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Rear Wiper replacement alternatives?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by 2bad, Sep 22, 2017.

  1. 2bad

    2bad Junior Member

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    2010 Prius I. The end on the hatch wiper arm is a millimeter or two too wide to fit into any replacement wipers I can find and I'm not even sure they come with adapters for that design. I have bought factory replacement wiper rubber but I'm not that impressed. The design of the wiper doesn't really seem to keep enough pressure or even pressure across the length of the wiper blade - hence, not a very good or clear wipe.

    What's the solution? Are there aftermarket wiper arms that accommodate industry-standard wipers? Or, do you know of any brands of wipers other than factory that will fit the original wiper arm?

    Thanks.
     
  2. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Have you tried amazon.com? I've bought at least a couple of sets both front and rear from them in the past four years! Good luck!

    Edit: Here's a tip: look for Rain-X "Latitude" (The best wiper-blades (IMNSHO) you'll find!)
     
  3. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    The same rear wiper is used by several manufacturers on many models. "Wiping clean" is not a priority on a rear window, so they tend to not do that.
     
  4. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    walmart has them
     
  5. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Trico lists 16-A. If you measure carefully and 17-A exists, (I'm afraid I haven't checked), you may be able to fit that.
     
  6. Monarch98

    Monarch98 Junior Member

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    Yeah, I'm having troubles finding anything. I got some of those Goodyear Hybrid blades that Costco sells... Only the front wipers can mount properly, otherwise the rear wiper doesn't have the right adaptor and it's really annoying. From my experience, the rubber on Toyota's OEM wiper blades just tears easily, so after only 40k miles (and seldom being used, maybe used like 20 days total since 2015), the wiper blades are falling apart.

    I'm guessing Toyota designed the rear wiper to have that stupid adapter to force you to buy OEM blades at a much higher cost. I'm used to that bulls**t though, given I'm coming from growing up around Mercedes-Benz and BMWs (you guys would absolutely hate how they have special tools for so many things... And TWO drain plugs for changing the engine oil? Who the hell thought that was necessary?).

    I'm hoping to find some Michelin wiper blades that fit (I really like Michelin, I've stuck with their tires and blades for all my life). I'll keep you guys posted.
     
  7. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Is all this ultimately saving any money? A lot?

    I know, once we get the bit in our teeth...
     
  9. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    If you come from Mercedes dealer pricing, the local type, not the online discounted type, you tend to become seriously PARANOID about going to the dealer for parts....
     
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  10. kc5dlo

    kc5dlo Active Member

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    I bought 3 from an EBAY auction and cancelled the order after they did not ship in a months time. Got my refund and bought 3 Trico Exact Fit wipers really cheap from Rock Auto. About 2 weeks after that my original order of 3 showed up. both brands look and fit just like the original. They are complete blades and not just the refill.
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    From an ecological point of view, just replacing the rubbers bits, and just when warranted, makes more sense to me.
     
  12. kc5dlo

    kc5dlo Active Member

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    I dont have an ecological point of view but I do buy my gas just when the tank is very near empty. :LOL:
     
    Mike Wilson and Mendel Leisk like this.