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".