Windshield wiper blades
 

I did a search and did some reading on this subject.
I bought and used the ANCO Contour on my last vehicle, but we have to admit, the HUMMER is not like any other vehicle.

What are you guys in the snow belt using with some spectacular results? I don't recall owning a vehicle made for such rough off road conditions as a Hummer having such a weak link as the wipers. Last night the H3 handled the few inches of freshly falling snow just swell, but the fact that I could not see out the windshield was disturbing to me. I don't think it convieniant to stop every few miles to clear the wipers of ice.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Ditto on this issue!
I have run into the same problem. I have just replaced the wipers with new OE ones before winter - and they're still crappy!

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

check this out

https://www.hummerforums.com/m_94814/tm.htm

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

I did read that, but there is no input as to what really works, time tested so to speak.

I've narrowed it down to the Bosch, ANCO, Rain-X. Just don't know if these choices are rugged enough.

I know the stock wipers don't cut it.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

I have used anco countor and trico inovision and both work better than oem. I have not used the bosch so don't know how they work. Steve

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

i use piaa wiper blades on my front and rear and will never use anything else.when i first bought my 06 hummer i replaced the blades right away. i can tell u piaa does not list a rear piaa blade for the H3 but i can assure u the 12inch works perfect. but this is just my opinion , i have only had good experience with piaa products thats why i use them any chance i can being i have the blades and all my lighting is piaa and no i dont work for them i just have had great experiance.

[IMG]local://upfiles/4035/1A6E36914C8F44D7B5BEF4B2ADD7E527.jpg[/IMG]

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Using Rain X Latitude right now and they are the best I have used. They stick to the windshield like glue. Only thing is they are pretty expensive. I paid almost 20 bucks each.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Thank you for that White08H3.Did you buy them local ?

LUCKY! Your h3 is georgeous, thanks for the PIAA tip, they were not in the running, I'll have to research them.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

I got them from Autozone in Waterbury. I had a heck of time finding the H3 size. I think it is 16" and 17", but double check. I tried Pep Boys and they didn't have my size, but they carry them. You can try the Danbury Wal-Mart, they are suppose to carry them.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Take a look at these, the Flexblade model.
https://secure.eventurestudio.com/www-silblade-com/products/index.cfm?CFID=536109&CFTOKEN=7207e50fc67fcb13-CE784672-5056-8838-7B13A3B563637A72
They are by "silblade"
I have not tried these yet but plan on ordering them soon. I had the PIAA silicone blades and they lasted for almost 2 years know I have the Bosch ICON they are nice but the blades don’t hold up like the silicone ones I have had them for about 3 months and they are on there way out. But the one-piece design is great for snow and ice.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Well they are different! They're not giving them away either. If they really work, I have no problem spending the money.

Thank you for this information.

I did give my windshield a Rain-X treatment the other day. I have Rain-X concentrate that is applied into the windshield washer fluid which I will have to do.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

This just in from Consumer Reports.

Even good windshield wipers fade fast

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get good performance windshield wipers, but you might need to replace them every six months or so. In a group of 15 wiper models we tested, three of the top four were among the least expensive. That includes the top-rated Valeo 600 Series, the Anco 31 Series, and the Michelin RainForce.

We also found that all of the windshield wipers provided very good or excellent performance when new, but most quickly degrade after six to nine months of regular use. The RainX Latitude was the only wiper that began with very good performance and maintained that level through six months. All others dropped in performance after six months.

Depending on the model, that deterioration showed up on the windshield as streaking (leaving lines of water behind), smearing of the water (instead of clearing it), or missed areas of wiping.

We tested the windshield wipers on 185 staffers’ cars. About half came to us with wipers that needed replacing, showing that drivers often don’t notice the slow degradation and leave wipers on longer than they should.

The tested windshield wipers included six beam-blade models, a relatively new design. Unlike conventional wipers, beam blades have no external frames. As a result, they are promoted as providing more uniform pressure on today’s curved windshields and therefore better wiping performance. Beam blades usually cost more than conventional wipers, but overall we didn’t see a notable advantage in regular use.

We also evaluated the wipers on ease of installation and removal. All of the cars in our test had a common hook-type mount, in which the old wiper is simply pulled off of the metal wiper arm and the new one is snapped into place. In our test, only the Michelin Optimum, Trico Exact Fit, and Trico Teflon Blade proved somewhat difficult to remove, sometimes requiring tools.

Bottom line
All recommended models deliver good performance. But we advise you replace your wipers every six to twelve months. Check the owner’s manual for the correct size and installation method.


http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/9...ratingsrt3.jpg

So....armed with this data and a need to replace the crummy stock wipers (Winter in New England made my stock wipers give up), I went to my local auto parts place. I couldn't find any of the top four as the store was really picked over, but I did get the ANCO Countour and they work very well so far.

