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Re smeary windscreens, is it really worth while paying a silly price for genuine original eqpt wiper blades, or are the cheapos just as good?
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Having tried numerous cheaper brands of wipers i.e. Halfords own etc I found I was wasting money stick to known brands,I found Bosch very good.
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Sherwood
I've found wiper blade life to be rather variable; no doubt a function of our variable climate. That said, I have to disagree about Halfords own brand. I've used them several times and found them at least as good as Bosch. However, I once, for an MOT, bought some 'cheapies' from the local motor shop, and they lasted only about 3 or 4 months before being useless. Definitely a bad buy.
Regards
John
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I've even resorted to replacement rubbers (from Halfords) which came with a warning that they weren't as good as metal-backed originals. Actually, they were/are excellent, although I admit that the frames are Bosch.
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.....similar stuff for the windscreen. When you go over 40mph you don't need the wipers on as the stuff makes water just slip off the screen.
You do have to make repeat applications though.
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Stick to Bosch - especially if it's single wiper eg Mercedes
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WARNING - don't put 'Rain-X top up' (pink coloured stuff) in the screen wash tank - in warm weather it turns into slime on the screen.
But I do agree that the clear 'Rain-X' liquid, applied to the screen directly, is pretty good stuff - if you can be bothered, which I eventually decided that I can't be...
Martin.
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I have found Bosch to be best, but don't pay silly prices. Try German & Swedish - they seem to be about half the price of most car accessory shops.
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I would certainly agree with Richard - I needed a replacement passenger side wiper blade for my Xantia and Halfords wanted around £17 for a Bosch one and £12 for their own brand.
I then went to Eurocarparts and bought Bosch replacements for ALL 3 wipers for £18.50 !
Chad.R
PS. They work a treat.
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Checkout AutoExpress website - under product tests.
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Before changing the wipers make sure the screen is really, really clean. Use glass polish or toothpaste on a wet rag and plenty of elbow grease. Then clean off all residue with neat screen wash. Follow this up with a treatment of Rain-X.
See, the surface of the glass absorbes diesel grime and other nasties over time and this contributes to smearing. You need to clean this off with a mild abrasive (hence the toothpaste). The Rain-X not only helps the water run off, but helps to slow the rate of absorbsion of grime into the glass.
Then fill your washer bottle with a water / screenwash mix - all year round (more screenwash in winter, around 10% at other times). Use your washers regularly and copiously. This helps to keep the grime at bay. Don't use washing up liquid or other chemicals - these attack the rubber in the blades (as well as your paintwork).
Now fit your new wipers. Yes, good ones are worth the extra - it's all in the quality of the rubber and the extrusion tool. Only clean the blades with a rag wetted with screenwash solution.
Clean your screen like this every six months and you should get 2years or more out of a quality pair of blades.
It's been proven in studies in the States that improving your visibility in this way significantly reduces your risk of being involved in a fatal accident.
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Dirty screens can be fatal in sunshine too, particularly when it's low.
Coming home on Thursday I had the sun behind me and a car coming the other way was waiting to turn right.
The car behind him was blinded by the sun and did an emergency stop at the last moment.
It stopped in the biggest cloud of smoke I have ever seen! It literally disappeared fron sight.
I recon his next stop was Kwikfit for a new set of tyres!
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