A few weeks ago I went to the dealership to replace my wiper blades. The OEM blades are ridiculously overpriced, so I told them just to just replace the rubber inserts. Well, the other day in a rainstorm one of the blades was leaving behind a black residue. Is that at all normal for new rubber? And yesterday I noticed a few vertical hair-width scratches (although I can't actually feel them) on the drivers side of the windshield. Could the wiper blade have caused those scratches? Should I just replace the blades?
I am getting ready to replace my rubber inserts for just the second time in 3 years. I have never had a problem with the OEM rubber inserts. I also clean the rubber inserts regularly to keep any road dirt or grime from building up on the back of the inserts. If you are noticing any scratches or residue, chances are it is grime building up behind the inserts. If just soap and water does not clean them, try rubbing alcohol.
Cheap blades give mediocre results, a couple extra bucks, you get better results. If the blades are that bad that they are leaving scratches in the glass, lose them NOW! Usually the only time a blade will scratch is when there is a piece of something hard, a small stone will work nicely, and the blade does not release the particle, but rather grabs on to it, and thus scratches the glass! I am currently using the Rain-X wipers. When it does rain, they work great! They have been on the car 10 months now, still firm enough to work fine! We will see how long they will last!
I'm still using the original OEM wipers. I have replaced the rubber inserts on them though for about $3.00 and they're as good as buying brand new blades. edit: Now that I actually read OP's post, I'd try and get new inserts. If that doesn't work grab some new blades and wish for the best!
I went to Advance Auto Parts after work and got the Bosch Icon blades. They were less than half the price of the OEM blades. Of course it stopped raining just after I installed them.
The dealers should only be replacing the inserts -- the actual blade does not need to be replaced. I'm surprised you had the OE inserts scratch ... I can only assume that whatever was on the glass did the scratching. The OE blades are very high quality and soft -- better than the vast majority of the replacements available. Having aftermarket blades scratch the windshield is not uncommon -- happens all the time with some shape glass and using the wrong replacements on "one wiper: setups
They don't look as pretty, but the Bosch Icon blades seem to perform better than the OEM blades. Ever since I got into a minor accident a few months ago, I've been noticing all of these little things wrong with my car. The scratches could have been there for a long time and I just noticed them now. I don't know.
Also, there are many "glass polishes" on the market. I bought some at a windshield replacement shop. Spend 1/2 hour some weekend and you will be amazed how they help vision. They eliminate all the film and residue that collects thru the year.
