rays which makes them hard and lose their elasticity. The replacement rubber is a good idea though . They used to sell them at auto stores .
Hey Neils, nice tips! yet, here is another one for you: if you use a good car wax (carnauba-based specially} on your windshield it will also do a hell of a good job repelling water.
Years ago when I had a Mazda 626, I had bought some Triple Edge wipers. They were amazing but they weren’t the standard blades. They were made with Jamak silicon. I had them on the car for almost 6 years and they wiped the same as the day I bought them without doing anything to them. Ice? Didn’t hurt them. Mud? Nope, still wiped clean. Sure after a couple years I had to wait for a few swipes that were streaky but after that they wiped clean again. It was weird but I can honestly say they were the absolute best wiper blades I’ve ever had. I only replaced them cause the passenger side flew off the car when the mounting bracket retainer clip broke. Happened while driving and using them. I have done the WD-40 method and can concur that it does work. As far as the Rain-X I never used it by my parents did when it came out. I do however use a paste wax on my windows and it lasts a long time with similar results. I have subscribed for more as I love to do things myself. A whole lot cheaper and I know it’s done right.
The biggest scam regarding wipers is dishonest mechanics. I’ve replaced my wiper blades just before bringing the car in for inspection renewal and then was told I needed new blades (which cost 3x what I paid to buy them myself) despite the fact I just replaced them the night before. Obviously I didn’t go back to those mechanics but it happened more than once.
For years, I just add a few drops of dawn in the tank, it cleans all the film great. Notice I said a few drops, adding to much will have suds all over the window.
I experience engineered obsolescence with my wiper blades. Before the blade edge wears out the entire blade separates from the rubber portion that the frame holds onto. The connecting strip has become thinner over the years so it tears away faster.
This the silicone wipers?! I just got some from a recommend by the Autozone cashier, and they are impressing me. Hope they last. Was changing my normal rubber ones every 8 months or so.
The WD-40 (silicone spray applied the same way works also) trick is excellent for quick short-term emergencies (and extends the life of the blades) and usually last about a month or so. I like silicone wiper blades, they cost a bit more but they try to make them hard to find and they last at least 3 times longer. I'm not sure since I haven't had to replace them yet. Also, as others have mentioned car wax or polish like Nu-Finish applied and buffed off the windshield works as well and last longer than Rain-X.
OBSERVATION i remember when ww fluid cost 99 cents a gallon. I buy costco wipers on sale for 7 dollars and for my car i wait until i get an oil change and my dealer has a special 7 dollars per insert installed. But u are correct. Paying over 10 per wiper is crazy Remember that you cant use the tablets in below freezing weather
I'm in Southern California. My wipers only get used a few times a year. Once the last rain has gone, my good blades come off and some old ones go on. Otherwise, the sun destroys them during the summer. Got tired of buying new wiper blades for a few rain events every year.
I just got 2 wipers Silicon style wipers on Ebay 2 for $8 they work Great with no streaks no squeal, and no catering I have had them for 2 months now in Massachusetts for half the winter
Where I live ( Australia) replacing the rubber wipers rather than the entire arm is the norm. Auto parts stores don’t usually carry the entire arm , just the rubber inserts
The replacement refill have been around since at least I was a kid and I am in my mid 60s. It was the only anyone fixed used by anyone back then. Usually still available in our Canadian auto stores (been a couple years since I bought any) for a couple bucks.
I use 20/20 all season windshield cleaner to keep the road film off my windshield. By keeping the glass clean i have been using the same blades for the last 5 years and I live in the Pacific Northwest where we use or wipers for like 9 months of year 😁
A HUGE thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring this video! Check out betterhelp.com/lrn2diy to learn more about this AMAZING resource!
Are you too many too the product you’re pitching?! Only your wife & kid need help a couple times over a few years?! LMFAO get real!
Promising giveaways for subscriptions is a bad strategy.
You want people to subscribe for the content, not for perks.
Ironically you advertise a scam.
These people are scammers who do not honor their own privacy policies.
I wanted to make you ware that is not a good Idea to promote Better Help there not agood compay and anti consumer practices
I have spent over 40 years in wiper development, testing, and sales/marketing... so my comments are based on engineering and laboratory testing, not limited cases observed on a driveway or local roads...
First, never use petroleum based products on the rubber. This includes WD-40. Initial results may be good, but the petroleum eats away at the rubber and reduces the life of the rubber. Use alcohol or water based cleaners on the rubber.
You are spot-on regarding the squeegee slicers. The rubber inserts are molded or extruded face-to-face and go through a "slitter" that costs tens of thousands of dollars. This is the most critical part of wiper manufacture and a hand-held shaver will never produce a perfect product. It will produce profits in the seller's bank account.
If there is one scam in the video, it is windshield wiper pellets. They do not contain methanol to prevent freezing and usually contain less washing agents than the gallon bottle. Some pellets do provide a blue coloring (with minimum washing agents) that makes you think you have comparable washer fluid. Only $4 a gallon is cheap insurance against frozen reservoirs or damaging washer pumps.
You will never see an automotive manufacturer recommend Rain-X, Aquapel, or Nextzeet because they would not take on the liability for possible dangerous vision while driving. These water repellants work by filling in the microscopic pitting found on every windsheet and they provide a slick surface... as well as a layer of foreign material. The repellant can cause tremendous glare , especially as it wears over time. This can be seen in sunrise, sunset, and oncoming bright headlights. The only place I would recommend one of these repellants is on sunroofs or windows that are not used to see through for safe driving.
If you are using a repellant and your wipers are not working well, it may be because wipers are made to wipe glass and not Rain-X, which causes more friction.
By the way... we clean our windshields in the labs with standard washer fluid (not tablets) and #0000 steel wool. Any coarser steel wool will scratch the glass. Use a swirling motion and virtually all substances come off. We could not get one water repellant off a test windshield... and had to scrap the windshield.
I think what some people mean when they say WD-40 for wiper blades is the silicone spray they make, which does work very well on wiper blades and anything else rubber such as weather seals. You just have to wipe off any excess or it can streak your glass up.
Wow - this is such good information from source who knows. I usually don't read a bunch of the comments, but I'm glad i did today. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for very insightful info!
You are wrong about repellants. Best thing invented. Over 80 km/h no need to even turn on the wipers. And it reduces glare, specially on worn glass..
