Ford wipers

Why not? You should always replace them annually, so the new ones won't have aged in that time.

FWIW, I get mine from here:

In message , Stephen writes

last time my car was in for several repairs they suggested that the wipers were smearing, and fitted new ones all round for about £45-£50 quid.

The difference in screen visibility was startling... ;-)

Since the wipers themselves don't wear out - or rather nothing like so quickly as the 'rubbers', replacing just those is a lot cheaper and not difficult. But of course they're becoming increasingly difficult to find. £50 quid once a year for two small bits of rubber is just plain crazy.

Indeed; don't know what the OP's car is, but a pair of Champion blades (which I've found to be OK) for a Mondeo are under 12 quid a pair.

Chris

However, increasinly on modern cars, with 'aeroblade' type wipers, there is no metal bit to refil.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

I've had the car for nearly 7 years and last year was the first time they have been replaced.

I've struggled with generic 'replacement' blades with the bewildering bits of plastic for too many years to bother about a few quid extra to get the 'right' ones fitted. It is a Mondeo, and I'm 70 years older than the car. ;-)

Heh! For 38 quid, I'd be prepared to do a fair bit of struggling!

Chris

Yep, Champion blades on my Focus were better than Bosch.

Something like £4 in a bargain bin from Asda.

David

True, I tried retro-fit flat blades from Tesco for about £5. Were OK for about two months.

David

Bosch seemed to have reached perfection of design. Still look perfect, but judder after a year.

A pair of bosch blades will go straight on without changing any fittings, about 14 quid for a pair.

Also, when very cold, do not follow the curvature of the screen and left large areas unwiped.

The Champions were much better in this respect, the Bosch blades were only a couple of months old.

David

I have found that they usually only judder in one direction, a slight tweak to the blade to screen angle can fix them. Two adjustable spanners are ideal to give the arm a slight twist.

When I was in my 20s, I took on a shared job of cleaning out a scruffy terraced house from which the tenants had done a runner. There were filthy mattresses and all kinds of rubbish, and we shared 20 quid each and threw our old clothes away afterwards. That was then, this is now. :-)

In message , Mrcheerful writes

I'll remember that next time . If I'm still driving...

I picked up a set for both my cars in the bargain bin at Sainsburys, £4 a pair, Champion. They seem to be pretty good. Certainley better than the last pair of £25 s**te that my missus, in her naivety, bought from Halfrauds.

I've also used

Wiper blades from dealers and Halfords are a complete rip-off.

Strange one here,on checking Wiperblades website the drivers side is noted as 22 inch, passenger side as 24 inch for flat blade types, yet as original (none flat), types were both 24 inch long. Car is `53 plate Zafira. Anyone explain the 2 inch difference?.

Thanks all.