I tried to go get wiper blade replacements for my 07 MCS. They are hardened , so now do not work so well and screech. They were great all winter and spring.

BMW/MINI here tells me they no longer sell the replacements blades i need to buy the whole arm and the blade....for 80 bucks!!!!!!!!

i know Canada is a complete price dissociation from the US sometimes..but they said i can not ever get them....Outmotoring sells them.

Can you get them at a US dealer or can you only get the arm?

Also what Size is the PIAA replacement for the rear?

 

Dealer replaced mine for free while I was in for waurantee work (less than 6 months old)

Too bad they did - the new ones suck!

 

if you've decided to drop the 'oem' blades - which are replaced under pre-pay maintenance.... in my experience you need to swap the blade the first time cuz there isn't a 'refill' that fits the factory blade

there's nothing fancy about the front blades; and replacement from an autopart store is not $$. The mounts are very generic and you can replace the factory blade with PIAA, ANCO, Bosch....you just need 1 18" and 1 19" cuz they are different sizes..left and right size. I used PIAA for a while but find the ANCO I have on now seems to work just as good and last as long. (you do loose the wind deflector if that will keep you up at night)

The rear is a different story however....very unique assembly but some have had luck buying a generic refill and cutting it down to size. I bought the entire blade, but only once since 2002....I don't use it much.

 

I find it hard to believe that MINI does not stock or sell a simple item like replacement blade refills. It's always been a stock BMW item, and also very inexpensive, about $5 a piece on my old BMW wagon. Is it possible your dealer is wrong? I just looked at the MINI wiper arms, and they sure look like a standard setup to me, with a standard rubber insert with the metal ribs and that "squeeze together" clip on one end to keep the blades locked-in.

 

I got the refills today. Turns out they are being discontinued for all BMW/MINI they will only sell new arms and blades together.

So i bought all they dealer had in stock :P

 

I thought there was some kind of law in the US that mandated a supply of spare parts for ten years. No?

 

Yes, and Bhatch just bought them all!

 

yes, but it doesn't say they have to supply each individual pieces. that is my guess, as bmw has been doing this for the past 2 decades now.

I did find suitable replacement refills at the local auto parts for my bmws. $4.99 with breakaway notches so you can cut to size.

 

Use an alcohol swab (like a 2 dollar box from a pharmacy) and wipe your blades weekly to keep them conditioned, rubberized and clean and they will last much longer.

 

I am pretty sure you can do a little modding to make a refill blade to fit on the rear.

 

Alcohol will clean them, but won't it also dry them out?

 

Here are some replacements if you can't find it locally.

Ken

 

That is the whole arm. not just the blade.

 

Sorry, I pictured the 'whole arm' a little differently.

k

 

I use 303 protectant to clean and refresh the rubber. 303 also sells these little wipes that contain a more concentrated formula for use with wiper blades.

 

I got tired of my oem blades despite treatment with 303 and the availability of free replacements by the dealer. I replaced my front oem wiper arms/blades with Valeo 900 Ultimates. It's the new flat blade design that other manufacturers have now. $10 each at Amazon.com. Easy to install. Much better than my oem ones even when new. Lasted through the winter and is still streak free and smooth. Only problem with these kind of blades is the coverage of the last few inches of the passenger side window as in the video below.

 

I agree. my audi came with those from the factory and they do wipe well. i replaced my friends wiper blades with those on his 323i and he loves them.

 

All replacement blades are what you call the "whole arm". I don't know any car parts store where you can buy just the rubber part of the blade anymore and insert it into the blade arm.

I just bought some low profile Tricor blades at Kragen. They cost less than they PIAA, which they don't carry, but they don't look as good. They are supposed to be quiet though and they, well, clean the windshield.

Cheers

 

Never had much luck with "Whole Arm" replacements.

Advance Auto Parts had just the rubber inserts that you slid into the blade slot of original wiper blade.

 

I guess we have a mixup in wiper terminology. There is the WIPER ARM, the WIPER BLADE and the WIPER REFILL.