Best Wipers

dahamsta

I like to have good wipers, they're a tad more important than most people seem to realise. So, is Bosch still the gold standard?

I need 2 full sets (3x Astra van, 2x BMW 7) which'll work out expensive for high quality, will any of the online vendors like Micks Garage actually talk to you and give you a discount if you ask?

Johnny Utah

Yeah, I think Bosch are generally regarded as the best wipers.

andyseadog

bosch are probably the best alright.

personally for the last few years i've been finding champion wipers a good budget brand. getting around 2 years from a set for about 12 euro

dahamsta

What are the Halfords Valeo blades like? Who actually makes them?

andyseadog

valeo make them suppose they're fine, but i wouldn't bother going to halfords to get wallet raped. local motor factors will probably do a far better price

here.from.day.1

Bosch Aero Twins, no complaints.

aujopimur

Lidils best for me, €7 pair this week.

PaulKK

For the BMWs you can get quite good ones in the dealers, and they aren't a rip off either.. think it was about 30 odd quid for a 3 series.

biko

I just got some Bosch at a factors, works fine.

colm_mcm

Don't laugh but I'm using Tesco flat blades on our cars, no problems 3 months in, and no clicks like you get from conventional wipers when they change direction.
I was dubious when they were only €8, previously used Bosch, halfords, PIAA and champion.

cormie

Need a pair for my astra van too, 24 euro in local motor factors but curious to know how the 7euro lidl ones might compare?

andyseadog

colm_mcm wrote: »

Don't laugh but I'm using Tesco flat blades on our cars, no problems 3 months in, and no clicks like you get from conventional wipers when they change direction.
I was dubious when they were only €8, previously used Bosch, halfords, PIAA and champion.

did you find a way to overcome the spoiler facing the wrong way? when i switched the direction of the clip it wouldnt click into place, i ended up binning them

colm_mcm

they just went straight on for me.(avensis and micra)

bp_me

Bosch are fine.

PIAA Silicone blades are far better (also more expensive).

MarkoC

Trico's for me

91011

Buy your wipers in a local motor factors - MUCH cheaper than Halfords.

Bosch seem to be market leader and I can't fault them.

Marcusm

Valeo is a motor parts company spun out of the big 3 in Detroit and certainly makes OEM parts for GM brands. I've found Bosch to be better than the OEMs on my Mini.

langdang

Marcusm wrote: »

Valeo is a motor parts company spun out of the big 3 in Detroit and certainly makes OEM parts for GM brands. I've found Bosch to be better than the OEMs on my Mini.

Thought they were french? Either way, they def do OEM stuff for some French brands too. They are a pretty big outfit, just not as well known as Bosch.
Normal Bosch or aerotwins? Mini or MINI? Waiting on some bosch aerotwins for her MINI, think it has normal style Bosch on at the moment and they squeal like a pig...

dnme

I use a squeegee on the end of a hurley stick out the drivers window.

dahamsta

I'll pass on the Lidl / Tesco ones. Don't mean to be snobbish, I buy lots of own-brand stuff, just not something as important as wipers.

Thought Valeo was a Halford's own-brand, thanks for the tip. Odd that they'd use a primarily OEM manufacturer as their high-end brand.

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

Bosch Aero Twins, no complaints.

Anyone else used these? Saw a few posts about them elsewhere, they seem to be the in-thing in wipers.

Atlantic Dawn

dahamsta wrote: »

Anyone else used these? Saw a few posts about them elsewhere, they seem to be the in-thing in wipers.

Yes have these myself, by far the best that I have used.

cormie

What year astra vans have you got Dahamsta? I'm looking for MK4 Astra G myself, (98-2004). I see some "Aero" type on Ebay when I search "Astra Wipers" but they are unknown brands.

RandomAccess

Bosch aero-twins on the front, about €25 for the pair. They were oem fit so I stuck with them, and at that price theres no point in scrimping.

I have found that the prices seem to vary widely from car to car. Not sure why.

Heres a recent autoexpress wiper test,
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/255886/wiper_blades_tested.html

Also, I got a trico wiper for the rear window for €10

Helium

dnme wrote: »

I use a squeegee on the end of a hurley stick out the drivers window.

