Cost only 9 dollars to replace rear blade at the dealer today, as it was an insert - not the whole wiper arm. He said the front wipers would be much more expensive (I did not get the price), as the insert and the arm have to be replaced together. Is this true, that there are no slip-in inserts for the front? If true, what brands, and online retailers ,do you use to find and replace them? Thanks!
Look for Rain-X Latitudes! I've used them for years and they're amongst the best! I got mine from amazon. BTW Welcome to PriusChat!
I would stick with just replacing the actual rubber bit, very sensible. FWIW, I've still got the original, on our 2010, build date Aug 2009. The car is garage stored mostly, and we get a fair bit of rain. They look and perform like new still. Not sure why that would be, maybe less exposure to UV light?
Thanks. OK, so are the front blade inserts replaceable by Rain-X , or do you have to buy the whole wiper arm?
My car was new just a year ago, but prior to that, it was stored outside at dealer - in CA sun - for at least 6 months prior to sale. Now both front and back wipers squeak, so am pretty sure it was the car-lot time that weathered them, even tho car was garaged for the full year since purchase.
I think there is a terminology issue here. Wiper arm is the the part that holds the wiper blade. That would be expensive to replace, but also completely unnecessary as it is not a wear-and-tear item. The disposable item is the wiper blade. That costs about $10 (and up). I bought some of those more expensive ones by Bosch. They were something like $18 each. Those tend to last longer. Here in New England we go through wiper blades a lot, so longer lasting ones are a good thing.
Just the blades. Here's the driver's side (26"). I also bought the shorter one (18") for the passenger's side, and one from Michelin for the rear, hope this helps - Wil
Yeah we were lucky in that regard: our car sat at the dealership for about 15 months (yes!), but in a covered, insulated shed, out of the sun and elements. It was dusty and neglected; a dead bird lay beside it.
