Hey Motor-heads! What do you all recommend for replacement of wiper blades for my '05 MCS hatch? I had to turn them on yesterday to get the bugs and a bird poop off the windshield in the late afternoon sun, and almost drove off the road from the smearing! It's TIME today!!

 

You can do the stock blades. I replace the whole blade and support so the blade has good contact with the window. Also driver side has that air foil. These are J hook style.

Wiper Blade Set - Priced As Set 61610028137

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/61610028137/





Or you can change over to the newer MINI low profile style ( 7/2012+ style fro pre 7/2012) with our Aero wiper kit.


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...er-blades.html



Thanks

 

any parts store should have replacement blades that fit at a fraction of the cost of factory ... yes you loose the 'air foil'


Bosch and PIAA are popular but ANCO work fine too . .

 

The previous owner must have just done the Autozone stuff. No air foil. I bought this car 1 year ago last week. Happy birthday to me! ECS, I'll probably get back to you on your site.
Thanks

 

I have tried various aftermarket blades over the last 11 years of R53 ownership. I now use OEM blades and just replace the rubber insert every year. The whole blade can be replaced after many years or when the paint starts to look a little bad.

 

+1 on going to the parts store and buying new blades. I have some cheap 9.00 basic wipers now and they wipe rain just fine. During the winter just be sure to prop them when parking in wet / snowy conditions and they should last a while.

 

I just got the Trico ones for 9.00 a piece. O' Reilly Auto Wipers

 

secrets to wiper performance


1. Keep the blades CLEAN. YES, they can get dirty - pulling those bug guts off the glass .... you ASSUME they all went away but some stick to the rubber blades. When you wash the car be SURE to wash the wiper blades ... remove the crud . . .


2. Your wipers are a squeegee .... don't know what that means? Look it up. A squeegee works best on CLEAN glass ... by clean I mean SMOOTH. Glass gets deposits on it, and then it ain't smooth. I run my glass with a razor (window scraper) at least twice a year ... companies now sell "clay" just for glass (after your clay is used for the paint, save and use for glass) .... when your glass is CLEAN, wipers work better.

 

What the Capt. said.
Wiper blades are not intended for bug and bird poop removal. That's what glass cleaner and lint free wipes are for. Here's a couple items I keep in the boot at all times just for that problem.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...rPicks&refType=

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...page=2&refType=

The cleaner wipes I keep in a zip lock bag. Easier to stuff in the boot.

 

I'm with Coolio,

Inexpensive blades and replace them often. I live in Northern Maine and have a lot of grit from the roads tossed onto the windshield. New clean blades often keeps me smiling.

 

Update: Within the last few weeks there has been a good amount of ice. The 9.00 Trico ones don't fair well with super cold / icy conditions. The bend points will freeze on the support arms which causes the blade to not conform to the window properly. Trico also has some "Winter Blades" that have a coating to prevent ice from stopping functionality. I was told the coating will come off quickly by the guy at the store though. These are the conditions where I could see the more expensive blades being helpful maybe.

 

We have the valeo version on sale right now above and they have the aero blade on the driver side. See link above.

 

PIAA Super Silicone blades have been by far the best I've tried.
Slightly pricey, but worth it, and you can get reasonably
priced refills at about half the price of the full blades when
it's time to change them (about once a year).
Also highly recommend Aquapel windshield treatment.

Stock calls for 18" driver and 19" passenger, but I get 18" for both.
I also get the curved blade for the passenger side (conforms better)
and the straight one for the driver side.

 

+1 for the PIAA...
I run curved on both....actually get SEVERAL YEARS from them..then toss in a pair of piaa refills. Honesty THE BEST WIPERS I HAVE EVER USED ON ANY CAR. They work, they last, heck they seem to wear like iron!!
More $$ up front, but in the 6+ years I have had them, proven to be better and cheaper that cheap junk auto parts store refills....heck, have outlasted the "modern" uni-areo wipers (yes, used bosh, rain-x, and another) on my wife's car that aged, tore, streaked in 6-12 months.....
The PIAA silicone rubber just lasts!! And yes...a clean windshield is important!!

 

Don't cheap-out on the wiper blades. Get decent ones (Bosch Icons, PIAA, etc.), and in the long run they'll probably cost you less than the cheap ones.

I use RainX and love it. I am an old stormchaser, and have been using it for over 20 years. You gotta be meticulous about putting it on initially (renew it every couple weeks), but once you have gotten a few applications on the glass, it can last a good long while. I use the RainX washer fluid to augment the repellant, and I only have do a full application about every six months now. Of course, YMMV.

 

Try Costco. They've got Goodyear blades for $6.99.
Living in the North East, we change the blades at least once a year.

 

The new "Goodyear hybrid" costco blades... Stink!

Back to Bosch Icons.

 

$17.97 (Bosch) (at Walmart) vs. $6.99 (Goodyear). Take your pick.

I prefer changing them more often. At $35/pair, annually, that adds up fast.

 

Less than a tank of gas, even at current prices. When I put it in that context, it doesn't seem so expensive. Especially for something that keeps me safe in the rain.

I tried an expensive Bosch for the rear window once. It was really bad. Soured me on Bosch wipers.

 

PIAAs are about $35-40 per pair for the first set, but only $20 per pair for the annual refills.