Ah! The old reliable Massey Ferguson 135 your driving there

Stinicker

I use Bosch wipers and they are the best, however quite pricey by the typical rip-off merchants here (I have seen places here asking €30), so I get them for between €12 to €14 on eBay from the UK. The sun in the summer hardens the rubber so they only last about 12 to 18 months

superfish

I bought some halfords ones for 30 quid and they were gone after 3 month pure ****e never again. them tesco ones were quite good got them for 4 quid a pop when they were getting rid of stock

zapata

ALDI wipers compare with the best for the price IMO.

superfish

zapata wrote: »

ALDI wipers compare with the best for the price IMO.

im interested to see what others opinion is on aldi wipers, how long they last and so on

alanhiggyno1

i got ones ones in lidl today for 6.99 and they are the best yet.they are as clear as day when on no smearing or nothing..i think they are better than the top brands too as everyone is buying them when i was

chalky024

superfish wrote: »

im interested to see what others opinion is on aldi wipers, how long they last and so on

I bought a set in ALDI about six months ago. They seem to be lasting well but they squeel like a pig constantly. 30 minutes driving in the rain now gives me a headache:(. Bought a set in LIDL today for €6.99 which I have yet to try out. They can't be much worse.

alanhiggyno1

no they are perfect best ones i had so far.

sean1141

im on my second set of bosh areo wipers. the first set were utter crap...left loads of streaks and were always squeeking. took them off after 2 months and put on a set of genuine vw ones.. so much better.. they were around the same price.. sent the sister in to the dealer get a new set during the summer and she came back with a set of bosh one... they are better than the first set but are not as good as the genuine vw ones.. wont be buying them again.

stevenmu

I got a set of the PIAA Silicon wipers about 3 months ago, I was actually going to start a thread about them. They are significantly better than any others I've used (Bosch with spoiler, Halfords, Lidl/Aldi), they're a whole new level above them.

They glide perfectly smoothly across the windscreen and are very quiet, even when changing direction. And of course they clear every drop of water in their path.

But best of all, as they wipe they leave behind a small layer of silicon. This coating causes any water to bead, making it much much easier to see through and at higher speeds (about 80kph+) the drops simply blow off the screen. I've driven at night on a motorway in very heavy rain and can see almost as well with the wipers off as with them on. Even at slower speed where there isn't enough wind to push the droplets off, because of the way they bead you can still see very well.

So I find myself using the wipers less, and tend to have them at slow intermittent speeds when before I would have needed them on full, and when I do use them they are so much nicer than any previous wipers I've had because they're so smooth and quiet. They're supposed to last longer too, not sure if this is because you use them much less or that they are actually more durable.

The only slight downside is that because of the silicon (I presume) there is a slight streak behind the wiper as it moves. It's faint and disappears instantly and I don't even notice it anymore so it's not really a problem.

They're not cheap, I ordered two sets from the PIAA website and IIRC they came to about €70 but a lot of the cost was shipping so if you're buying a few sets that takes the cost down a bit. They're not a lot more than store bought Bosch really. And like the OP I've always thought of wipers as being very important, and every set I've had before has annoyed the hell out of me, but I love these so for me they're definitely worth the extra.

sealgaire

I got a set on ebay off this guy a few months ago and been happy with them . . .

http://shop.ebay.ie/ckimport/m.html

cormie

stevenmu wrote: »

I got a set of the PIAA Silicon.....

Sounds good, but 70eur is a bit pricey

How much of that was the shipping? I wonder is there a UK, or ebayer who stocks the same

stevenmu

I just checked up the order again there, it was:

Qty  Part#                    Name                               Total
1    93350                    Blade Spoiler Black Single 20" (500Mm)USD$ 26.99
1    95045                    Blade Black New Silicone Single 18" (450mm)USD$ 20.99
1    94045                    Silicone Wiper Blade Refill 18"  (450Mm) USD$ 8.49
1    94050                    Silicone Wiper Blade Refill 20"  (500Mm) USD$ 8.49


Estimated Shipping & Handling USD$ 23.00
Estimated Order Total         USD$ 87.96

I'd forgotten the refills were so much cheaper than the full blades. From what I remember they looked fairly standard and would probably fit standard blades anyway (but not sure about that).