Very informative. I was just about to mention about RainX and wiper combo being bad. It looks fine initially but as it wears, It turned into an oily/waxy-looking white coat on a windshield, while causing the glare. And the Wipers were sounding horrible due to the rain repellent. I had to get it polished to get rid of the coat. After that, I decided to not put these repellents on the windshield. I agree that It is useful on Windows, mirrors and rear glass.
Wiper refills were one common in every auto store and Walmart, but they slowly disappeared and were replaced with a range of wiper brands. People didn't used to buy entire new blades unless the old ones actually broke; they just bought refills. If there is a scam with wipers, it's that refills were taken out of stores, at least where I live.
I'm glad that the video recommends them, as I didn't know where to find refills anymore and certainly would not have expected ones from AXpress to last more than a year.
This is exactly what I was going to say! I hate to newer blade refills. They are entirely too curved for a lot of the taller windshields. The middle of the blade never really hits the glass, and the ends wear out before the middle even hits fully. That can cause scratches and grooves in the windshield. Good to know that you can order the old school refills when you finally find a pair of blades that fit your actual windshield.
Two reasons for the demise of refills...
First is the backing... it coulsd be 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 8mm, or 9mm wide. Install the wrong size backing and the refill flies out during operation... or jam in one that's too tight and you can easily get streaks and smearing.
Second... refills were popular when they were sold in pairs and were the same size. Today over 85% of vehicles have two different size refills on the front glass.
If you are going to buy refills, go to the dealer... but if you are going to pay their ridiculous prices you may as well buy a quality aftermarket blade.
If you have the factory wipers, get refills from the parts department. They last 3 years 36k miles warranty, and they it perfect. Autoparts stores dont carry them no more as there is no single size anymore, its easier to carry the whole wiper at different lengths than different rubber at different widths and lengths.
Came here to say this. We used to by two rubber blades for 2.99 back in the 90's. Now you can't find them in any store.
@@noname-oe9jyI even got them for 99c a pair at flee market
One trick that I have learned. Flip the blades, end to end if you can. It changes the way they lay. Sometimes the rubber is bent over a little from the pressure of being pushed down. Has worked for me. Ran a small full service gas station in the 80's. That's where I learned it and doing it even since.
Nice tip! Thanks
Cars from VW AG (and i bet from others too) already alternate the side the wiper lays regulary to enhance durability. They implemented it since ages ;).
Finally, a subject I have good (and I mean excellent knowledge about).
I have been working as a development engineer for wiper system development at an OEM automotive manufacturer for almost 30 years.
First of all:
Yes, wiper blades are expensive, but they are safety equipment that you need when the driving conditions are at its worst. When it is cold, dark and rainy you don't want bad wipers, especially if you are driving for more than an hour.
Take care about your self and your safety.
About the 3 tips.
1. Yes, you should clean your wiper blades.
But gently and absolutely not (!!!) with WD40. Use a piece of paper and some soapy water and wipe away the debris from the wiper lip.
The black stuff is not tar, oil or soot and it should be on the blade.
It is a graphite coating that helps the blade to move smoother over the windscreen but most important, it stops the squeaky noise from the rubber moving over the glass.
The term "squeaky clean" comes from the sound a rubber scraper makes when cleaning a window...
2. Cutting the wiper lip.
It's a thing you can do if you are broke and it is an emergency during daytime in the summer.
There is a reason that the lip has its length and it is not so that you have some extra rubber to cut of. It is there to take up the uneven curvature of the glass and to make a smooth and silent wipe. You will especially notice this when it is in the 40-ies and below.
3. Exchange the wiper strip.
Yes, that is actually a good tip abd that is what many OEMs do when the service your car.
You can do it your self, but please know what you are doing. If the part is not already pre-cut to length, measure the old one and cut the new to spec. Better an 1/4" to short than an 1/8th too long.
The rubber need to have room to move in the frame, when travelling over the windscreen surface.
The two bonus tips.
1. Rain-X is good, very good.
Just clean the glass thoroughly before applying.
2. You do not need any tablets from Amazon. Skip that crap.
1 tea spoon of (hand) 6:34 dishwasher soap to a gallon of water makes the best washer fluid.
Have in mind though that when it is close to, or below freezing you must have ethanol in the washer fluid!
A mix of 3 part water and one part ethanol (or isopropanol) will prevent the washer fluid from freezing down to ca 10 °F (or -12°C)
2 part water and 1 part ethanol will keep the washer fluid down to 0 °F (or -18 °C).
Drive safely and don't be foolishly cheap! 😊
Bosch Icon or Focus?
@@radleybradford1356 I've used both, and most recently an "OEM" blade from AMZN. The latest one works well and isn't as pricey as brands for which one is paying for marketing. We'll see how long they last.
Thanks
'Wiper system development'? We're talking about the synthetic rubber part that goes into the 'wiper arm system'. I've worked on my own cars for over sixty years, never gave wipers a second thought, they just worked and you replaced them when they needed to be replaced. Gas station attendants used to refill your wipers while you sat in your car while your gas tank was being filled. They also cleaned your windshield. Also your choices of brands was Trico or Anco, that's what my local NAPA store carried. In the past ten years I noticed the refills disappeared from the auto part store peg hooks, but the replacement wiper blades were under five bucks and lasted a few years. I replace wipers for family members and began noticing they were calling more often about their wipers needing replacing. Received a flyer in the mail from NAPA, those wipers that were less than $5 were now $7, on sale, half off the regular price. I bought three sets, and a year later my blades needed replacing. Well, the price was $15 and they didn't have my size in stock, they did have pricier blades in my size, but the cheapest was $25. Went to Walmart, they had some generic brand priced under $4 and the next tier was Michelin at $5.67. Since last year they discontinued the generic brand, and the standard Michelin blade is the cheapest at $7.87. The generics were mediocre, first time I ever noticed new blades not being quite right. The tolerances in the metal frame were not as good as the NAPA branded Michelin. I still had the old frames so I just swapped out the blades from the generic frame to the Michelin. I was doing this until they discontinued those generic wipers. Also I scammed some of those $35 RainX treated beam type wipers for the price of the $7.87, and after a year I'm noticing mild streaking and squealing during a light rain.
