http://www.michelinwiper.com/

Michelin Radius wipers. I simply checked the book that hangs by the wiper racks at Wal-Mart (or at any auto supply store). I believe it was 18" driver, 19" passenger. There is no "model number" needed. Just size.

Easiest install imaginable. You snap out the OEM and snap on the Michelins. I would have bought the Rain-X Latitude also, but the Michelin were $10 cheaper on sale.

No smearing, no streaking. Sweet.

 

to clarrify - the way the blade assembly mounts to the arm is very generic.




If you want to swap the entire blade (from $6 to more than $20 depending on brand) you will find the package includes an assortment of plastic mounting clips. What you need is in there...MINI is very standard. The last set of blades I bought the clip afixed in the package was the one that fit...the others just went in the trash. Note that you need 1 19 inch and one 18 inch blade.

Now if you just want to buy refills - just the rubber part to retain the OEM blade assembly: That's a different issue....

 

Just ordered a 19" and 18" Valeo 900 wiper blade system from Amazon with for $39 total with free shipping. Same as the Michelin Radius ones at Costco apparently, but more expensive. I'm addicted to online convenience.

 

Hm... Just one more question before i place my order. Do they fit european Minis? I live in Norway...

 

Should be the same lengths. The Valeo 900 or Michelin Radius are not tailor made to specific car models but are based only on length. I figure european Minis should have the same generic mount that Capt_bj posted above. Can't imagine they would use a different wiper system.

 

My experience with the Michellin Radius wipers has been kind of hit and miss. I've had them on for nearly a year, and they have held up nicely. My problem is that they don't apply uniform pressure to the windshield over their entire lenght. The passenerger side blade, in partiuclar. Through the first half of the stroke, the three inches furthest from me don't touch the glass at all.

I think this thread started with a comment about the lousy rear wiper though. Does anybody know where to get an off the shelf replacment for that puppy? It's like a 10 inch blade, and I don't think the attachement is standard like the front ones.

 

Guess I'll just have to wait and see :-)

 

The rear one is unique

here's one source http://www.minicarparts.net/Parts/61_62_2_754_285.cfm

but I had luck buying a generic refill and cutting it down to size and carefully replacing in the plastic arm.

 

Just installed the Valeo 900 blades. Very easy. No tools needed.

My originals streaked from the beginning, but not horribly. I just thought it was as good as it could get, but now there is absolutely no streaking! Hopefully these new ones last a while.

Didn't realize that the OEM blades were also made by Valeo.

 

Actually, tested my new Valeo 900 wipers (supposedly same as the Michelin's) in the rain for the first time, and same problem with the uniform pressure. Going to deal with it for now since otherwise they are quieter and much more effective for the glass they do cover.

 

I may try the PIAA silicone wiper blades. Any luck with these?

 

Had 'em ... went ANCO next time.

The PIAA came with a packet of gell to coat the glass

Rainex????

ANCO when they are needed seems to be less $ as compared to the fancies....

PIAA cost me over $40 with shipping and lasted maybe a year...ANCO cost under $10 each and seem to last about .... a year....

I clean the glass with the clay I would have thrown out after using it on the painted parts....and seems to me like I came out ahead.

 

Same problem here with a set of Rain-X Latitude wipers. I haven't looked at it from the outside, but it's obvious when raining that a couple inches of the windshield which were wiped before, isn't now. It's only on the passenger side and not so bad, so I'm just dealing with it as they're a very good set. Was initially going for the Bosch Icons, but was told that they're even worse with the uniform pressure issue.

 

Forgot to mention that I did Aquapel my windshield before I upgraded the wipers. Aquapel alone made a significant difference.

 

Me too! It's a particularly strange problem - as though the rubber is melting off of the blades and sticking to the glass. Ive found that Rain-X (which I love) actually made the problem worse with stock blades. I've got Rain-X blades on it now and they are a LOT better - no black mark issues in almost a year.

 

So is it a problem with the rubber or the entire blade design? I thought I had it solved with re-aiming the washers but it's not good enough. I think I'll be replacing them very soon since blades aren't that expensive, but should I replace the whole unit or just the rubber?

 

I've found that this happens to me when I don't polish my glass. I usually use auto detergent and a wool mit to clean the glass when I'm washing the car... no special cleaners for the outside of the glass. On my MINI and my other cars, a good polishing of the glass (special glass polish and a mechanical polisher like my PCDA, but I think you can do it by hand as well) really removed contaminants from the glass surface (microscopic bits of bugs, tree sap, etc) and the wipers work much better.

Claybar will also do wonders for the wipers ability to function. Just clay the windows just like you clay the painted surfaces of the car (and the chrome too... just not the black plastic bits)

 

The best wipers I have ever seen.
I didn't read the instructions and didn't even apply the thing(gel?) that came with it. But the water started beading up right away. The blade really coats the glass. I went cheap and put a $3 refill on the passesnger side.

 

I guess 6 months for wipers is good...

 

Wiper Smudge for me too..

Service Advisor said since its been only 4000 miles they cannot replace it.. but i have had the car for more than 6 months.. i will ask them to replace it.

 

They replaced mine with 700 miles on the car. Problem is that new wipers are worse than originals. I really think that either the wipers MINI uses suck or maybe the windshield shape makes it really hard to clean it.

 

That's surprising. After all, a good part (most?) of the wear and tear on the blades is the rubber deteriorating in the sun. At least that's the story here. I had no problem getting a replacement at about the 6 month point.

 

I would get different wipers. I'm still very happy with my Valeo 900 Ultimates. Only thing is that the windshield shape leaves a few inches of the passenger side edge un-wiped. Otherwise, they have performed very well in the rain, snow, and ice. Never had to clean them. They have remained amazingly streak free. I also noticed my mother-in-law's new Benz has a similar one piece flex design. Guess it's the future?

Here's a video I had posted in another thread about the coverage problem. I wonder how the other brands fare?

 

i have the valeos but i will try the new rainx latitude.

 

I just tried the Rain X latitudes because pep boys had a buy 1 get 1 rebate thing going on. They also miss the passenger edge of the window because the windshield is extremely curved there. coming from 7 month old stock wipers I forgot how much better it is to not use crap to wipe your windshield. No smudging and works well with the light road spray.