Hey R53 friends...my eternal search for front wipers that work/don't squeak/and last more than a season here in NorCal continues for my R53 JCW...any recommendations?

 

I try to buy Original bmw / mini whenever possible. 18 - 24 months. New York and So Cal.

 

Valeo makes most of the factory ones. Genuine Ones are really cheap and even priced under the factory valeo. Lots of people like the PIAA. Sun and extreme temps kill them. The Snow and ice kills them up north here.

The factory ones have a little air foil on the driver side also.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/61610028137/

 

+1 for the Genuine MINI. I used to always buy Rain-X wipers for my old R50, then I learned about the cool spoiler design of the factory wiper and decided to give them a try on the R53. They contour to the glass better, wipe fine, and are reasonably priced for Genuine MINI parts. Also since PIAA was mentioned, I tried them too and thought they were worse than Rain-X.

 

BOSCH ICON wipers …

 

I live in hot climates (FL and the SW) -
I'd purchased the same OEM wipers that come with the air foil/ deflector as the same replacement for my 04 R53, back in 2012. However; the rubber wiper blades had degraded and torn within 3 years AND I NEVER ever use my wipers (I treat the winshield and rear hatch glass with rain deterrent product instead...).
I really dislike worn things on my Mini - so I opted to replace the wiper blades with Silicon refills from Amazon.
That was nearly 10 years ago. To this day they are still rubbery and flexible.

The reason I never use my wipers (whether it be Florida or the SW desert), is because I've noticed that dirt & sand collect on the wipers and scratched the heck out of windsheild and most notably my rear hatch window.

Just my odd 2 cents worth.

 

I highly recommend a product by the name of AQUAPEL. It's a gauze ampule applicator filled with water repellant that you treat the windshield and it works! You must follow directions, though. When raining, at about 40-45 mph, water just disappears. At lower speeds, an intermittent wipe is all that's required. Most importantly, it lasts for months, even years if your vehicle is garaged. All our vehicles have had the treatment.