"The black stuff is not tar, oil, or soot [...] It is a graphite coating"
Thank you for this info. I've seen many times people cleaning the blades and showing the result as evidence. The last time I tried cleaning the blades, no matter how thoroughly, I would still get the same result which told me it can't be dirt. I'm glad to know what it actually is, and I will keep that in mind the next time I am cleaning them.
I'm going to get a little extravagant and suggest you spend a whole buck on distilled water to use with the washer fluid tablets. Where I live, the super hard water will eventually cause a problem in your windshield washer lines. I think it's worth a dollar to avoid it.
Same for radiator. My 1981 truck I bought new and still drive has no radiator problems. Also, oil your battery terminals and let some wick into the cables. Mine are original.
Definitely!!!Tap water Clogs up the spray nozzle's and spots the windshield.
@@sunlite9759 ummm don't you use windshield washer fluid? Its like $2 for 2 gallons where i live.
That seems entirely unlikely, but adjusting the pH of your spraying water down with a bit of vinegar can help.
I save the water from my portable AC. Its practically free distilled water
1:28 the rag will be dirty the 1000th time you wipe the blades because WD40 is a solvent and you're disolving the rubber on the windshield wipers
Something to be cautious of with those tablets: It says right on the Amazon page that it's only suitable for summer use. It has no anti-freeze properties, so you risk bursting the rubber lines and/or the tank itself if you are in an area with below freezing temperatures. Even straight Windex is subject this to this. I had a bottle of Windex in my outdoor covered parking area, and the bottle shattered. We live in northeast Georgia and I recorded temperatures down to 3F a few weeks ago.
yeah, found this out the hard way using the concentrate bottles though instead of tablets. Add some methanol to lower the freezing point.
Get tablets not just for cost reasons - it's stupid to ship gallon jugs of water around the world.
A bit of isopropyl alcohol can lower the freezing point adequately for freezes. I have used ammonia, isopropyl, and water to make my own. It's cheap, and has worked for even subzero conditions. I have also looked for the possibility of the alcohol degrading components of the system and have seen nothing after several years. Recipes readily available online.
Holly molly I was just wondering that. Big misstep here. I thought being from Utah he would not make that mistake.
Think twice about using anything with ammoia, like Windex. I used it during a muddy spring, when I had run out of the normal fluid, and it worked great. But before it ran out, the wiper arm and the edge of my hood were both rusting. Ammonia is very good at cutting through wax or even some paints and some tiny scratches that would allow very slow rust growth from water or alcohol will allow rapid rusting if ammonia gets into them.
@@pcno2832yes corrodes metal and eats rubber
I have the same large bottle of Rain X for about 30 years. I haven’t needed it except for after replacing a windshield. The key is I started using Rain X washer fluid which replenished the Rain X each time I use it. I’ve even used it without applying Rain X to the windshield and after a couple of weeks it’s working as if I did.
Silicone wiper blades only cost a little more than standard wipers, but last ~10x as long, they also imbue a similar effect as the nextzett. I've been using silicone wipers for over a decade, oldest set currently in use is 6 years old, and still working great,
What brand do you recommend?
@@DAjugRnaut Honestly I have to buy them so infrequently that I do some research every time
@@DAjugRnaut PIAA are the best
@@DAjugRnaut You can get very cheap silicon refiles that work really well, have them on my daily for 3+ years now. 4 pack (4 pairs) for $10 on average from U.S. or 8 pack from China for about $6. I got the Chinesium ones and they defiantly work better than any rubber wiper blade. But @tailsneon556 is right, the PIAA's are the best. Had some on a car back in the day and worked better than new after 7 years and 120K miles when i sold the car. I would clean them with PB blaster once a year. Not the best when you first put them on, but amazing wipers after they break in
silicone wipers really are indestructable
For cars with steeply sloped windshields, I found the same that you did. Using Rain-X (or similar), you don't need wipers above about 30 MPH. Wipers actually make it a little worse, because the water's already gone by the time the wiper reaches it.
The droplets just race off the top of the windshield. It's a little distracting at first. Sort of like driving into snow.
It also makes it much easier to remove ice and frost. Just give the ice a couple light taps to crack it and it shatters right off.
Putting Rain-X on the wiper blade helps too.
I’ve also found using wiper blades with Rain X seems to make the Rain X not last as long.
Yes! A fresh coat of Rain-X and there’s no need for wipers. The less you use them the longer the Rain-X will last.
Also, just regular wax will work
I find only when the rain is heavy do I need the wipers. I don't think speed changes it. If anything, goinh faster will help with modern sloped windows
@@thepitpatrol for a MUCH lower amount of time. I've experimented, rainx can last months, wax, a few weeks.
I am going to weigh in on this subject because it is one of my biggest pet peeves.
It wasn’t that long ago that you could walk into any walmart or chain auto parts store and buy wiper blade refills cheap, I’m talking $1.99 for a set of refills at walmart. At that time you could buy a complete OEM quality Trico replacement blade for $4.99 and the best premium Silicone blades from companies like Rain-X or Bosch for under $10, now wiper refills are no longer available at retail stores and Rain-X Silicone are up around $25 each and Bosch OEM quality blades are around $35 a pair. As someone who spent years in retail auto parts I am extremely perceptive of changes in the auto parts market and can say without reservation that almost none of this is due to inflation; this like almost everything else in today’s economy is almost all the result of greed based market manipulation, for proof all you have to do is look at the record high profits corporations are reporting to their share holders. Companies across the board are now in the stock market business and their customer base is the expendable consumable used to reward their share holders………
I agree the the rise in prices has nothing to do with inflation. I have also seen my company raise prices on the highest selling items like batteries and wiper blades. First $10 then recently $5. Our pay hasn't increased at all so its not due to the increase in wages and with all the new products they send out it doesn't appear to be due to supply shortages. It's all just corporate greed to see how much profit they can get away with.
Totally agree! At first, I thought it was local availability, but I’ve moved around a lot and travel even more, and eventually I just never saw refills anymore. I’ve experimented with different types in different climates, and I’ve found you’re better off buying the cheapest ones unless you live in a more favorable climate that you can get more a year out of them. I remember we use to get much more life out of them than ANY now. I’m hyper sensitive to the quality of my windshield viewing, especially during rain, and I remember usually get 2-3 years out of most wipers until the last 10-15 years. Greed by just about any company these days is getting out of control.
