Tornado

Any comments on the stock winshield wipers? I'm going to be replacing mine for winter anyway but I'm seeing a lot of little scratches now that I've started to look.

Any other experiences with these?

Thanks,

Dave.


PS any recommends. I'm probably going to get the standard Petro Canada ones but if someone can convince me others are better I'm all over it!

GOBLUES

The stock WW I received are garbage... going to put on some high quality winter ones any time now!!

zoominD

I got 5000 miles on my Pro5 and haven't used my wipers that much but they are already trashed. Need new ones to.

GINUWINE_25

SAME HERE! MINE ARE REALLY TRASHY TOO.
2001 2.0

turbonium959

Go to Wal-Mart or something and get a pair of Ancos. My stock were gone pretty soon, too. Here in New England they take a beating, so I switch my winter and regular once every year.

mantis

At my dealership (Burlington Mazda), they use Bosch replacement wipers which work pretty well. I use the Bosch 14" on the rear, but for the fronts, I use Teflon wiper blades (from Canadian Tire). They cost a bit more, but they hold up longer, they don't dry out and "chatter" like the rubber blades, and I find they squeegee the water better as a result. Because they tend not to crack like rubber blades and are a smoother, less porous material than the rubber, they don't trap the fine grit in them that could be causing the scratches. Also, not that I take it through automatic car washes (hand wash only), I know that the automatic car washes are murder on rubber wiper blades.

bizsnatch

what a funny thread! thought it was just me being **** about wanting clean windows (at least, thats what the girlfriend said!)

i bought the teflon blades from canadian tire too and thy have worked perfectly! the originals SUCK as soon as it gets cold and don't do a thing for slush and frozen snow so i was afraid of what would happen during actual snow.

i was going to buy the true winter blades but they didn't have the 21" blade (driver side) and i didn't feel like going to a different size. to the person who uses the 14" in the back - doesn't it hit the spoiler? mine is 13" and it barely has clearance.

mantis

Yeah, you are right, it is a 13" blade.

biggyshake

ANY wiper will work amazingly if you have rain-x on your windshield. My stock wipers work perfectly as long as a good layer of that magic substance is on my window. A small bottle is the best $5 investment you can ever make.

silver_p5_owner

I've got 18,000 miles and still run my original blades. If you clean them every few months by rubbing them down with either denatured alcohol (works great) or even washer solvent (not as good as the alcohol) on a paper towel you can run them a long time. Just soak a spot on the towel and rub it up and down the length of the rubber. The gunk that comes off is black as hell but after a few wipes it'll get cleaner and cleaner. Seriously, it's like buying new blades, which I used to do every 6 months. BTW, before the days of bottled washer solvent most manufacturers recommended a mix of water and denatured alcohol for the washers.

GSweetZ

id be a little careful with rainx or any other similar product.. i used to use it on my probe until i noticed that if its not reapplied often enough the windshild looks very spotty... but when a fresh coat is applied it looks nice and clear and there is no smearing... one thing to consider.. this stuff comes off on to the wiper making it less effective on the windshield... there is a product made my no touch that takes off the silicone windshield products to clear it up... havent personally used it yet.. but am willing to try it out on my probe... ive actually gotten into a habit of cleaning my wipers down with some winshield washer fluid and a rag at every car wash i do... you'd be surprised how much crap comes off the wiper blade.. i usually wipe it until there is no black residue.. and it works just llike new...

Mxyzptlk

What are the actual sizes of the blades?