There certainly were other suppliers around, I think some in the UK too. From what I remember the prices all looked like they'd work out about the same but I was in a rush and didn't spend very long comparing.

tc20

@ stevenmu - i have to say i hadn't heard of the PIAA silicon wipers before, but the line about them depositing a layer of silicon on the screen. For the last number of years i've used Rain-X, with similar results to which you mention. €8 or so for a bottle, which will last for a couple of applications, each application lasting about 6 weeks or so. I'm not undermining the outlay on the PIAA wipers, but you can also obviously coat the side & rear windows with Rain-X. It's cool the way the rain just beads and runs off as you mentioned.
as others have said, wipers are not for scrimping on, they're worth the investment

dr.fuzzenstein

Stinicker wrote: »

I use Bosch wipers and they are the best, however quite pricey by the typical rip-off merchants here (I have seen places here asking €30), so I get them for between €12 to €14 on eBay from the UK. The sun in the summer hardens the rubber so they only last about 12 to 18 months

What is this "sun" you speak of?

stevenmu

tc20 wrote: »

@ stevenmu - i have to say i hadn't heard of the PIAA silicon wipers before, but the line about them depositing a layer of silicon on the screen. For the last number of years i've used Rain-X, with similar results to which you mention. €8 or so for a bottle, which will last for a couple of applications, each application lasting about 6 weeks or so. I'm not undermining the outlay on the PIAA wipers, but you can also obviously coat the side & rear windows with Rain-X. It's cool the way the rain just beads and runs off as you mentioned.
as others have said, wipers are not for scrimping on, they're worth the investment

I had ruled out the Rain-x because I heard it can leave bad smearing when you use the wipers, but I've heard since that it doesn't if it's applied properly and works really well. It seems like a good option, and more cost effective than the PIAA wipers, if I already had wipers I was happy with I'd probably go with the Rain-x, but the PIAA wipers are so much better than any others I've used that I'm inclined to stick with them.

Although I might try some Rain-x on the other windows too

mickdw

I dont see anything wrong with the bosch flat blades as fitted from new to my car. I recently got a new set after 2.5 years as I got a new windscreen They are so much better than the old type blade that had a load of moving parts. These blades never make any noise. Replacements were €40 at factors which was expensive.

cormie

Just wondering if you got a set of wipers in the end for your astra and what did you end up going for? If you have a link to where you got them, please share, too much procrastination here so haven't got myself a set yet :P

rebel.ranter

I think you have to consider how the windscreen is treated by the owner when you look to compare wiper blades. Is glass polish, window cleaner or RainX used on the window, or is the window lucky to get the rub of a sponge? The wipers will behave much differently depending on treatment.
Also avoid those refill type blades, they are brutal!

MarkR

+1 for the tesco flat bladed ones. I had to flip the connector, but after that it was fine.

zilog_jones

+1 for Rain-X - at high speeds (80km/h+) I rarely need to put the wipers on anything higher than intermittent now. It can make things a bit worse if the windscreen gets dirty though.

dahamsta

cormie wrote: »

Just wondering if you got a set of wipers in the end for your astra and what did you end up going for?

Got the fronts in O'Connell Brothers in Marina Commercial Park, and the rear was OEM from PJ O'Hea.

PJ O'Hea has since closed down, which is unfortunate, I found the parts counter staff there much more competent and polite than Johnson & Perrott. I'll be trying Kearys in Silversprings for Opel parts before I go back there.

cormie

Thanks for the info So what brand did you end up going for in the end? Did you get the Aero ones? Are bosch the only maker of the Aero ones? I don't need a back one myself, actually took my back wiper off as I've sign writing on the back windows

dahamsta

Standard Bosch.

cormie

Ok thanks, I think I'm procrastinating a bit too much here as usual. As long as I can see out the window is all that matters I guess :P