It's also the stupidity of people. They are not conscious anymore.
My 2016 Mercedes S550 was in for the B service. During that process I received a call from the service advisor to let me know that my blades needed replacing. Cost? Only $219. I thanked him and said no. Over my 58 years of driving I have learned that sometimes the blades just need a cleaning. When the blades wear down and cleaning isn’t effective anymore I would just buy new insert wipers, remove the old, and install the new into the wiper arms. Less than $20. Thanks to this video I found that I was doing the DIY thing before DIY was a thing and also I’ve learned new tricks. Thank you. Btw, I’m happy to now be a Patreon member. 🙋♂️👍
Can you imagine how many people say, "Yes" to that question? I'm sure it makes it worth asking the question...
i went to do an emissions test when i bought my first car and the guy looked at my wipers odd and said they looked old and that they should be changed, he just so happen to also sell wiper blades. thing is i had just bought the vehicle used earlier that month and changed the old wiper blades. i didn't see how much the was selling them for but something tells be it wasn't cheap.
A BMW dealer here in Ireland asked if I wanted them to replace the model-specific rear wiper blade during a service (14" long, and it was worn out) - I asked how much it would be? - They said €78 (~$85). I said no thanks, and bought a Bosch one locally for €14, and removed its rubber, and fitted it to the existing BMW blade assembly.
Maybe you have the magic vision wipers on your Mercedes?
Incredible how you usually can't buy wiper blades (the rubber inserts) anymore, but everyone stocks replacement ARMS. I had one enterprising station tell me I needed new arms. I said thanks, these were 20 years old and still worked fine, all I wanted were blades.
I used to use Rain X washer fluid all the time and it worked great.
Until a couple years ago when it started leaving a nasty residue. If I was driving into the sun, or at night oncoming headlights, left me completely blind, not seeing through the residue.
It soon "evaporated", but it shouldn't have been there in the first place.
I suspect Rain X "improved" their product. We all know what that means.
I tried Rain X wiper blades and they left the same residue.
some years ago Rain-X changed their formula, which I can't recall what all was changed but basically they removed the silicone component that would leave the water repellent film on the window everyone liked. Now it's just colored water with some impurities in it like most other brands. You can get the same silicone residue on the window if you use silicone rubber wiper blades as opposed to the more common (and cheaper) plain rubber ones. I also find the silicone wiper blades last a lot longer, being more resistant to degradation from UV and ozone as well as more flexible in a wider temperature range. Worth the extra cost IMO
We have found of you clean the windshield very well and finish with distilled water and a clean microfiber cloth, it leaves no film. Sometimes you think it's clean, but some road films are very hard to remove. Wipe on the Rain-X with a clean white paper towel and after a wipe or 2 if the towel shows any discoloration, stop and clean the windshield again.
Steel wool, rubbing compound/wool pad, buffer, rubbing alcohol, foam pad w/ Fast orange pumice soap/rubbing compound 75%/25% respectively will remove any and all scratches then seal with a graphene or ceramic spray detailer. Mink oil is the #1 ingredient in the old formula rain x, BTW
Back in 2017 I bought real silicone wiper blade refills for my newish car and my wife's car that wasn't new, I had the old Triple Edge wiper blades back in the day, and they were silicone and spectacular. Hers streak a little these days (2024) but I haven't tried cleaning them, so I'll probably do that before swapping them. I sold my car and bought another in 2019, first blade change was to Silicone blade refills, and they still work fine.
We do use the Rain X windshield washer fluid, that helps a ton and I never have Rain X the windshield for a re-coat, ever, the water just beads up and rolls right off.
Retired after 42 years in the automotive industry. Here are some pointers on wipers. Any time you have the wiper arm up without a blade attached put a towel or pad on the windshield. If the bare arm snaps down on the windshield it can shatter it. When using a refill insert check that any joints in the backings are not worn and if the wiper backing is twisted or damaged. If using refills or new blades check where the wiper connects to the arm for any play. Then check the arm itself. Any corrosion in the hinge at the base or a weak/ worn spring the arm can’t supply the proper pressure on the blade. Last make sure where the arm attaches to the linkage is tight. I’ve seen far too many complaints of wipers not working properly or not at all with just a loose nut at the base of the arm. Never use anything oil based on wipers, it can cause a smear on the glass. Just wipe them off when you squeegee the windshield. I’ve never been a fan of water repellents, many can cause a haze on the windshield when driving into sun even when dry. Just so of my experiences. 😊😊
I clean blades with rubbing alcohol every 1-2 months and then use a rubber protectant like 303 aerospace protectant(which I also use on tires, headlights/tail lights to stop fogging, and serpantine belts). Keeps blades going for years.
This right here!! Doing this you'll almost never need to change the blades
You dont need to put 303 on serpentine belts. It can actually cuases issues in some vehicles like slip....... On rubber hoses and plastics are fine in the engine bay.
I just buy them when I need them. it really isnt that much I mean I dont buy the 60 dollar blades just the lowest priced ones that fit my car
Surprise! Surprise! When I first started driving about everybody replaced the blade of the wiper instead of the whole wiper. Then the auto shops gradually quit selling the blades separately so they could make more money. I tried replacing my blades with ones I already had and they wouldn't fit my wipers. With all the problems we are supposed to be having with excess trash, it should be a nobrainer to go back to the old ways.
Guys never use WD40 on rubber or glass it will eat both over time. Use silicone spray on a cloth to clean the blades
Don't use ANY type of oil that contacts the glass windshield.
Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the blades. The wiper refills had a isopropyl wipe included in the package that you were instructed to apply to the wiper prior to installation.
Not true WD 40 is a Brand and so ist Not 100 %true
And wd 40 has a lot Of stuff
Agreed. And some of the black is the rubber coming off. Not necessarily dirt
I have the same PIAA silicone wipers since 2018 here in Texas. Silicone wiper also makes your windshield rain repellant. Go pick up some Michelin silicone wiper sold at Wal-Mart. Those have lasted 3yrs on my other vehicles and shows no sign of failing.
The system that I use (been doing it for decades) I saturate a clean paper towel with winshield washer fluid, then I use that towel and rub against the wiper rubber. Removes an amazing amount of dirt. Ju st be sure no alcohol is used because that will cause the rubber to dry out. For the winshield, I use Prolong Waterless Car Wash. I apply it to the winshield then buff it with a soft turkish towel.
