SQRRRL
SILVER Star
I've tried many after market blades over the years. I ant back to OEM. They work the best .
New Wipers OE vs Aftermarket
- Thread starter Reckless
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It's wiper blade replacement time so I thought I'd give this a bump and not create a new thread. Is OEM still considered the best route for replacement? That seems slightly surprising given a few different types of specialty wipers out there (ex. Rain X, Bosch, etc.).
Money is no object - Piaa blades from Amazon
Commercially available - Bosch Icon
Water repellent properties - Rain X
Best bang for buck - OEM blades that are in Toyota bags not the rebadged Pylon blades which are crap
Commercially available - Bosch Icon
Water repellent properties - Rain X
Best bang for buck - OEM blades that are in Toyota bags not the rebadged Pylon blades which are crap
OEM. Absolutely OEM.
I've tried many many expensive ones on the market only to come full circle and realize the greatness of OEM blades. Most all work well the first season (though some don't because of aero, curvature, skipping) but it's only the OEM that will last upwards of 3-5 years. It's almost deceiving how good they are because they don't call out attention to themselves with any fancy name, or fancy design. They just flat out work, to high rates of speed, and work well for many seasons, as they do their humble job without calling attention to themselves.
I just replace my wife's wipers last week on her RAV4EV. First time changing since new in 2013.
New OEM replacement inserts.
I've tried many many expensive ones on the market only to come full circle and realize the greatness of OEM blades. Most all work well the first season (though some don't because of aero, curvature, skipping) but it's only the OEM that will last upwards of 3-5 years. It's almost deceiving how good they are because they don't call out attention to themselves with any fancy name, or fancy design. They just flat out work, to high rates of speed, and work well for many seasons, as they do their humble job without calling attention to themselves.
I just replace my wife's wipers last week on her RAV4EV. First time changing since new in 2013.
New OEM replacement inserts.
Where can one order OEM inserts on line? My local dealer doesn't carry many LC parts....Also,are the inserts made by Denso? Thanks.
Parts (at least for my 2011, I assume they are the same for other years):
8521406140 (left insert)
852140T040 (right insert)
8521442040 (liftgate/rear blade insert)
Any Toyota dealer can get them. I like Camelback Toyota as they have free shipping with $150+ (and shipping prices for smaller orders are reasonable. You also get a small discount with code twpartz. All three run about $34 shipped from Camelback or $22 if you spend $150 to get free shipping. Most Toyota dealers charge a lot for shipping. You can also get the inserts on Ebay, Amazon, etc. I prefer ordering from a dealer so I know I am getting genuine inserts. You never know what you are getting from Amazon or Ebay.
Update: Camelback sucks now. Prices raised and crazy shipping.
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many thanks there bamma....just what i needed.
I have been using the PIAA super silicone and really like them. A little more expensive than OEM and most other aftermarkets, but there is absolutely no chatter and they are known to be pretty durable.
Just to clarify, these parts are for the rubber insert only correct, not the entire assembly?
Will the LC inserts fit the LX as well? Mine is a 2009. Pretty sure Lexus will charge a markup.
Correct, inserts only. I have not cross referenced the LX wipers, so I can't say.
bloc
SILVER Star
I wonder whether the inserts will fit both the japanese sourced wiper blades and the apparently lower quality US-built ones too..
My understanding is the lower quality oem's marketed at Toyota dealers as Sightline are not refillable.
bloc
SILVER Star
I just ordered inserts.. now starting to wonder which version was put on my cruiser by the dealer just before I bought it last year, and whether said inserts will fit.
Will report back with my results.
The Sightline Toyota's at my dealer have the Toyota ellipses logo where the wiper arm clips to the blade. The OEMs have no logo.
bloc
SILVER Star
Mine have the logo. Great. Now I'll order real blades and have inserts sitting on the shelf.
bloc
SILVER Star
This probably explains why they were chattering occasionally, even after finally removing all the rainx crap the dealer put on the windshield.
Thanks for the info. I'll get the real parts soon ( 85222-42110 and 85222-53071 for those wondering) and keep the inserts on the shelf.
Thanks for the info. I'll get the real parts soon ( 85222-42110 and 85222-53071 for those wondering) and keep the inserts on the shelf.
bloc
SILVER Star
Got my OEM wiper blades in and decided to compare to the Sightline models that were new on my cruiser when I got it. They would chatter once in a while.. and seeing them compared to OEM, it's not hard to see why. OEM is clearly much higher quality.
Right out of the gate, the factory wipers are significantly more bulky.. this probably comes down to more metal in the structure. Other differences are that the factory blades have a scoop on the front of the outer shell that I presume is to catch some air flow and push them into the windshield at higher speeds. It is a little tough to catch on camera, but here you go.
Factory in the background, sightline in the foreground.
Another big difference is how well constructed the area is that attaches the blade to the wiper arm. The factory part is much higher quality molding, with a larger metal internal post that the plastic parts clip on to.
Toyota logo on the sightline.
Much more metal internal to the wiper on the factory part
Right out of the gate, the factory wipers are significantly more bulky.. this probably comes down to more metal in the structure. Other differences are that the factory blades have a scoop on the front of the outer shell that I presume is to catch some air flow and push them into the windshield at higher speeds. It is a little tough to catch on camera, but here you go.
Factory in the background, sightline in the foreground.
Another big difference is how well constructed the area is that attaches the blade to the wiper arm. The factory part is much higher quality molding, with a larger metal internal post that the plastic parts clip on to.
Toyota logo on the sightline.
Much more metal internal to the wiper on the factory part
bloc
SILVER Star
And don't forget you can get inserts for the factory parts for quite cheap.. ~$8 each. Same for the rear wiper, fwiw. I didn't take them apart but they do seem easy to change.
No rain yet.. but I really don't see any reason to run aftermarket when the refills are as cheap as this. The base parts are about as high quality as any wiper I've ever seen.
Though I guess if you are into gimmicks like rainX.. personally I can't stand the stuff.
No rain yet.. but I really don't see any reason to run aftermarket when the refills are as cheap as this. The base parts are about as high quality as any wiper I've ever seen.
Though I guess if you are into gimmicks like rainX.. personally I can't stand the stuff.
I'm glad you brought this up. I've notice on several different cars I have, that there are tailorings in the metal arm that's specific to the vehicle. Either in aero as you point out, or extra cantilever articulation for windshield curvature to have optimal pressures at various parts of the blade. Basically, there are model specific designs in the arm.
When one gets a generic wiper, all that goodness is lost. It's almost as important, if not more, than the wiping edge itself, as bad aero and design results in chatter and ineffective wiping at higher speeds. Fortunately, the blade material is just as impressive and durable too.
OEM for the win this round.
