Lifespan of Front Wiper Inserts

very true very true.

my next favorite is pulling over b/c nozzles froze from windchill and regular blue fluid.

 

I'll be approaching two years (in Feb) on both my fronts and back. The car sits outside 24/7 in our hard summers. I bought factory refills for the fronts but haven't found a need to use them yet. :rockon:

 

No word from the Toyota dealer today and I did not have the opportunity to call them during their business hours. I looked at my original inserts which I asked them to save (although they tore part of the short one). There are no nicks or tears or anything - they look fine to me. I think they wanted to make a bit of money off me (my oil change and checkup was free) and now the scheme has apparently backfired.

When you are getting other non-Toyota inserts for your wiper blades, are you getting plain jane types or fancier/beefier (more $$$) ones?

Would any of you be willing to have different, non-aerodynamic wiper blades on your car (the more traditional type)? I don't like the look of the traditional kind but could live with it if I thought there would be no difference in gas mileage (wind resistance).

 

I bought michiline blades from costco. They work great without any issues. They are curved to the space of glass to help clean without any streaks. Overall very satisfied and bought an extra set for 8.(costco coupon buy one get one free)

 

Before you replace the blades, you might want to try pouring some windshield washer fluid on a rag and cleaning them. You will be surprised at how much crud this removes.

 

Final report on my uneven wiper blade pressure which occurred after my Toyota dealer replaced my wiper blade inserts (rubber part) during the course of a free oil change/checkup after 2 1/2 years/32,000 miles: I got a call from the dealer saying they were going to give (not sell) me new aerodynamic Prius wiper blades/inserts (just like the ones that got fouled up) for the front windshield and that they would mail them to me so I did not have to make another 120 mile round trip (but I could make the trip if I wanted them to install them). I was very pleased with that (although it was a painful, not fun process). They came in the mail, I installed them myself, and they work perfectly!

The attached picture clearly shows the night and day difference of the new (top) and the old (bottom) wiper blade/insert for the passenger side. The old blades became flat as a pancake (no arch) after they replaced the inserts and thus could not fully do their wiping job because the ends were curling up. My opinion is that the problem was because of the two metal spines/beams and the arch that they should have but did not after the insert replacement. I was told that these spines are not available separately, that they only come with the complete wiper blade/insert (over $85 for both front wiper blades).

I would welcome any other opinions or comments.

 

It sounds to me like they must have left the metal splines out of the replacement inserts in order for them to go flat. The splines are what give the inserts the curvature.

I tried replacing mine with Trico inserts and the tops did not touch the windshield. I luckily had saved the OEM inserts and looked and realized the amount of curvature. The parts guy at my dealer explained when I bought the Toyota inserts that you need to remove the metal splines from the old inserts and install in slot in
new inserts.

 

When I was living in Mass years ago it was pretty common for service stations to call out worn wiper blades when you were getting the car inspected. Essentially you either needed to buy theirs at inflated prices or have a failed sticker put on your car and then have it re-inspected (at no charge, but great hassle). So I started to have an extra set on hand and replace them just before the inspection. I still do it to this day - it might be a touch wasteful, but it works - sort of like changing the batteries in the smoke alarms when the time change happens.

Over the summer I picked up a few sets at a place on Cape Cod called Ocean State Jon Lot - they were nice Michelin blades for about $4 each - the only problem is that I got 2 sets for my wife's car as well and she bought a new car later in the summer - oh well, they were inexpensive enough - if they do not fit the new car off to Goodwill.

 

+1. Even wiping them dry with napkin makes huge difference.

 

+2. There repeated mention in this thread of "worn out wiper blades", as a given. But are they worn out?

I've been using an aerosol glass cleaner on the car's glass, periodically. It's got multiple solvents, is good at clearing up film. I'll pinch the wiper blades with a cloth soaked with the stuff and wipe it end-to-end a few times, seems to rejuvinate them.

 

I've done 63000 miles over 27 months and am still on the original wipers front and rear. They're still fine and work well. They were checked and tested at my taxi test back in October 2011 and passed.

I use car washes all the time (2 or 3 times a week) as my paintwork shows so that doesn't damage them. Perhaps it's the fact they're used well in all the darn rain we get here? I also clean the rubber blades with neat windscreen wash once in a while.

 

From the picture I attached, you would think that the metal splines were left out but they were NOT! I disassembled my old wiper - the metal splines are flat, flat, flat. Not sure if the arch/curvature could be coaxed back into them again...

 

I would think that you could. I started to try to do that with the flat Trico splines and see if I could curve the spline similar to the Toyota splines. That way I would be able to use the cheaper Trico in the future.

I gave up on that idea and just bought the Toyota inserts and moved the splines. They match the windshield perfectly and seem to last a long time. I am pleased with the Toyota inserts.

 

Do genuine Toyota inserts have the word "Toyota" written on them?