Windshield Wiper fluid=1 Gal Distilled Water, 1 tablespoon Miracle Cleaner (Dollar Tree), 1/3 cup isopropyl alcohol.
There was a brand of wiper which I can’t recall the name but doesn’t matter. The rubber insert came with a little foil packet with an alcohol wipe in it. Wipe the contact edge and install.
My wife had bought the whole unit from the dealer like 6 months before inspection and at inspection they told her she needed new ones because they were streaking. She was livid. I told her call them and tell them to clean them. She did. They did. It worked.
Awesomesauce! Thank you so much for making this video. I have been telling people for so long how easy it is to take care of your blades. Now I must admit, at 50, I have gotten much lazier. I just purchase the Washer fluid with Rain-X already inside the bottle. After about 3/4 to 1 gallon of use, and my windshield is treated. Not only do I not have to run the wipers; but when I do, it doesn't wear down the blades as much if it isn't treated.
Where I'm from we can get new windshield wiper blades for less than $10. It really makes no sense to start trimming rubber or bother with replacing the rubber when you can replace the whole blade for the cost of a starbucks.
A couple of good tips there. I've been using the RainX windshield "spray version" for a few years now. After it's applied, you can actually drive in a good rainfall without the wipers on. The water just beads up and quickly flows off the windshield.
But if you DO use the wipers you get a darn fogging.
I have not had that experience though.@@francescocacudi1767
It used to be that you changed the rubber part only, now you buy the whole blade, it was cheaper and less pollutant .
The windshield wiper tablet thing is cool, but I'd just like to point out that this is a BAD idea for anyone who lives where where it EVER gets below freezing temperature in the winter. Your windshield washer fluid bottle will freeze solid and break.
An alternative to RainX that I’ve been using is ceramic coat detailer. Less than $20 at retailers, applies the same and works great.
I saw another RUclips video where they tested ceramic coatings vs RainX, and the RainX did noticeably better.
I use both and either works great when applied correctly
I bought a 10 pack of silicone refills some 4 years ago for $20 on eBay and replaced the blades on my wipers and friends and family's cars. Still work great on my daily car. I clean the blades with just a paper towel and water whenever i see a streak every few months.
*Chicago daily driver
Long->Short; Silicone wipers FTW
water freezes in the tank the tablets will need ethanol to keep your tank from bursting
Better help is a horrible company and a scam, sad that you advertise them
I used to work at Honda and our wiper inserts were so cheap and good that folks would change out their wipers to aftermarket once and then have to buy the oem wipers as a complete part so they could go back to just replacing the inserts lol. I definitely recommend it. Thanks for talking about the washer fluid tablets, I’ve wondered if they were any good. You earned my subscription, thanks for your help 👌
I have only one question..
Living in a cold climate and having summer/winter wiper fluid is common here, the difference is the amount of alcohol in the fluid.
The alcohol is there both to help with quick evaporation and not freeze in winter.
DO these tablets produce alcohol when reacting with water?
If yes, then great. If no, then you're f-d in the winter when your wiper fluid freezes, maybe even expanding and damaging the washer fluid system.
Something you should consider testing before recommending.
No, they don't do anything to lower the freezing point of water. I looked at this guy's link, and there isn't a single word about it changing the freezing point of water. So, it's not a substitute for your typical blue windshield washer fluid if you live where it freezes.
10:33 I use a similar product that I discovered when I was living in Japan and it works exactly like that. All the major car shops like AutoBacs had it. It was in a bright orange hand grip applicator bottle that had the felt brush built into the bottle. The only downside to using that stuff on your windshield is driving for a couple of hours nonstop in the rain during the day will cause your brain to get that warp speed star field screen saver burned into your brain and when you finally get to your destination, you being seeing that moving star field for hours after. Even worse if you pullover into a rest stop for a nap. You close your eyes and that's all you'll see. It made my friend traveling with me get nauseous when they tried to catch a few zzz. 😅
Years ago I used to drive an old car that the wipers just didn't work so I almost always had rain-x. in the car. On the few occasions that I didn't have any and I got caught in a heavy rain I would pull into a car wash and blast the windshield with the hot wax till time ran out. It wasn't the best fix, but it was enough to be able to see to get the car home.
Good informative video. As a Rain-X former user, I found a preferable way to keep the outside of the windows and windshield slick and clean. I use an automotive spray wax. Usually one of the popular known brands. I do this to my windows about three or four times a year after a wash job.
I had no idea wiper refills were still available out there! That was THE way to save on wiper maintenance when I was kid (they were sold right alongside the entire wiper). Also cleaning the wipers and glass reduces friction. It is the friction between the two that really wears down (and pulls apart) the blade. I've heard that wiping the blades with liquid silicone is better than WD40.
When I first read this title I was like... whaaat? Cmon. Scoffed at it. Then I was silent, listened and learned. You shut me up sir lol. Thanks. Definitely subscribed. Love all the options in this video. I do door dash, uber eats, uber and lyft so, even though I have a newer car, I'm deeefinitely implementing these tips.
It appears washer fluid prices have skyrocketed since I last bought it, $1.99 at Walmart. -30 degrees formula was $4.99.
What hasn't gone up in price! thanks Biden !!!
I use isopropyl alcohol 90% or higher and a paper towel or clean rag to clean the rubber. It basically strips off the oxidation. Then I coat the rubber with a good rubber/vinyl protectant, like Armor All, and let it set for a few minutes to soak in. Then wipe it off. If you do this once or twice a year, the blades will last one or two more years. Start doing this right away, and don't wait until the rubber is damaged, although I've had good results even with older ones.
❤ I know this may sound ridiculous to some but what I’ve been using for years to replace windshield wiper fluid is a teaspoon of Dawn dish liquid kind of like you said, put it in the Reservoir first then slowly add water this will prevent any suds, this stuff removes road grime like you wouldn’t believe
I think it keeps my windshield wipers, clean as well. Just saying. 😅
Good advise another thing I will add is if you live in a cold climate where you get ice and snow when you start your car in the morning even if it's a light layer of ice scrape it off and spray de icer before you run the blades, best to wait till it's melted, I've had my set of AVA silicone wiper blades for 5 years now and still have no streaks.
