Best Windshield wipers, Rainx Latitude?

[Danglerb]

Almost two years ago I popped for new wipers on all our cars, Bosch micro edge for the Porsche's and Rainx Latitudes for the Ford and Lincoln. Bosch lasted maybe six months of Calif sun, but except for some initial shudder on my Mustang the latitudes are still working well. Mustang almost never gets the wipers used, wife uses windshield washer fluid almost as much as gas, so I figure the Mustang wipers need more exercise.

Time for some new wipers, are the Rainx Latitudes still the best (I never see snow)?

 

[Burtonrider10022]

NO!!!!

Bosch Icon are amazing. The Icon line is way, way higher quality than any of their other stuff. The Rain-X Latitude have gotten horrible reviews from everyone I know that tried them, including myself. We payed a lot for them for a buy 1 get 1 mail in rebate. First off, the rebate never even came, and we triple checked the submission form before mailing it. More importantly, the blades were awful. I mean bad to the point that the 1.5 y/o cheap-o's that we took off the car were better. And after about 2 weeks they started to chatter. Worse than any other blade I've had.

 

[toolnut]

Haven't had to change mine yet but my brother swears by the rainx ones.

 

[t100]

NO!!!!

Bosch Icon are amazing. The Icon line is way, way higher quality than any of their other stuff. The Rain-X Latitude have gotten horrible reviews from everyone I know that tried them, including myself. We payed a lot for them for a buy 1 get 1 mail in rebate. First off, the rebate never even came, and we triple checked the submission form before mailing it. More importantly, the blades were awful. I mean bad to the point that the 1.5 y/o cheap-o's that we took off the car were better. And after about 2 weeks they started to chatter. Worse than any other blade I've had.

$18 a piece and it's still made in China.

Goodyear Assurance at Costco at $8, Made in USA.

 

[allinon72]

Those Good Years are ok but I had problems with them staying flat on the windshield surface. It might have been the springs in the wiper arms though.

 

[djjsr]

The performance of the blades can be greatly improved by polishing the glass.

 

[SketchyBikes]

Rain X blades ****!!

2011 Chevy Truck, and they are the most loud things ever. Only work well in a monsoon....

I'll never buy them again.

 

[Bull]

The performance of the blades can be greatly improved by polishing the glass.

What method do you recommend?

A guy on another site I am on just reviewed the Rain X blades recently. He said they were amazing.

Sounds like one of those products embraced by one hand, smashed by another.

 

[Boiler]

I've been using rain-x lattitudes for almost 4 years, same set. Obviously they are pretty worn now and need replaced. But for quite a while they were good except for one problem. For some reason they wiped the water to the left, then the watter followed them back about 6 inches. It wasn't smearing, you could see the water was NOT in contact witht he wiper, almost like vacuum or something. Was kind of annoying. I probably won't buy them again for this reason.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

From what I have found living in the great southwest, no matter how expensive a wiper blade is, it WILL have a pretty limited lifespan.

I've tried Bosch (3-6 months), RainX (3-6 months), Goodyear (3-6 months), Trico (3-6 months) and good old Ancos (3-6 months). I really notice no performance difference in any of them.

I've found the only exception to the 3-6 month rule to be the Ancos on the CJ7 - they make it about a year, I think because the windshield is nearly vertical and the way they stand they don't get as much sun exposure.

 

[shampoop]

Love my toyota OE ones. Some would say it rains pretty often here and that wipers are kindof a big deal

 

[kngelv]

$18 a piece and it's still made in China.

Goodyear Assurance at Costco at $8, Made in USA.

I like these too. They have a buy one get one free deal every six months.

James

 

[RedFordTruck]

I bought the Rainex lattitude once when they were BOGO with rebate at pepboys, but I was disappointed with them. For $18 each they should be better.


I still have oem ford ones for now though.

 

[cj7365]

From what I have found living in the great southwest, no matter how expensive a wiper blade is, it WILL have a pretty limited lifespan.

I've tried Bosch (3-6 months), RainX (3-6 months), Goodyear (3-6 months), Trico (3-6 months) and good old Ancos (3-6 months). I really notice no performance difference in any of them.

