Honda OEM wiper blades, any better than aftermarket?

I have a Honda Accord nearing 300K. It could be that my winshield has
too many small pitts that make my windshield wipers wear out quickly
(2-months). I clean them once a month with rubbing alcohol and polish
my winshield with newspaper every 2-weeks or so.
I have always used aftermarket blades. But I see no difference in
longevity between the more expensive and cheaper brands/models.
I thought about trying the OEM blades, but they are pricey at the
dealer.
Has anyone noticed any longevity differences in Honda OEM blades vs.
aftermarket?

 

I am sure that at least five people will jump in and tell you that you MUST
use OEM blades! I don't know why because there are many good brands out
there to be had at prices far less than OEM at the dealer. That said, I
think part of your problem is cleaning them with isopropyl alcohol. IIRC
this actually has a degrading effect on the rubber in the blades. Hot water
and dishsoap with a good rinse will clean them just as well as anything. I
don't really think you will notice any significant difference in the
longevity of a quality aftermarket wiper blade and the OEM ones....

DaveD

 

I am sure that at least five people will jump in and tell you that you MUST
use OEM blades! I don't know why because there are many good brands out
there to be had at prices far less than OEM at the dealer. That said, I
think part of your problem is cleaning them with isopropyl alcohol. IIRC
this actually has a degrading effect on the rubber in the blades. Hot water
and dishsoap with a good rinse will clean them just as well as anything. I
don't really think you will notice any significant difference in the
longevity of a quality aftermarket wiper blade and the OEM ones....

DaveD

 

There's a very good possibility of that. It's happened to me more than
once.

Five dollars is pricey?

However, if you've discarded the metal wiper blades themselves, then yes,
OEM is expensive (~$40 per side). But only the first time. After that it's
five dollars per side for the rubber refill.

OEM lasts longer and works better (six months to a year). In my humble
opinion, which is based on 18 years of trying everything out there and
eventually going back to the five dollar OEMs.

 

There's a very good possibility of that. It's happened to me more than
once.

Five dollars is pricey?

However, if you've discarded the metal wiper blades themselves, then yes,
OEM is expensive (~$40 per side). But only the first time. After that it's
five dollars per side for the rubber refill.

OEM lasts longer and works better (six months to a year). In my humble
opinion, which is based on 18 years of trying everything out there and
eventually going back to the five dollar OEMs.

 

We had this discussion about a week ago and Tegger you called the price
at $5. I stopped by the Honda dealer in Manassas. Retail for both
sides were $13. That seemed to be pricey. Maybe you get a special
rate, but I don't.

Daveed

 

We had this discussion about a week ago and Tegger you called the price
at $5. I stopped by the Honda dealer in Manassas. Retail for both
sides were $13. That seemed to be pricey. Maybe you get a special
rate, but I don't.

Daveed

 

I certainly have. Not only in longevity, but in how well they work.

Stick with the OEM blades, and replace just the rubbers when necessary.

 

I certainly have. Not only in longevity, but in how well they work.

Stick with the OEM blades, and replace just the rubbers when necessary.

 

Consumer Reports recently rated wipers/blades and found little relationship
between price/quality-- but did recommend three or four models. They found
that all of them had deteriorated a good bit after 6 months and after a
year, all needed replacement.

 

Consumer Reports recently rated wipers/blades and found little relationship
between price/quality-- but did recommend three or four models. They found
that all of them had deteriorated a good bit after 6 months and after a
year, all needed replacement.

 

Dave is right about the cost; $14 each at my dealer. The cheapest Amco
wiper refills at Wal-Mart are $5 for the 18" side, $6 for the 26" side.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

Dave is right about the cost; $14 each at my dealer. The cheapest Amco
wiper refills at Wal-Mart are $5 for the 18" side, $6 for the 26" side.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

Noted, thanks.

Maybe your wipers are longer and more expensive than mine. Mine are just a
bit over $5 each, no discount.

I still think $13 is pretty good for OEM quality versus aftermarket
quality. When people complain about their wipers, they're almost always
using aftermarket.

 

Noted, thanks.

Maybe your wipers are longer and more expensive than mine. Mine are just a
bit over $5 each, no discount.

I still think $13 is pretty good for OEM quality versus aftermarket
quality. When people complain about their wipers, they're almost always
using aftermarket.

 

OK, $14 each, then. I stand corrected. But mine are $5 each. My last
invoice (with 10% discount because I spend so much there) shows $4.95 each.

Still, I've had way too much annoying trouble with aftermarket over the
years, mostly smearing and squeaking. That's the reason I stopped (in
disgust) using aftermarket and went back to OEM. Best decision I ever made.

If aftermarket is working for you, go for it. Too often they did NOT work
for me. Of if they did, it was only briefly before the streak & squeak came
back.

In any case, wiper rubbers should be changed twice a year for optimum
performance.

 

OK, $14 each, then. I stand corrected. But mine are $5 each. My last
invoice (with 10% discount because I spend so much there) shows $4.95 each.

Still, I've had way too much annoying trouble with aftermarket over the
years, mostly smearing and squeaking. That's the reason I stopped (in
disgust) using aftermarket and went back to OEM. Best decision I ever made.

If aftermarket is working for you, go for it. Too often they did NOT work
for me. Of if they did, it was only briefly before the streak & squeak came
back.

In any case, wiper rubbers should be changed twice a year for optimum
performance.

 

Of course they should, but I change mine (as most folks, I imagine) when
they bug me enough to do so. Probably once a year, or so. But I agree
about when they *should* be changed. ;^)

RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

Of course they should, but I change mine (as most folks, I imagine) when
they bug me enough to do so. Probably once a year, or so. But I agree
about when they *should* be changed. ;^)

RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

Most people I've seen change their wipers whenever the rubbers start
peeling into CheeseStrings, or whenever they can't see out the
windshield anymore, whichever comes last. Two, three years, maybe more.

An update here, regarding my boss's '03 CR-V.

He went to some Jelly Lube quick-change place yesterday for an engine
oil swap. The monkeys there badgered him into replacing his wipers with
new ones (from them, of course). This he allowed, just to get them off
his back (monkey on his back, ha ha). He did not actually use the wipers
until this morning. He tells me that the first time he turned the wipers
on they were getting tangled up in themselves during their sweep, so he
got a pair of cutters and snipped off the end of one of the wipers,
after which the assembly flew apart when next used.

Of course, Jelly Lube's lower primates did not give my boss back his
expensive OEM wiper blades, so there's no ready fallback.

Gonna look at this myself tomorrow and see what's precisely wrong.

I LOVE AFTERMARKET!