Chemical Guys Hydro View is a glass cleaner with repellant. Lasts a lot longer than rain X, about $20 but it also cleans. I can do many car washings and still have the water bead on my window glass. I also use it on the shower glass, mirrors, house windows, picture glass, tv screen and cell phone. Not affiliated with CG, just love this glass cleaner/repellant. There are others such as Adams and Ethos you can try also.
Making your own washer fluid from those tablets and tap water makes no sense for people living or driving in climates where it freezes. In freezing weather, tap water will freeze, clog the washer fluid lines and likely damage your washer fluid pump. Washer fluid needs to contain isopropyl alcohol or similar.
So just add some isopropyl alcohol with the water to lower the freezing point
@@sociopathmercenary The major solvent in WW fluid is usually ethanol (close to 50%) with some some isopropyl alcohol and sometimes other additives as anti-freeze.
Forget blade trimmers just clean the windshield and wipers. I have been doing it for years. I use rubbing alcohol on toilet paper or paper towels. When the wiper stops making the white black it's clean.
5 years ago I bought silicone wipers and haven’t had to replace them. I clean them every once in a while and are just perfect.
For those who just started to watch this beautiful video: stop the video and do not try to clean your wipers. Never ever! Just let them cleaned with the car. Do not clean them like this guy. What he is showing is not dirt. They are lead dust which make your wipers work properly. If you wipe thoae black dust off just buy a new pair. Wd40 wipes those off more easily. If you don't believe me just try with only one wiper and leave the other alone and see for yourself which one dies first. BTW if you buy a brand new wiper you can wipe it with a wet towel and see it is "dirty" right out of the box!!! Because it is not dirt!
You are probably right. I have a professional camera lens cleaner and it leaves black "dirt" too when you try to wipe it off. I was wondering why is it like that, now I know.
Thank you flr a simple clear and informative video. Ive had a personal issue with wipers for years. My local parts store charges up to 20 bucks for a single blade.
A buddy was on rockauto and saw a clearance deal where he bought cases of the highest end bosch blades for 2.20 each (instead of 23.00), so ive been spoiled for a couple years.
When I was a kid we would travel from the Midwest to the East Coast for summer vacations. I swear that I remember my grandad getting wiper blade refills / rubber blade replacement on the way there and on the way back - he was big on automotive safety when we travelled. I didn't think you could really do that anymore.
Back in the day the parts store used to carry wiper refills. It was rare to replace the whole wiper. Now that seems to have reversed.
Everyone talking about refills. They went away for the most part because one, there were three different widths of refills, second, modern vehicles as a majority, use two different size blades. So costs would be redundant. Plus the new design beams are really hard to replce incerts into. UV does the most damage, those of you who store your vehicles inside or dont drive htem full time, they last much longer.
Yeah, they can solve ALL of these issues by STANDARDIZATION. We only need ONE SIZE for each type of car.
Every truck does not NEED different sizes of wipers. The windshields are almost identical.
And if the windshields are not identical, MAKE THEM IDENTICAL. We need cheaper windshield repair too!
#LateStageCapitalism
I just got school on wiper blades thanks so much for the great tips and advice
I have been cleaning my blades for years. I am in Southern California and use the wipers every day to clean the windshield. I get two to three times more life before replacing with refills.
I'm still running my OEM original from. Factory wiper blades on my 2016 Focus RS.
I'm a bit of a nuts about having a super clean glass on my cars, so thorough cleaning inside and outside (not that the inside matter for this) and also I always clean my wiper blades when I wash my car.
So basically I agree with what you say/recommend here 😉
I spent a little more the last time and bought the silicone blades, I think they were Michelin. I heard they last longer than rubber. I've had them for probably 5 years and are still going strong. I think they were worth the price. They're cheaper than some of the other brands.
As a wiper freak I have drawn several conclusions over the years:
1. DO NOT buy those crappy wiper trimmers- as said in the video is nearly impossible to make a perfect cut on them that won't create streaks. And anoher thing is that they obviously shorten the rubber, making it less flexible and more prone to vibrations. Cut a piece of old rubber insert and look closely at its shape. Do you think that's totally random and the manufacturer just made it like that just because? Yeah.... trimming it changes it's properties and elasticity and I can guarantee that in the best scenario it will be a really short term fix if you can actually make a decent straight cut (which I doubt)
2. Yes wipers are a scam sort of. Best and the most logical way is for manufacturers to sell replaceable inserts like some of them actually do to prevent reckless spending and waste. This is the best and reasonable way to refresh your wipers really. But there's a little more to it. It works better on newer aero blades as their base structure is simpler an more durable. On old style wipers with beam style structure you will actually get wear in those hinges and make the wiper more wobbly and unable to hold it's initial shape- it won't stand perpendicular to the windshield like it's supposed to and even with a new insert it will wobble and flex.
3.I wouldn't use WD40 to clean them. WD40 is petroleum based and rubber doesn't like petrol stuff. I would use alcohol to clean them instead.
4.Check regularly if the wiper sits perpendicular to the windscreen. If not it could judder across. On most cars you could easily slightly bend the wiper arm to sit perpendicular to the screen, just be sure not to scratch it if using ceretain pliers or other tools.
5.Like in the video- regular windscreen clean and decent quality washer fluid helps. Plus rainx :)
Years ago, as I was driving by, a pigeon flew up and exploded on my windshield wiper, totally vaporizing it, but it had done it's self assigned job of protecting my windshield from any damage. Since this all happened right in front of an autoparts, something shady was obviously afoot.
If you get a good set of silicone wiper blades you may never have to replace them if you clean them occasionally & wipe them with Rain-X when you apply that to your windshield.
The blades I buy usually break because they froze in thick ice. The plastic parts crack and the rubber tears to shreds. Would silicone do better ?
@jeffbguarino Yes silicone stays pliable in freezing temps. I would make sure they aren't frozen to the windshield. Start your car & run the defroster on high to free up the blades before you run the wipers. Or you CNN chip them out with a good scraper.
@@jeffbguarino Got some clothes pins or do pizza places still stick those tables in the center? Stick those under the wiper arms so the blades are lifted from the surface before any expected freezing precipitation, then simply remove them before driving.
Kinda a chore with my 2000 chevy cavilier, but you live in the upper midwest for 20 years, you get used to it. Don't newer cars lift theirs automatically when off so this isn't a thing?
