Honda OEM wiper blades, any better than aftermarket?

I am sure that at least five people will jump in and tell you that you MUST use OEM blades! I don't know why because there are many good brands out there to be had at prices far less than OEM at the dealer. That said, I think part of your problem is cleaning them with isopropyl alcohol. IIRC this actually has a degrading effect on the rubber in the blades. Hot water and dishsoap with a good rinse will clean them just as well as anything. I don't really think you will notice any significant difference in the longevity of a quality aftermarket wiper blade and the OEM ones....

DaveD

techman41973 wrote in news:159c3f7f-8619-48ee- snipped-for-privacy@p6g2000pre.googlegroups.com:

There's a very good possibility of that. It's happened to me more than once.

Five dollars is pricey?

However, if you've discarded the metal wiper blades themselves, then yes, OEM is expensive (~$40 per side). But only the first time. After that it's five dollars per side for the rubber refill.

OEM lasts longer and works better (six months to a year). In my humble opinion, which is based on 18 years of trying everything out there and eventually going back to the five dollar OEMs.

We had this discussion about a week ago and Tegger you called the price at $5. I stopped by the Honda dealer in Manassas. Retail for both sides were $13. That seemed to be pricey. Maybe you get a special rate, but I don't.

Daveed

I certainly have. Not only in longevity, but in how well they work.

Stick with the OEM blades, and replace just the rubbers when necessary.

Consumer Reports recently rated wipers/blades and found little relationship between price/quality-- but did recommend three or four models. They found that all of them had deteriorated a good bit after 6 months and after a year, all needed replacement.

On 3/24/2009 3:47 AM Tegger spake these words of knowledge:

Dave is right about the cost; $14 each at my dealer. The cheapest Amco wiper refills at Wal-Mart are $5 for the 18" side, $6 for the 26" side.

RFT!!! Dave Kelsen

daveed wrote in news:gqaaup$oa4$ snipped-for-privacy@aioe.org:

Noted, thanks.

Maybe your wipers are longer and more expensive than mine. Mine are just a bit over $5 each, no discount.

I still think $13 is pretty good for OEM quality versus aftermarket quality. When people complain about their wipers, they're almost always using aftermarket.

Dave Kelsen wrote in news:49c8bf92$0$4897$ snipped-for-privacy@unlimited.newshosting.com:

OK, $14 each, then. I stand corrected. But mine are $5 each. My last invoice (with 10% discount because I spend so much there) shows $4.95 each.

Still, I've had way too much annoying trouble with aftermarket over the years, mostly smearing and squeaking. That's the reason I stopped (in disgust) using aftermarket and went back to OEM. Best decision I ever made.

If aftermarket is working for you, go for it. Too often they did NOT work for me. Of if they did, it was only briefly before the streak & squeak came back.

In any case, wiper rubbers should be changed twice a year for optimum performance.

On 3/24/2009 3:37 PM Tegger spake these words of knowledge:

Of course they should, but I change mine (as most folks, I imagine) when they bug me enough to do so. Probably once a year, or so. But I agree about when they *should* be changed. ;^)

RFT!!! Dave Kelsen

Dave Kelsen wrote in news:49c9655f$0$4944$ snipped-for-privacy@unlimited.newshosting.com:

Most people I've seen change their wipers whenever the rubbers start peeling into CheeseStrings, or whenever they can't see out the windshield anymore, whichever comes last. Two, three years, maybe more.

An update here, regarding my boss's '03 CR-V.

He went to some Jelly Lube quick-change place yesterday for an engine oil swap. The monkeys there badgered him into replacing his wipers with new ones (from them, of course). This he allowed, just to get them off his back (monkey on his back, ha ha). He did not actually use the wipers until this morning. He tells me that the first time he turned the wipers on they were getting tangled up in themselves during their sweep, so he got a pair of cutters and snipped off the end of one of the wipers, after which the assembly flew apart when next used.

Of course, Jelly Lube's lower primates did not give my boss back his expensive OEM wiper blades, so there's no ready fallback.

Gonna look at this myself tomorrow and see what's precisely wrong.

I LOVE AFTERMARKET!

Both are about once a year deals for me. But I was able to get refills (rubbers only, natural rubber) for about $5 each with coupon. Without coupon? Then it's a little known WalMart brand (not Anco, Trico, etc) IIRC ~$3-4 each (natural rubber). Nitrile rubber ones stink.

To be technical, they should be changed *daily* for truly *optimum* performance.

Dan C wrote in news:pan.2009.03.25.01.17.30 @moria.lan:

I can be even sillier: Change them every sweep. ;^)

Last time I needed wipers for the '06 CR-V I got the rubbers from Majestic Honda (along with some other stuff) for $3.22 each. If the local dealer is price gouging, the internet is your friend.

no shit.

Wiper blades on the new model Hondas cost about $50 for the pair. I change them no sooner than they absolutely need it... ;-)

majestic honda has wiper rubbers for the 2009 accord listed at $3.22. that's $6.44 the pair. shipping extra.

These threads don't address the "OEM vs" issue, but do offer some information on specific brands, and their effectiveness and longevity.

?t=11141?t=14834

2006 Civic Si, Passenger Blade 25.62, Driver is not listed for some reason, but being the longer of the two, and with my experience, a couple bucks more...

The local dealers did not "carry" the refill blades, just the assembly, and I needed the assembly anyhow, as the stupid clips don't last a damn on these things. The passenger blade clip broke after a year.

Of course, Majestic sells THAT, too... ;-)

I ended up buying Trico's that have lasted almost 2 years now, but are just starting to streak, so are slated for replacement...