Cliff

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

I'll say, most assuredly, that Bosch Evolution are crap in the snow. The OE blades beat them, hands down! No amount of cleaning, scraping, or smacking them on the windshield would coax them to sweep the very middle of the windshield, even with no visible ice on the blade. This means that there is a consistent, maddening 2" arc of ice/snow directly in my line of sight. Perhaps the Icon is better. I'm not going to chance it.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Yeah, the ice build up on the OEM wipers really set me off! No metter what I did I could not get the ice to stay off the darn wipers.
We need something that will stick to the glass and not pick up so much ice.....what am I thinking, like that can happen.
Like I said, I did try the Contours on my last vehicle,and I liked them, but I want to try something else, the Hummer is different for sure.

I'm leaning now to the Rain-X.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Thanks for the CR report. I just ordered the Rain-X Latitude online.

RE: Winshield wiper blades
 

Like I mentioned I have the Latitudes and they stick to the windshield like glue. The H3's windshield is different from most cars, so cheap blades can't handle the snow and ice that well with it.

The Latitudes are $5.70 each on Amazon, perhaps a price mistake ? I am thinking to order couple pairs to get free shipping at $25. The longer ones seems to be a lot more expensive. But I am confused, should I order all 17" or 17" and 16"?

I would order the 17 and the 16. That is what is called for on the H3s.

Let us know what you think of them.

Winter is winding down here, and I have yet to buy new wipers, as I really haven't needed them for the snow.
I have cleaned and treated the windshield with Rain-X.

I still want to replace these OE blades, and I will in time.
Oh, they aren't horrible in the rain, but intolerable in the ice and snow.

I have had problems with the wipers from the very begining, always leave water marks all over the windshield. They did really nothing to fix it, told me to clean them with alcohol but in general the GM ones work like crap in all weather, rain, snow and ice. The only time they work ok when I dont need to use them. Also I have intermittent problems with them not wiping at all. Usually in the cold when I first use them they will skip on wiping. I see the wiper move and it just gets stuck, on second turn it goes ok. Then it will eventually skip again, every time I bring it to dealer they say they can't duplicate it. I try to explain to them how to do duplicate it and they just do their own thing not letting me demostrate untill car and wipers have been running for a while and are working ok.

I bought a pair of Valeo a month or so ago and they're good so far, though they haven't seen any real snow, yet. I got the 'buy one get one free' deal from TireRack, so I bought a few pairs for my other cars. I got both 17" and they seem to fit just fine - neither even approaches the edge of the glass, leading me to wonder why Hummer recommends 17" and 16" instead of both 17".

The 17" on the driver side in mine reaches very close to the edge on top in the upright position, another inch and would probably be hitting the roof molding..... but the 16" passanger side indeed has more space. I am sure they have some reason for it though.

Yeah, (almost-lol) always go with what the wiper application guide says as far as size. The wiper manufacturers and the vehicle manufacturers actually have a rhyme and reason / method to their maddness. Sometimes if the replacement application guides are a different size than the original OE wipers its because they found a problem that wasn't 100% critical but critical enough to correct the error when we go out and replace them.

We had a nice snow dusting here yesterday I didnt have much problem while driving in the snow. The next day when there was some ice in morning I couldnt get the wiper to sweep properly for about 20 mins. Even after cleaning the ice off the blades and such it still wouldnt clear the windshield washer fluid. I will be looking at replacing these blades soon.

btw,,,,
 

i just got an email about driving, rain,,,try sun glasses EVEN at night.
they say it makes a stunning difference, no glare!!!!
now im anx for a rainy nite!

tom

we shall see

Bosch Icon wiper blade rebate
 

all f.y.i...... Bosch is offering a $15 rebate on purchase of (2) Icon wiper blades through 12-31-09
http://www.boschautoparts.com/promot...bateOffer.aspx






'08 Birch White Alpha

I used the Silblade winter wipers on my Rubicon and the admiral's Subi, they work great and are guaranteed for five years. Make sure you get the winter blades. The stock blades have been shot on every new vehicle we have had in the last ten years, without fail, they were NG.

That said, I do now have a set of Rain X winter blades on the H3 simply because the factory blades were so bad I stopped while on a trip just after purchasing it and replaced them. In reality, you can spend $6.99 at an auto parts store on Anco winter blades and run them a year without issues.