Thanks for the tips. I remember the old replacement rubber inserts and used to use them. But I still have the original wiper blades on my vehicle after 5 years. I clean them periodically with 91% isopropyl alcohol. They are starting to fray a bit, so I will likely replace the inserts soon now that I know where to find them again. I have not bought washer fluid for 15 years. The dealership that changes my oil (for about what it would cost to do it myself) tops it up for free. I doubt the tablets provide resistance to freezing.
I have to warn against those Rain-X treatments on the windscreen, they can be quite dangerous. They're OK up to the point when you must use wipers, and then they're not OK at all. Reasons:
1) They make wipers bind and chatter. Wiper blades glide over the windscreen on a microscopically thin layer of water, that layer is so thin it evaporates almost instantly after the blade has passed. With treatment, that layer can't form, so the blades are running dry and binding on the glass. They barely wipe at all, they just jump over the glass.
2) Even if the blades manage to make a clean pass and not chatter, the above still applies - this microscopically thin layer of water can't form because water beads up before and after the blade has passed. The beads that are left are too small to be blown away by the wind, and they don't have enough surface area to evaporate quickly. So what you're left with is equivalent to matte glass, and with luck bigger droplets will pass through and create streaks you can see through.
This all can get very stupid very fast, in many situations. Just one example: the rain has just stopped and there's bright clear sky on the horizon. You're passing a big lorry which generates tons of fine mist, with droplets too small to bead up and get blown away quickly. Your windscreen turns matte, and also white because of the bright sky. You turn on your wipers, but they either skip and don't wipe or leave a white matte surface behind. Before this surface can evaporate and go away, it's again filled by the fine mist from the lorry. You turn the wipers to super-fast but all that does is leave you with more of one type of matte white surface than the other. You turn wipers off and are blinded by the mist alone. In either case, you can't see jack. Aborting the manoeuvre is not an option because you may get rear-ended by people who don't expect you to emergency brake at that point, and you'll need a lot of distance between you and the lorry to regain vision. So your only option is to shift down and redline it through, blind and navigating by dead reckoning and hearing. Been there, done that.
These coatings work most of the time, but most of the time is not nearly bloody good enough. Any product that under any kind of circumstances, however unlikely, can cause me to go blind, has no business on my vehicle. And this scenario is not unlikely enough. I got these blind moments a number of times before I finally managed to get this crap off my windscreen.
I still use them though - on my side windows and mirrors. Anywhere where there are no wipers, they're great. Just by no means on any glass that's equipped with wipers.
I mean the trimmers are cute and all, but they won't soften a rubber blade that's gone stiff already. It's important for the rubber to be soft as well as smooth and uninterrupted. Once it goes stiff, it's no good.
That's why I'd use silicone blades/refills if I can get them. They stay soft for a whooooole lot longer.
I use the ceramic polymer that I use on my car finish on the glass as well. You never have to turn the wipers on, it just sheds off the glass.
Ceramic? Ceramic is stone. I don't want rocks anywhere near my vehicle. That's like rubbing it with ground spark plugs.
My silicone wiper blades are 14 years old, still working fine.
This is a good guide. But there are some things with the refills you need to be aware of that I've learned in 15 years of aftermarket and dealership parts departments. If a car is more than a couple years old chances are it has aftermarket wiper blades on it. In the aftermarket nearly every wiper blade has a different width of channel where the blade itself slides into. So you may get the right length, but that channel may be a couple millimeters too narrow or wide.
I second this. My '99 Blazer has one that I think is OEM and one that I know came off a Mini Cooper. The wipers are VERY different.
6mm and 8mm are popular. 6mm will usually work in the 8mm arm. Cut to length from bulk.
I love the idea of the window washer fluid tablets, not just for the savings but to have them easily on the go. My big concern would be freezing (I'm in Utah too), and in looking at the reviews of the ones you linked to, it looks like freezing is an issue with those tablets. Reviews in similar products mention adding 'de-icer or methanol'. Worth looking into which `de-icer` options exist and how to properly blend.
Regardless, thanks for the info. I enjoy your videos. I thought I was saving big by getting my full wiper replacements cheap on RockAuto, but I think I'll go the blade refill route now! Thanks!
When you go to your local franchise auto parts store, ask for the economy generic replacement blades they have in back. The ones they sell to repair shops are 1/2 the price of what the name brands one cost in the store aisles.
You can ask, but they'll tell you, "what's on display is what we got in the back."
Best thing I learned is to keep your windows clean. The particles are abrasive and best be rinsed off. I use as much washer fluid as needed to clean it properly and help lubricate the blades.
Always use distilled water for your washer fluid.
Thirty years ago it didn't matter if you used the RainX Windshield coating or not as it simply did what it was supposed to. But I would advise not using it on your newer car with auto-wipers or especially lane keeping assist or any of the other fancy modern helper things. The coating will interfere with the sensors ability to detect things through the windshield and may keep it from working altogether. Also, all of the washer fluid I use is methanol based so it doesn't freeze. Those tablets don't make it methanol, you would have to add it to methanol.
My wipers last a really long time. I really hate a dirty windshield so i clean mine at least once a week. Usually at the gas station. I always keep a bottle of glass cleaner in my vehicle. Ill spray my windshield with my cleaner and use the squeegee.sometimes their cleaner can be kind of gross so adding cleaner to the windshield helps. Also, I spray a paper towel with window cleaner, pinch the wiper blade with the paper towel, and give it a quick cleaning. This regular cleaning keeps the buildup off the blades. I use a repelant product on the windshield too.
I'd be cautious using WD-40 to clean your wiper blades. Maybe I didn't remove the residual WD-40 properly after cleaning, but after "cleaning", we went on a long road trip and encountered rain. I couldn't see a thing. The residual oils from the WD-40 smeared the windscreen.
As I say, it may have been user error. If I do it again, I'll test it thoroughly before heading out on the road.
Definitely user error
I would like to see you run the wipers on the Rain-X treated windshield. I tried the Rain-X once on my windshield, years ago. The water did bead up and tend to roll off, but at some speeds and/or rain conditions I still needed to run the wipers. When I did, it smeared and made it more difficult to see through. Eventually it seemed to wear off and I've never used it again.
Same experience here with Rain-X, even though I made all the key preparations.
