Wiper blades

Replace the blade only, not the wiper arm.

Peabody wrote in news:20101101-154342.609.0 @news.cox.net:

Yes, there are genuine Honda wiper parts, and they are far superior to any aftermarket alternative.

You can buy these parts:

1) The "refill". This is the rubber part only (actually contacts the windshield), which is part of the "blade". On most Hondas you need to keep the steel strips that originally came with your factory refills. You transfer the strips to the new refill, then install the new refill into the existing blade. The refills are about $5-$7 each. 2) The "blade". This is the part that clips onto the wiper arm which bolts to the car. These are on the order of $40-$50 each, and come with a rubber "refill" already installed.

If you have discarded your $40 factory wiper blades, OEM refills may not fit properly into whatever aftermarket item is currently installed. You may be able to find OEM blades at a wrecking yard. If not, bite the bullet and get new blades at the dealer.

Believe it or not, I kept the original Honda blades. I could claim that's because I knew I would need them, but in truth I just never got around to throwing them away. :-)

The old ones were still working fine, but the rubber was starting to come apart, and I was afraid I'd end up gouging the glass.

So I'll see about getting the refills.

Thanks very much.

Peabody wrote in news:20101101-221220.410.0 @news.cox.net:

You've been very wise!

When you install the refills, make ABSOLUTELY certain that ALL of the little hooks catch the refill properly! Miss one and the glass may indeed get scratched.

Also, be aware that: If the metal strips are FLAT, they can go on any-which-way. If they are CURVED, point them so the ends point UP (away from the windshield) for the driver's side, and DOWN (towards the windshield) for the passenger side.

One last point: Refills are supposed to be replaced every year...at LEAST. Replace them in the fall. And clean the glass before installing the new refills.

Why people seem to think refills are supposed to last forever is quite beyond me.

yup. they don't have the cunningly designed frame that keeps the blade firmly pressed against the glass. stick with the oem honda frames and you won't have this problem.

just get new oem honda rubbers from an online supplier like bkhondaparts.com - they work just great.

SNIP>>

Just bought refills at the Dealer for $8 ea MLD

You probably could have bought them even cheaper from some other Honda dealer. I've found quite a price variation among Honda dealers that are only 15 or so miles apart from each other. Then of course there are those with on-line biseness, too, such as Majestic Honda, though on-line order for such inexpensive parts would be overkill.

Maybe so-I wanted to get OEM parts since I don't replace these inserts all that often. In the end, how much did I really overpay?And if I amortize the extra cost over the life of the inserts it isn't worth the extra time/driving to save a couple of bucks. Just going to the next nearest Honda Dealer would come close to costing me the price difference alone in the gas cost. MLD