I've found the only exception to the 3-6 month rule to be the Ancos on the CJ7 - they make it about a year, I think because the windshield is nearly vertical and the way they stand they don't get as much sun exposure.

same here, we get 8 inches and year and I cant get my moneys worth out of a decent set of wipers, so its usually the duralast at AZ, and Ill put the new set on when there is a 75% chance of rain

 

[Nocturnal-G]

Just bought Bosch Steel Tech blades for my SUV, they work great. I'd go with something better but the rain was coming, didn't have a choice. Either way, Bosch has never failed me in the wiper department.

 

[KPSquared]

I used to buy rainx but they would never survive the winter. They also would leave that crappy film on the windshield. Worked awesome in heavy rain, but that's it. Winter here is hard on wipers.

Then again, as soon as my wipers don't clean the windshield perfectly, I replace them. I hate streaks.

Searching for a new set now. Maybe I'll try the Bosch.

 

[rallenc]

I have been using the PIAA silicone blades for the last # of years.(mail order from AutoBarn on Long Island) Seem okay to me but quite honestly, don't really pay a lot of attention.

Anyone else have any opinions on the PIAA's?

 

[Skin]

just put Bosch icons on the family vehicles about 4 months ago, pretty happy so far. Not cheap and the China coo ***** (considering the near $40/pair price) but they do seem high quality. One of my biggest gripes with wipers is noise and the icons are completely quiet even when dry. I'll be interested to see how they do in the coming winter.

 

[GSteg]

I bought many of those Good years wipers. Made in USA or not, they sucked for me. After 3-4 months, they're chattering like crazy. Went back to OEM ($5 per refill), and they last a couple months longer.

I bought the Bosch Icons once and they're great, but would not pay the asking price again. It's too bad because they were my favorite wipers.

 

[tjmonsen5]

I was always pretty happy with the cheapest RainX blades. Old fashioned style.
This summer I bought the bosch icons (well, they are not icons, but they look exactly the same and are made by bosch, i think they changed the name maybe?) They were not cheap, and they have started to streak after 4 months. One pine needle got under the blade and ruined it so it streaks really bad right there. I dont think ill be buying them again.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

I bought the Rainex lattitude once when they were BOGO with rebate at pepboys, but I was disappointed with them. For $18 each they should be better.


I still have oem ford ones for now though.

Mine sucked. Mine usually last a year and these only lasted 6 months. What is the best made in USA wiper blade I need two sets before winter.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

I only install oem

 

[LouG]

Two cars in Chicago climate. Already tried the "higher end" blades....all I got was a lighter wallet. Each vehicle gets Anco blades. $4.99 a piece, twice each year per vehicle. Done.

 

[jfcasey]

Just get ancos with replaceible inserts. They work awesome and when they wear out its like $2 to have them like new again

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Nocturnal-G]

just put Bosch icons on the family vehicles about 4 months ago, pretty happy so far. Not cheap and the China coo ***** (considering the near $40/pair price) but they do seem high quality. One of my biggest gripes with wipers is noise and the icons are completely quiet even when dry. I'll be interested to see how they do in the coming winter.

I suggest Bosch AeroTwin wipers... I use them on all my customers cars. I'm sure they make them for all makes and models. They are OEM on all Mercedes... and they aren't made in China. Made in Belgium I believe... Mercedes wipers are the best in the industry IMO. Here are the new wipers they just came out with:

 

[justanengineer]

Delco. The rest are ****. Rain-X is probably the worst and Ive seen several windshields (including my Firebird's) scratched when they break. Ive tried several other brands and Bosch is an ok second choice, but they simply dont last as long as the Delco.

 

[djjsr]

What method do you recommend?

I just wipe off the windshield twice with a damp cloth, no cleaning chemicals. Then a quick polish job using a random orbital with Griot's glass polish to get rid of that invisible film of crud. There may be other glass polishes that will work as well, I just don't know of them.

Try it, it works. I do it only once a year. The original blades on my daily driver lasted 8 years and still worked fine but one end split and was flopping around. I replaced the blades with the high dollar Bosch. The new blades and polished glass are "perfect". Should last 100 years ........ I'll let you know.