I have since moved to a glass coating called Ultra Glaco by Soft99 (Japan) and the durability is great (1 year or so). It's been great, speeds over 30mph don't require the wipers (or at least put them in intermittent). The blades glide over the glass pretty good even after 6 months.
I keep the windows clean using just the Sprayway glass cleaner.
You should always change lane to keep right, unless you're overtaking. If people overtake you on your right, then you're doing something wrong. Everywhere outside 'murica you'd get honked and brake checked if you'd continuously drive on the left lane without such need...
I don't know if my phone was listening to me or not but your video came just in time because I've been needing a way to not have horrible wipers and ways to keep the windshield clean. My astigmatism has been getting worse combined with dirty glass and glasses to make it sometimes impossible to drive at night. Hopefully this helps a bunch, I might not update but thanks!
Here in central Texas, the heat is terrible. No matter what you try, the heat will overcome it. I just replace them & move on.
I had the worst time trying to insert wiper refills between the metal fittings. So much so that I had to buy new blades. Wouldn't recommend to people who aren't handy, like myself.
Automotive waxes work pretty well compared to Rain-X. I use chemical guys Jett Seal and it lasts quite a long time.
The one thing I hate about RainX is the same thing I hate about using Armor All Original. If you use it once you have to keep using it or your view gets cloudy and deteriorates. With Armor All it makes everything super shiney but will also leave it splotchy or even cracked if you stop applying it. The purple kind seems to be good since it just cleans and doesn't polish/shine the dash. WD40 probably can give and cure cancer in some way.
I used to work for a national auto parts store. When dealers ordered wiper blades we sold them blades kept in the back room. You can buy them too. I am sure they have gone up a bit, but I sold them for around $10-13 dollars. Much less than the blades you find out front. I just bought Mitchlen blades from Costco for about $10. They did not fit my old car, but work fine for the car I have now.
I must say, you put out some excellent content. I watch a lot of RUclips and most of what I see when it comes to topics in this space is very clickbait. Thank you for providing insightful and useful content. Keep it up man!
Never use oil like wd40 on any rubber product. It swells the rubber. Windshield wipers usually start failing because of the suns uv rays which makes them hard and lose their elasticity. The replacement rubber is a good idea though . They used to sell them at auto stores .
Hey Neils, nice tips! yet, here is another one for you: if you use a good car wax (carnauba-based specially} on your windshield it will also do a hell of a good job repelling water.
This!!
Years ago when I had a Mazda 626, I had bought some Triple Edge wipers. They were amazing but they weren’t the standard blades. They were made with Jamak silicon. I had them on the car for almost 6 years and they wiped the same as the day I bought them without doing anything to them. Ice? Didn’t hurt them. Mud? Nope, still wiped clean. Sure after a couple years I had to wait for a few swipes that were streaky but after that they wiped clean again. It was weird but I can honestly say they were the absolute best wiper blades I’ve ever had. I only replaced them cause the passenger side flew off the car when the mounting bracket retainer clip broke. Happened while driving and using them.
I have done the WD-40 method and can concur that it does work.
As far as the Rain-X I never used it by my parents did when it came out. I do however use a paste wax on my windows and it lasts a long time with similar results.
I have subscribed for more as I love to do things myself. A whole lot cheaper and I know it’s done right.
The biggest scam regarding wipers is dishonest mechanics. I’ve replaced my wiper blades just before bringing the car in for inspection renewal and then was told I needed new blades (which cost 3x what I paid to buy them myself) despite the fact I just replaced them the night before. Obviously I didn’t go back to those mechanics but it happened more than once.
I just clean the rubber squgee with plain water on towels. Had a set of wipers lasted 3 years with that method.
For years, I just add a few drops of dawn in the tank, it cleans all the film great. Notice I said a few drops, adding to much will have suds all over the window.
I use full strength rubbing alcohol to clean the wipers and glass. A drop of Dawn in the alcohol for really clean glass.
I experience engineered obsolescence with my wiper blades. Before the blade edge wears out the entire blade separates from the rubber portion that the frame holds onto. The connecting strip has become thinner over the years so it tears away faster.
This the silicone wipers?! I just got some from a recommend by the Autozone cashier, and they are impressing me. Hope they last. Was changing my normal rubber ones every 8 months or so.
The WD-40 (silicone spray applied the same way works also) trick is excellent for quick short-term emergencies (and extends the life of the blades) and usually last about a month or so. I like silicone wiper blades, they cost a bit more but they try to make them hard to find and they last at least 3 times longer. I'm not sure since I haven't had to replace them yet. Also, as others have mentioned car wax or polish like Nu-Finish applied and buffed off the windshield works as well and last longer than Rain-X.
OBSERVATION i remember when ww fluid cost 99 cents a gallon. I buy costco wipers on sale for 7 dollars and for my car i wait until i get an oil change and my dealer has a special 7 dollars per insert installed. But u are correct. Paying over 10 per wiper is crazy
Remember that you cant use the tablets in below freezing weather
One other thing I do during the winter months is I add one 32 house bottle of rubbing alcohol into my Reservoir. This is a excellent deicer.😊
Years ago you could just replace the rubber portion and didn’t need to replace the whole arm. It was inexpensive and it just slid into place.
I'm in Southern California. My wipers only get used a few times a year. Once the last rain has gone, my good blades come off and some old ones go on. Otherwise, the sun destroys them during the summer. Got tired of buying new wiper blades for a few rain events every year.
I just got 2 wipers Silicon style wipers on Ebay 2 for $8 they work Great with no streaks no squeal, and no catering I have had them for 2 months now in Massachusetts for half the winter
i've tried wiper blade inserts, many last as long as cheap wiper blades.
Chris is da man and has the best videos cuz they are short and too the point and not dragged out like this.
Where I live ( Australia) replacing the rubber wipers rather than the entire arm is the norm. Auto parts stores don’t usually carry the entire arm , just the rubber inserts
The replacement refill have been around since at least I was a kid and I am in my mid 60s. It was the only anyone fixed used by anyone back then.
Usually still available in our Canadian auto stores (been a couple years since I bought any) for a couple bucks.
I use 20/20 all season windshield cleaner to keep the road film off my windshield. By keeping the glass clean i have been using the same blades for the last 5 years and I live in the Pacific Northwest where we use or wipers for like 9 months of year 😁