Wiper Blades

[Yakumo]

A year ago I bought a 2003 Yaris CDX, in fantastically good condition.

It's wipers, that seem original Toyota's, are 20inch and 14inch on the front, and 13inch on the back.

I haven't seen any site listing this configuration for a Yaris of any age though ~_~

Mostly this seems to be as many sites only list 2006/07 Yaris's which is rather annoying as they've been selling them in the UK since at least 1998.

I was thinking about some PIAA blades, but they seem overly expensive compared to the Tripledge (silicon, lifetime warranty) or Bosch Icons (not silicon). But tripledge don't do a 14inch, only 13 or 15, and bosh only go as low as 17 :/

[IllusionX]

yakumo: that's because the yaris wasn't available in the States. They've been available since 2004 in Canada, but there is not much information about it.

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by Yakumo

A year ago I bought a 2003 Yaris CDX, in fantastically good condition.

It's wipers, that seem original Toyota's, are 20inch and 14inch on the front, and 13inch on the back.

I haven't seen any site listing this configuration for a Yaris of any age though ~_~

Mostly this seems to be as many sites only list 2006/07 Yaris's which is rather annoying as they've been selling them in the UK since at least 1998.

I was thinking about some PIAA blades, but they seem overly expensive compared to the Tripledge (silicon, lifetime warranty) or Bosch Icons (not silicon). But tripledge don't do a 14inch, only 13 or 15, and bosh only go as low as 17 :/

I had PIAA blades and they're already streaking after less than 3 months. It's pretty much a standard wiper blade that adds their version of "Rain X" until it runs out. I had Bosch Icons on a Civic that lasted a year without streaking.

[ChilliwackGuy]

I totally agree with "Ramblin Yari" - I always give my blades a quick wipe once a week - using a baby wipe (I always keep some in the car in case my kidz have an accident) - seems to help extend the life of all my wiper inserts

Also - everytime I wash my Yaris - which is about 3x a week - I always make sure to overcoat the windshield / windows / glass areas with 3x the amount of soap and rinse off - that way when it rains - most of time the water just beads off. (and that's using Turtle Wax or Armor All cheap car wash soap)

[Yakumo]

I was eventually put off from the PIAA's partly from the price (tripledge are similar and cheaper, though no spoiler version), but mostly because I decided I would like to try frameless wipers as a lot of car companies are moving to those now so there must be good reason for it, and the idea behind the technology certainly seems sound.

I fired off a query to John at http://www.xopc.co.uk/ and he says he has a a few clients he knows with older Yaris's, who all use a 22'' and a 16'' acrobat extreme (frame-less all silicone), he's promised to send me a few of their wipers to try, and I can send back whatever I don't wish to keep, and I'll spread the word if things go well.
He certainly gets bonus points so far for the best customer support email I've ever had.

If they don't work out I thought I'd try http://www.tripledge.co.uk/ as I wanted to try silicone blades still, they're cheaper, spider bracket only, no spoiler, but offer a lifetime warranty.

www.wiperblades.co.uk say their wipers got the highest rating from Auto Express, but as the last wiper reviews from Auto Express I saw listed only wiperblades.co.uk as the source for every model tested except for one, I'm put off by both potential bias, and also the fact hat they're Teflon coated rubber. Telfon coated blades are a type that other reviews have rated the lowest (though I can't remember the brand if any) saying the Teflon comes off within 3 months or so and they are then a poor wiper.

[RedHatch08]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I tried the frameless blades on a previous car, and I HATED them.

They managed to both suck and blow simultaneously.

I know they are sort of the "new technology" in wiper blades, and they seem like a good idea, but they're terrible in my experience.

Without the frame putting pressure on to the blade, I found them way more prone to streaking and awful in winter for any kind of ice and/or snow.

Maybe it was just a bad experience on my part, but I no longer want anything to do with those frameless blades.

[jeff618]

Originally Posted by RedHatch08

Maybe I'm crazy, but I tried the frameless blades on a previous car, and I HATED them.

They managed to both suck and blow simultaneously.

I know they are sort of the "new technology" in wiper blades, and they seem like a good idea, but they're terrible in my experience.

Without the frame putting pressure on to the blade, I found them way more prone to streaking and awful in winter for any kind of ice and/or snow.

Maybe it was just a bad experience on my part, but I no longer want anything to do with those frameless blades.

I'm thinking you may have bought them early on and bought stiffer ones. I have absolutely no problems with the Trico NeoForms making contact. I have read reports about certain brands being too stiff, one of which is distributed by Walmart -the wiper arms simply didn't have enough down-force to flatten them up enough. I have no problems like that. At any rate - don't throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one they're awesome.

PS: Living in Wisconsin, they REALLY out-perform the framed old school wipers in snow and ice...probably by 1000%. They don't ice up as much and the ice comes off with one or two snaps if they do.

[Kongo-Otto]

I have/had BOSCH Aerotwin on all of my cars and i am very satisfied with them. As far as i know they are called "Evolution" or "Icon" in the US.

[RedHatch08]

Originally Posted by jeff618

I'm thinking you may have bought them early on and bought stiffer ones. I have absolutely no problems with the Trico NeoForms making contact. I have read reports about certain brands being too stiff, one of which is distributed by Walmart -the wiper arms simply didn't have enough down-force to flatten them up enough. I have no problems like that. At any rate - don't throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one they're awesome.

PS: Living in Wisconsin, they REALLY out-perform the framed old school wipers in snow and ice...probably by 1000%. They don't ice up as much and the ice comes off with one or two snaps if they do.

Yes I did buy them early on. This was a few years ago when they first came out, so it is quite possible that they have improved significantly since then.

I guess I might consider trying them again, but I'd be hesitant about it.

It wasn't Walmart, it was Canadian Tire, and they were considered "premium" blades. Not cheap knock offs or anything. That's part of what annoyed me so much at the time, was that I paid MORE for these things and they were much, much worse.