 

[FiendFX]

For me I stick with OEM because they don't make loud noise like the aftermarket ones. Just smooth motion.

 

[shampoop]

Forgot to mention, the OE toyota blades aren't super cheap when you buy the whole thing the first time, but the refills are like $5 for the set and are really easy to replace. They work better and last longer than anything I've tried regardless of price.

Also, this stuff is the most amazing chemical I've encountered in my lifetime. Clean all of my windows with it inside and out. I do the outside once every 1-4 months and the inside a few times a year. Not only are the hydrophobic properties awesome, it also just works excellent at cleaning especially when you use a microfiber. Very fast and easy with no streaks. NOTE that I'm pretty sure it's not compatible with tint, so don't use it on the inside if you have tinted windows.

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It sounds like I'm kinda adamant about the subject, that's because where I live during the rainy season (8 months per year), on any given day there is about a 55% chance of rain. And when it rains here, it rarely pours, but instead just rains a little bit all day long. The chances of the road being wet during your morning commute during this season is probably over 75%. And if you start work at or before 7AM, it's going to be dark outside as well. Makes the area sound like a hellhole, but in reality the amount of vegetation and amazing summers balance everything out.

 

[JASTECH]

I installed the Bosch on my F350, lasted a couple weeks. Drove back to auto store and after abit the replaced them. Winter is hard on them. I have a polishing master kit by Diamond that I will use on acrylic headlamp lenses and windsheilds. I did see wipers marked Kevlar, maybe bullet proof?

 

[ajchien]

The OP is where I'm at, southern California. I'm at a loss for wipers too.

When I lived in Michigan, it was the harsh winter that ruined wipers. Specifically, ice and snow that the blades had to wipe over in the mornings after you tried to clean as much off the windshield as possible.

Now it seems that the summer heat really kills the rubber on the blades in southern Cali.

Can I assume that some blades may be more summer resistant and other more winter resistant?

 

[JASTECH]

ajchein, When I lived in So.Ca. I used silicone wiper blades, then each month clean them and wipe with silicone.

 

[ImportTuner]

I have been using the PIAA silicone blades for the last # of years.(mail order from AutoBarn on Long Island) Seem okay to me but quite honestly, don't really pay a lot of attention.

Anyone else have any opinions on the PIAA's?

+2 on the PIAA silcone blades .. they typically last about 5-6 years for me.

 

[eurokid]

I tried the Anco Contour wiper blades and they work fantastically.

 

[JASTECH]

Big difference in opinions, figured that. Consumer Report had I think Ansco silicone the best. They didn't test PIAA, seen them in Off-Road mag I get, their lights a top notch so the blades may follow or are they rebranded?

 

[MrMark]

SWF-Valeo are the best I've tried, hands down. They are OEM for Mercedes, not the Bosch. The Bosch ones I've used are terrible and they were not German either.

 

[Pantsfall_McFixit]

I had Latitudes, they fell apart in the winter. My car is parked outside, and in the winter ice built up on the blades pushing the end caps off and this allowed the rubber to start sliding out. I think they make a special winter line now though.

 

[Nocturnal-G]

SWF-Valeo are the best I've tried, hands down. They are OEM for Mercedes, not the Bosch. The Bosch ones I've used are terrible and they were not German either.

I could be wrong... But I know Bosch is OEM. Valeo could be OEM as well since I know Mercedes used their alternators before replacing them with Bosch at one point. And not all MB parts are German... I actually replaced a headlight switch and the COO was Italy. The Bosch wipers are Belgium and Czechoslovakia as far as I've seen. I've personally never had issues with the Bosch wipers... I'm willing to try the Valeos though!

 

[Crow Horse]

Sil Blades might be worth mentioning. I used a set for over 6 years and they were great. No streaking or chatter. Pricey ($25-27 each) but being able to see the road is a good thing....

 

[ezriderga]

I've had Rain-x weatherbeater blades on my car and truck for over a year. The best blades I've ever used and that's a lot over 40+ years of driving.