Not sure where to put this question.....but it is not about a Prius...so.... I went to NAPA to buy some new wiper blades for a non-Prius and they had a choice between very pricey "beam" blades for like $22 each, or the usual conventional one that I have always bought for $6 each. I figured even if they were better, as the counterman tried to convince me, they could not be $16 better. First time I have encountered this new type (although he said they have been around for awhile. Any thoughts on if they ARE worth the extra money? I read a few things on the Web, including BTOG, and opinion is mixed, although it seems more against them than for them.
Hmm. O.K. Funny, I googled it and got a lot of hits on lots of sites, but not PriusChat. PC usually shows up near the top of google. I'll try Bing.
Here is a list of links on Prius Chat. beam blades siteriuschat.com - Google Search If you notice they are all Prius Chat links.
I switched my winter rig to beam blades last month, after a particularly nasty New Year's trip in which heavy falling snow kept freezing up the articulation joints of the OEM blades. When iced, the original blade could no longer flex to conform to the changing shape of the windshield across the whole swipe, this leaving the center un-wiped. I could manually flex and de-ice the joints, but it wouldn't last long. The rest position of that windshield has electric de-icing strips built in. That kept the rubber edge clear, but not so for the blade joints. There are far less pricey versions out there. My Prius spends far less time in such conditions.
Here is the way I do it. beam blades site : priuschat.com (leave the spaces out before and after the : Where I put in "beam blades", put any key word you are looking for. If it is a real common word you will get way too many hits but beam blades was not that common. The next part can be used on other websites also, just type " site:and the domain you are looking for." I find most forum search features mostly useless.
There are multiple types of beam blade designs out there. So how well they work, along with cost, will vary. I didn't think the Goodyear ones I got at Costco were an improvement over the traditional wiper blades for the HHR. I liked the OEM beam blades on the Sonic. These had the bayonet connections, as opposed to the J hook, so traditional blades may not even be an option. I can get traditional wiper blades for as little as $3 at Ollie's, so will probably stick with them for the Camry.
