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New, stock wiper blades kinda suck

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by schlem, Nov 13, 2012.

  1. schlem

    schlem Polygeek

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    2012 Prius 3 Approx 4K miles.

    Since new, my wipers have left a foggy haze in their wake. I wouldn't call it streaking, really - maybe "nanostreaks" - like a billion tiny beads of water left on the glass. I expect wipers to squeegee the glass dry in the moment, but these wipers don't. I did take a micro-fiber cloth to the blades, and got a bunch of black off of them, but I expect that these are graphite-impregnated blades, and that I didn't really clean them. In any event, same result post-cleaning. which means a lot of glare in the dark hours.

    I live in Seattle, and we are just getting started with months of dark and rain, so I'd like to optimize my wipers.
    2 Q's:
    Other cleaning / treatment suggestions?
    Who makes kick-nice person wipers for Prius?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Adam Leibovitch

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    I put on a rain-x lattitude wiper, but it looks cheap and doesnt have any aero dynamics to it. Purely a visibility concern. There is no way the Toyota comes with blades that bad, I am thinking maybe the sun damaged the blades while sitting on the lot all summer and Toyota will replace them if I go over and ask.
     
  3. schlem

    schlem Polygeek

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    Thanks, Adam. I am really not wired to be a squeaky wheel, but I do have a 5K tuneup in my near future. I have nothing to lose by squeaking a bit. I can probably tough it out for another 1K miles. I really like everything about this car; this wiper issue just annoys me. <edit> Adam - are you saying your wipers sucked too?
     
  4. Adam Leibovitch

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    yea mine sucked also. On the way up they left the window clean for a split second but on the way down left it smudged. So I put on a rain-x latitude that really wiped it clean.
     
  5. DumbMike

    DumbMike Active Member

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    Changing the wiper blades aside (and advise what happens with the dealer), how about using Rain-X on your windshield? Living in Seattle usually means you are in the rain a lot.

    I've had your problem with other wipers on cars and changing the wipers always fixed the problem. So that means you probably just have bad wipers. I'd complain, even if you aren't the type to do so.

    Also, wipers on clean windshields work better in the rain than on dirty windshields. I should know, my windshields are always dirty.

    Mike
     
  6. schlem

    schlem Polygeek

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    Ha ha I am still in the weekly car wash honeymoon period. Would not be a bad neurosis to perpetuate.
     
    Adam Leibovitch likes this.
  7. mrstop

    mrstop PWR Mode

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    I would start by making sure you have a really clean windshield. I just "clayed" all of my glass with Meguiars clay (you can pick it up at Walmart or other parts stores). I couldn't believe how much crud was still on there. This is after owning the car for 3 months with weekly washing and window cleaning. I then followed up with a cleaning using Stoners glass cleaner and some Rain-X. It's smooth as butter!
     
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  8. schlem

    schlem Polygeek

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    Thanks, I have heard of doing that. I'll keep that trick in my back pocket. I am cautiously optimistic that new blades should solve the problem.
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Just my opinion:

    Wipers, any kind, cannot remove the film that builds up on the glass. Get something that will clean the film, and use it periodically, and give the blades a wipe with the stuff at the same time. I'm using this stuff, seems pretty effective:

    Glass Kleen | Princess Auto

    We get a fair bit of rain up here, and still using the original wipers after two years, no problems.
     
  10. Adam Leibovitch

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    I cleaned my window with Stoners and the wipers still sucked. Changed the wipers and they didnt suck anymore...
     
  11. Blizzwhiteprius

    Blizzwhiteprius Junior Member

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    I too live in Seattle and rain-x does the trick it helps a lot vs just stand alone wipers
     
  12. mrstop

    mrstop PWR Mode

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    Well, I thought my clean window would have done the trick. We had our first real rain since I bought my car last week and I definitely saw the streaking you mentioned. It made it much more difficult to see. Sounds like new blades/refills are on the horizon.
     
  13. szgabor

    szgabor Active Member

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    It is bad at brand new (my current car has 900 miles and wipers are bad). !!! both of my 2012 was bad from the get go ... and got increasingly bad. Then I got blades replaced by Toyota (not that expensive)... better then used but have the streaking from the get go ...
     
  14. schlem

    schlem Polygeek

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    I am beginning to suspect that the "Paint Protector" I use at self-wash car wash may be the culprit. Who know what it really is... I've taken to only applying it to the lower bodywork. Stay tuned.