Getting back to blade size. Yes you can run larger blades but the problem is the pressure the arm places on the blade is designed for a certain size. If you go larger, less pressure is applied, so you decide. DO NOT purchase a "contour" type blade for these windshields, they are FLAT!! Read the box, those are designed for the new, highly contoured windshields! They will have a problem laying FLAT on your screen.

you know I still have the stock blades on mine and what I have been doing since I have owned my h3 is when my vehicle isin't in use I put the wipers up. I know it sounds time consuming but the wipers are stock wipers and they still work good so far. I have about 48,000 miles on it. food for thought

When you say do not purchase a "contour" type blade, are you refering to the "beam" blades such as the Rain-X Latitudes or the Bosch Icons (the type without the metal cage structure)? I was looking into purchasing one of these.

I have the latitudes on my 3 and don't have a problem. She was covered with snow this morning and it took all the ice and snow off in a couple swoops. Rain also works fine. I do add the Rain X liquid to the windshield for increased protection.

I use snow blades and i rain x my windows in michigan

So I am on my way to Wal-Mart and it is snowing and there is a huge smear on my windshield right were I need to see the most. I walk to the opposite end of my superstore to find the windshield wipers, compare the brands and walk out with RainX Latitudes. Come back home and check what this post had to say and find out that I made an excellent choice, so I install them. Fire up the wipers (17" driver, 16" passenger) and they leave less of a smear, but not at all acceptable for $36 + tax. A few days later I head to a different Wal-Mart and find some Tripledge 17" blades for $5 each on clearance and try them out, they clear my windshield of the spots the Latitudes left and I pocket $26 + tax back into my wallet. About the rear wiper, my spray only sprays half the area the wiper wipes. Also, how idiotic is it that the wiper only does a 1/2 to 2/3rd wipe rotation in the first place?

I had the same problem that you did Vox, except my solution was pretty much exactly opposite of yours. I bought some new triple edge blades, which is what I usually buy for my vehicles, but they wouldn't wipe my whole window clean, there was still a streak. I took them back and spent the extra to get the rain-x latitudes and now I am streak free. I've already written off my back window as a lost cause. I just deal with the little bit of window my blade actually hits.

Actually my Rain X wipers have been quietly cleaning my windshield beit rain or snow, very happy with them, I forgot when I bought them.

The back window? I try to never use that useless wiper, I feel it will only damage the window anyway.

I have to admit that the only real test on the Tripledge blades is to clean the windshield one time and that was to clean what the RainX had left behind, but it did. I switched the size of the passenger side to a 17" blade and seems to fit perfect. 17" was all they had do to the fact they were clearing them out. Some major brands recommend the 17" for both the driver and passenger sides, so I figured it would fit. I'm thinking of trying a 1" larger in the rear to see if that helps out back there, maybe it will lye different and clean better. Would that be a 13"? Has anyone adjusted that spray nozzle on the rear blade? I asked the dealer service to look at the fact that it only sprays 1/2 way up the blade, and they checked it and said it was normal. If that's the case, then it is just a plain flaw in design.

My Rain X Latitudes work great, except for the top 1", on both blades, smears, and doesn't wipe clean. I'm thinking the top of the windshield must curve rearward a bit, at that point.


'08 Birch White Alpha

Not certain what is going on, I replied to this awhile back.

What I meant is that the windshield on the Hummer is almost flat, those new, highly contoured blades are designed for the highly contoured windshield. It says that on the package. They might work ok but my guess is they could be a bit high centered, pressure wise.

The RainX blades turned out to be a flop, they did not do well the first time it snowed. I took them back to Wally World. Have the cheap Anco winter blades on there now but also ordered a set of Silblades that I found online for 19 bucks each.

I purchased the ANCO winter blades in Dec they never worked great just better then stock. They froze with ice always and they left smears from the upper 5 inches of blade. Pure crap.
I am just now trying the ICON blades local store was out of the rainx blades.

I bought the Bosch Icons....they left approx 1" smeared at the top. Bought the Rain-X Latitudes.....same results. Must be those 'beam' type blades won't conform completely to the Hummer windshield.

partial fix
 

i reset the hear blade to park up so it wipes evenly, centered so it looks like it makes more sense,,,if that makes sense!! i dont use it much.
also my regular curved blades do streak and im living with it till i get round to buying new straight as you guys said.
tom

Just finished a winter season with the Silblades on the H3 and they are as good as new yet. Admiral now has two years on hers and they still wipe better than a new factory blade.

I was able to order the exact size, I believe 17" on driver and 16" on passenger and had them in a day.

One thing about these blades is that the flat windshield wipes so well that it will start to squeak like a squeegee if the screen gets too dry. I find I need to leave them on a slower speed than the conventional wiper. They acted the same way on my Rubicon but not on the Subi.