Wiper blades revisited

4647 Views 23 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Cochise111, Oct 4, 2019

speedlever

Discussion Starter · Mar 3, 2015

For the last several years I've used those Costco Goodyear blades on both the Pilot and the RL. My Pilot has been having a problem with the passenger side wiper streaking in the middle. So I took a look at it the other day and found the wiper was ripped for 2 or 3 inches right in the center of the blade. In addition, I found the wiper mount was broken and letting the blade slide on the arm!

Time to get new blades for the Pilot ... and on the RL as well. So I took a look at my trusty CR to see what they had to say about wiper blades and they liked Anco series 31 (pretty inexpensive) and RainX Latitude (expensive, imo). My local WM did not have the Anco, and they had only one blade left in the 24" size in the RainX.

Pilot takes a 24/21 and the RL takes a 24/22.

So I bought the RainX Latitudes for the Pilot and bought some Bosch Icons for the RL. We'll see how they fare and compare.

But my wallet hurts after buying those blades... ~$17 to $18 each. Ouch.

I also ordered a Trico 14" blade for the rear glass on the Pilot. That's been needing a change forever. ~$10 on Amazon.

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

Carsmak

· #2 · Mar 3, 2015

I've been buying the Goodyear blades @ Costco for years, just get a new set every fall when they go on sale, usually buy one get one free.

In the desert they don't get used often and it's usually the heat that kills them off.

speedlever

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 3, 2015

I probably would have stayed with the Goodyear blades... except that my local Costco started stocking the hybrid blades... and never seemed to have the sizes I need. I waited for a couple months for them to restock the 22" size and finally gave up.

beatle

· #4 · Mar 3, 2015

I also used the Goodyears from Costco for their price and the single beam design. However, they sucked. They worked well for maybe a month and then started chattering like crazy. I forget exactly what I used when I replaced the blades that were on the truck when I bought it, but they do a decent job except for the common driver's side streak.

speedlever

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 3, 2015

I am not familiar with the "common driver's side streak."

ctrider

· #6 · Mar 3, 2015

I continue to use the inserts from the dealer. It's $20 or less for both and have found they work well for the CR-V and TSX

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zroger73

· #7 · Mar 3, 2015

Any particular reason(s) you don't use the OEM blades/inserts?

speedlever

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 3, 2015

Heh! Yep. For the Pilot, not knowing any better at the time, I tossed the wiper blade assembly the first time I replaced them. For the RL, I kept the blade assembly (I think) but the local dealer wants too much for the replacement blades... so I spend even more for brand X. Go figure.

IanRTL

· #9 · Mar 3, 2015

I had a set of Bosch Icon blades that were still wiping just fine after nearly three years. I know you're supposed to change them once a year, but there was no reason for me to do so. At my last state inspection, the shop showed me a 1" tear in the passenger blade, so I let them put on a pair of cheapo blades. That was a poor decision. The normal-style compression blades freeze up in winter and don't wipe properly. I will be buying a new set of beam-style Bosch blades shortly.

rollinhonda

· #10 · Mar 3, 2015

I am on my 2nd replacements in almost 5 years (July). OEM inserts.

zroger73

· #11 · Mar 3, 2015

speedlever said:
Heh! Yep. For the Pilot, not knowing any better at the time, I tossed the wiper blade assembly the first time I replaced them. For the RL, I kept the blade assembly (I think) but the local dealer wants too much for the replacement blades... so I spend even more for brand X. Go figure.

Shame on you!

I've said it before, but I'll repeat myself - the OEM wiper setup is about as good as it gets. If I were in this situation, I'd bite the bullet and revert to the stock configuration then replace only the inserts in the future.

speedlever

Discussion Starter · #12 · Mar 3, 2015

I figured it was time to experiment a little.

zroger73

· #13 · Mar 3, 2015

Curiosity killed the cat. What's next? A Chevrolet Colorado?? Maybe THOSE wipers will work for ya! :act047:

speedlever

Discussion Starter · #14 · Mar 3, 2015 (Edited)

Before I answer that question, let me check the lottery results tonight.

Yay! Another winner! ($1)

Looks like the 2008 RL is a keeper!

IanRTL

· #15 · Mar 3, 2015

speedlever said:
Before I answer that question, let me check the lottery results tonight.

If you were to win the lottery, I highly doubt you'd be tooling around in a Colorado. Just sayin'... :act024:

speedlever

Discussion Starter · #16 · Mar 4, 2015

IanRTL said:
If you were to win the lottery, I highly doubt you'd be tooling around in a Colorado. Just sayin'... :act024:

Exactly!

dk miller

· #17 · Mar 4, 2015

Interesting new wiper chatter.

Today I was driving in some weather and for the first time my RL blades just were not working well. The drivers side had visibly ripped.

I have had this RL for 8 1/2 years and these are the original blades. until today they have performed perfectly.

I will replace them both with OEM. I just don't think it's possible to do better than these were.

My RL is almost always garaged when not being used and I suppose that makes a difference.

feetdry

· #18 · Mar 4, 2015

I'm in the OEM camp. After trying others for years and thousands of miles the OEM blades work better than anything I've tried. I just replace my OEM blades about once a year and I'm good to go.

Of course I don't drive much here in the arid NW.

rollinhonda

· #19 · Mar 4, 2015

dk miller said:
Interesting new wiper chatter.

Today I was driving in some weather and for the first time my RL blades just were not working well. The drivers side had visibly ripped.

I have had this RL for 8 1/2 years and these are the original blades. until today they have performed perfectly.

I will replace them both with OEM. I just don't think it's possible to do better than these were.

My RL is almost always garaged when not being used and I suppose that makes a difference.

Can't you just 'refill' them? I guess with that kind of success, go celebrate and buy the whole blade!

Dnick

· #20 · Mar 4, 2015 (Edited)

dk miller said:
Interesting new wiper chatter.

Today I was driving in some weather and for the first time my RL blades just were not working well. The drivers side had visibly ripped.

I have had this RL for 8 1/2 years and these are the original blades. until today they have performed perfectly.

I will replace them both with OEM. I just don't think it's possible to do better than these were.

My RL is almost always garaged when not being used and I suppose that makes a difference.

Being in the garage makes all the difference in the world. UV rays from the sun will eventually kill almost anything that's rubber or plastic (some faster than others).... so limiting that exposure effectively extends the life of such products proportionately.

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

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