changing wiper blades

[IronSkillet]

Wiper blades are always a pain in the butt! After not mounting one correctly and having it fly off on the highway it Gods country in the middle of NOTHING there is always a new back up wiper blade stashed near the tire jack. Drift; last month wife tells me her car has a low oil alert warning. Opening the hood there is no oil-dipstick. It is all done by her app. are you fing kidding me! 2016 Volvo T6 soon to be gone.

 

[fiasconva]

Even though it hurts my pride I just go to Advance Auto or Auto Zone and let them install them. It seems like every time I go to change them something has changed and there seems to be a new way to install them.

 

[deadin]

First time I needed to change the wipers on my 2016 Prius I was told at Auto Zone I would have to go to the dealer for them.
I knew I was in trouble when the dealer said "Oh, you've got one of those".

Seems that Toyota, in all of their wisdom, used a different type of blade and mount on a select few 2016 Prius.

They cost me $40.00 for a pair......

 

[ACORN]

For years wipers used a J hook arm. Pretty simple to change. Now there are so many different style arms that have special connections or blades with cheesy adapters to try and make them work as well as most cars having different size blades on passenger and drivers. Blades are a pain.
I work in a parts store and hate when a customer comes in to buy wiper blades and asks me to change them in a pouring rain!
Do the guys in the store a favor. Ask them to change them when its not raining cats and dogs.

 

[Geronimo Jim]

Well at least you guys got a owners manual. Bought a new yellow
Wrangler last year and the manual is on line. Really sucks for a
$50,000 vehicle.

 

[ZGrand]

I have less trouble getting the new ones on than getting the old ones off. As mentioned above, different blade manufacturers have different attachment methods. I can never remember how the last set attached.

My '06 Hyundai Azera still has the original wiper blades, and they still work fine. Of course I probably just jinxed it!

 

[500SNW]

What I really want to know is...why is it that the driver side wiper blade ALWAYS goes bad first...and goes bad more often than the passenger side. At least that has been my experience...and it has been my experience too many times over the decades to be mere coincidence. I seriously think they make the driver side blade cheaper and less durable because they know that it is critical that it be replaced asap. In other words more $$ for them.

 

[Sistema1927]

. It was an Camry. Once I figured out how to get the wipers to stay up on wind Shield changing them was easy

Good thing I bought a 2017.

Looks like they added "hidden wipers" as a feature in 18, maybe you get .001 MPG better mileage than we do.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I just ask the salesman at the auto parts store if he'd be so kind as to change them for me. At 81, I can get away with that. I am way past the point where I'm willing to do any mechanical work on a car, even though I used to as a younger man. Life's too short for me to try to figure out modern cars...

John

 

[Funflyer]

I buy just the rubber insert for my Toyotas from the dealer when I need them. Haven't found an aftermarket brand yet that lasts as long or does a better job at clearing the windshield. My 2016 is on it's original set of wiper blades and they still perform adequately, but I do have the replacement set in the car ready to go.

 

[ACORN]

What I really want to know is...why is it that the driver side wiper blade ALWAYS goes bad first...and goes bad more often than the passenger side. At least that has been my experience...and it has been my experience too many times over the decades to be mere coincidence. I seriously think they make the driver side blade cheaper and less durable because they know that it is critical that it be replaced asap. In other words more $$ for them.

Silly! Thats the side you look through more!;>)

 

[ralph7]

For years wipers used a J hook arm. Pretty simple to change. Now there are so many different style arms that have special connections or blades with cheesy adapters to try and make them work as well as most cars having different size blades on passenger and drivers. Blades are a pain.
I work in a parts store and hate when a customer comes in to buy wiper blades and asks me to change them in a pouring rain!
Do the guys in the store a favor.
Ask them to change them when its not raining cats and dogs.

Ain't gonna happen. People find out about their bad blades when they have to suddenly use them.
Been like that forever, I used to work auto parts counter too, about 48 years ago.

 

[The Analyst]

We can put humans on the moon, send survey vehicles to Mars and blast telescopes out to the distant bands of the solar system but we can't make windshield wipers that last for an extended period of time, are universal and simple to replace.

 

[Oracle]

My wife's 2017 Toyota RAV 4 and my 2016 Toyota Tundra are a breeze to change and I change both in September. The Tundra requires either a small ladder or a milk crate to stand on.

The local Auto Zones, NAPA's and O'Reilly's all will install them if you want. With the first heavy deluge of rain or snow in the fall their parking lots are overflowing with procrastinators, LOL.

 

[meaneyedcatz]

Part of the problem is each wiper comes with 37 adapters and the directions are worse than instructions for cheap particle board furniture.

 

[H Richard]

I always have the salesman change them. I don't mind paying a little extra. I was trained as a Jet engine mechanic, and worked on various fighter planes and bombers, but i never touch a current auto any longer.

 

[Whit]

I feel the pain of windshield wiper replacement and like many here, I get the auto parts guy to swap them out. Right behind wiper blades in terms of difficulty to replace are modern headlights. The wife had a 2014 Buick Enclave that required a front end dismantling to change our the headlight. Literally the wheel/tire had to be taken off as well as some cowling under the hood. One a good day it was about a three hour job. What happened to two screws holding the headlight ring, two screws holding the headlight, unplug, plug in a new one and reverse. Three to five minutes. Don’t get me started on the battery in that Enclave, which was under the passengers side back floorboard! Be safe and blessed.

 

[Jack Flash]

My blades on my 2018 Toyota needed changing so I picked up a set. ... Had to go on line to find out how to get them to stay up. The new cars are getting just too complex for an old fart like me to work on them anymore.

Yes, but now we can go online to find videos that clearly explain how to do the repair! So that offsets the pain at least a little.

I agree that headlights are way harder to replace yourself and way more expensive than they used to be. One reason I have held onto my 2000 Jeep is that it has the old sealed beam headlights. They are so simple to replace I look at their modern counterparts as nothing but a money grab by manufacturers / dealers.

Funny thing is, I've had this Jeep for 12 years now and both headlights are still going strong. (I probably don't drive at night as much as I used to or as much as most folks do.)

 

[DWalt]

Yes, but now we can go online to find videos that clearly explain how to do the repair! So that offsets the pain at least a little.

I'm always amazed at the arcane knowledge about working on cars (and guns) that can be found on YouTube.

 

[muddocktor]

. It was an Camry. Once I figured out how to get the wipers to stay up on wind Shield changing them was easy

We have a 2019 Camry XSE and I changed them on it a few months ago. I don't remember any particular problem with getting them on the car. I changed those and also the wiper blades on my 17 Colorado at the same time.