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Gen 4 Prius front wiper blade inserts

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by au_prius, Jan 17, 2017.

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  1. au_prius

    au_prius Australian Prius Driver

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    Went into my local Toyota dealer (in Australia) and asked for a pair of front wiper rubbers inserts for my Gen 4 Prius. The list price is AU$50 each (!) -- AU$100 for the pair! Meanwhile the rear wiper rubber only cost $16.

    I usually buy genuine Toyota wiper rubbers because they perform better and last longer, but $100 a pair is a joke! The dealer couldn't give me any explanation of why they were so expensive.

    Has anyone encountered this price issue when buying genuine Toyota wiper rubbers for their Gen 4? Perhaps I should just buy third-party rubbers from now on....
     
    #1 au_prius, Jan 17, 2017
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    How many miles on the car? I know not answering your question, but I'm wondering if it's not premature to need to replace.
     
    #2 Mendel Leisk, Jan 17, 2017
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  3. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Is this a Gen 4 or 2007 Prius? If it's a Gen 4, I'm wondering why you'd need them so soon - I find that OEM wiper blades last a LONG time - generally the life of my cars (3 yrs).
     
    #3 alanclarkeau, Jan 17, 2017
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  4. au_prius

    au_prius Australian Prius Driver

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    It is for a Gen 4 Prius, yes, and no I don't need them straight away. My wiper blades are currently just fine, but I always like to have a spare set stashed away ready for use, in case they aren't in stock at the dealer when I need them.

    The dealer did advise me to just wait a few months and see if the price comes down :)
     
    #4 au_prius, Jan 17, 2017
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  5. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I see your profile has changed. I only buy fresh stock because rubber perishes. I've never had trouble with some less common brands of cars (Renault, VOLVOs), so I'd be surprised if TOYOTA won't have stock.

    I wonder if the small number of PRIUS which TOYOTA has bothered bringing into Australia might have a bearing on price. I notice my local dealer still hasn't received a 2nd PRIUS after mine appeared there in June - they told me for 3 months before that that TOYOTA kept deferring supply..
     
    #5 alanclarkeau, Jan 17, 2017
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  6. au_prius

    au_prius Australian Prius Driver

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    I keep the rubbers in a dark cupboard wrapped in its original packaging until I need them, and I've found they don't perish at all :)

    I am really curious to know how many Gen 4 PRIUS have been sold in Australia to date. I know they are going gangbusters in Japan (where I believe there is still a waiting list of months for some models) and to a lesser extent the US, but I have only seen 2 PRIUS on my daily commute in Melbourne over the last year. I just hope Toyota won't discontinue the Prius in Australia due to poor sales!
     
    #6 au_prius, Jan 17, 2017
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  7. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Somewhere about November-ish I read that only 300 had been sold in Australia. I've never seen one on the road - interestingly, the only other one I've seen belongs to a member of my male voice choir.

    Most dealers don't have them & I was told by a couple that they couldn't get them out of Japan. Not helped by our feeble political system compared with other countries which have incentives - no wonder sales of trucks, SUVs etc have gone crazy. But - when fuel prices increase they'll regret it and PRIUS sales will revert to normal.
     
    #7 alanclarkeau, Jan 17, 2017
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  8. au_prius

    au_prius Australian Prius Driver

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    300 would be about right. Given that the Gen 4 Prius was released in Australia in March 2016, that would be roughly 30-35 PRIUS per month on average. Not terribly impressive numbers.

    I'm not so sure about the "can't get them out of Japan" line though; when I was searching for a Gen 4 recently, dealers in Melbourne AU told me there were plenty of base model and i-Tech PRIUS available from Toyota's central warehouse (wherever it is). Perhaps it's the dealers who just didn't have any incentive to have one on their lot to display, knowing it would be slow to sell!

    I think the Hybrid Camry and, to a lesser extent, Hybrid Corollas will continue to be the volume sellers in Australia. The Prius will hopefully remain as the flagship Hybrid but I think will sell in much smaller numbers than the past.

    On a side note, when Australian Hybrid (and conventional engine) Camrys and Aurions end production, we will get Japanese-built Camrys. That includes the next generation Camry Hybrid, which I believe will be built on the TNGA platform that the Gen 4 Prius and CH-R are already using.

    I do agree, there is very little political will in Australia to incentivise people to buy hybrids, EVs, HVs and other fuel efficient cars. A nice tax concession would be great, but at least I get $100 every year off my vehicle registration for having a Hybrid!
     
    #8 au_prius, Jan 17, 2017
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  9. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    As far as I know, there is no rebate here in Queensland.

    When the Gen 4 was released, I visited a couple of dealers that day and each gave me the same story that they didn't expect stocks for at least 6 weeks - I kept hounding the local dealer, and at 6 weeks, he said at least another 6 weeks before he could get one from TOYOTA - which was about when it did arrive - ONE only. I bought it. That dealership supplies one of the major TAXI firms in Brisbane - and I've seen quite a few "PRIUS v" come and go, but no PRIUS.

    There were some dealers in Brisbane itself which did have some cars, all base models and white, one told me that the Manager had decided it wasn't for sale but only for demo purposes & I was welcome to order one after I test-drove. At present, a couple of Brisbane dealers show one in stock - white only.
     
    #9 alanclarkeau, Jan 17, 2017
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  10. Gen 2 Tom

    Gen 2 Tom Active Member

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    Any manufacture making replacement blades for the USA market? Here with all the winter road salt and grit I get a year out of them. There looking a little streaky. Need new ones now.
     
    #10 Gen 2 Tom, Jan 18, 2017
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  11. pjm877

    pjm877 Member

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    mine were squeaking real bad.. I got them (front) replaced under warranty. The Parts Dept. had to order them, and they came within a week,
     
    #11 pjm877, Jan 18, 2017
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  12. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    I find the Toyota inserts last as long as any ... I just changed my Lexus CT's the other day to remedy the right blades skipping in one spot ... was surprised because they normally last close to three years.
     
    #12 yeldogt, Jan 20, 2017
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  13. au_prius

    au_prius Australian Prius Driver

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    I think the supply situation is a bit better now, but I did encounter much ignorance and apathy about the PRIUS from many dealers in my recent search. A shame really...
     
    #13 au_prius, Jan 21, 2017
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  14. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I'm guessing they're surprised someone would need wiper blades in a near new car. I'm hoping mine last the life of my car (for me).
     
    #14 alanclarkeau, Jan 21, 2017
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  15. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    It never rains? No dew either? Must be desert country :eek:
    No dust either to require the washers & wipers.
     
    #15 Prodigyplace, Jan 21, 2017
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  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah. If you're looking for something, and it's not readily available, maybe time to consider the necessity of your quest.

    Our car's been on the road about 6.5 years, and from build date over 7.5 years. Still on original wiper blades, they look and behave like new. The car is garage stored, to be fair, and only 65K km's. I occasionally clean the windscreen glass (and blades) with automotive glass cleaner; think that helps.
     
    #16 Mendel Leisk, Jan 21, 2017
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  17. au_prius

    au_prius Australian Prius Driver

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    At $50 a blade, I have indeed reconsidered my request - and I ain't buying any at that price!!!!!!
     
    #17 au_prius, Jan 21, 2017
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  18. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    The inserts are cheap -- I get them on e-bay. Many Toyota dealers on e-bay.
     
    #18 yeldogt, Jan 21, 2017
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  19. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    For Gen 4? (2016, 2017)
     
    #19 Prodigyplace, Jan 21, 2017
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  20. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    RAIN-X certainly cuts use of wipers, which might be one reason for getting long life.
     
    #20 alanclarkeau, Jan 21, 2017
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