PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

What’s longest anyone on this forum has had the same windshield wipers?

I’ve had my truck for almost 12 years and I can only recall the blades being replaced three or four times; I don’t remember the first time because it was still my dad’s truck then…

My dad signed the title over to me in December 2016, and the wiper blades were still fine in 2018 but the I hit the washer fluid while going about 45 miles an hour and the arm came off. Luckily it got caught and didn’t go flying off, but that was the first time I’d ever seen the part that holds the wiper blade give out.

I was working at a dealership at the time and got new wipers at a substantial discount. They were Rain-X, and the right one lasted until this evening.

I was going through an automated car wash and one of the brushes took the wiper clean off; I tried to get the car wash to pay for it, but wipers are one of the items they’re not legally responsible for. The wiper assembly wasn’t actually broken, so I went to Autozone and got new wipers.

The manager of the car wash was absolutely shocked when I told him that the wiper blades were almost three years old, and he told me that he replaced his every year. My truck passed safety inspection (which requires wipers to be in good shape) in 2018, 2019, and 2020; My wipers were working great up until car wash incident took place.

 

@ColoradoTJ
@shakerhood
@Taco critter

Car wash took my right wiper off this evening…

 

I would also like to point out that at another one of these automated drive-they car washes, I saw a late model Lexus IS get its rear bumper partially torn off, and the car wash had to pay for that; Unfortunately, wipers fall into the category of stuff the car wash is not responsible for…

 

I suspect my truck is actually getting somewhere between 19 and 22 miles per gallon on average, but it’s suffering because of the constant stopping and going…

 

Who owns a car long enough to change those things?

 

Uh, me…?

Had my truck since September 2009!

 

That’s insane. You would have to replace the tires probably too.

 

I know it's supposed to be every 6 months but I probably only do it once a year. And that's after the blades are really streaking badly.

 

I have replaced the tires several times…

All I’m asking is what is the typical service life for windshield wiper arms and blades!

 

Mine never streaked, at least not the Rain-X ones…

 

I replaced mine at a year and 8 months with OEM blades. Annually isn’t a bad idea really.

 

If properly maintained you should never have to replace the wiper arm.

Blades or refills there are way too many variables between the different manufacturers and materials to set a stone solid date. Ballpark I replace mine about every year give or take a few months.

 

I replace mine when they leave streaks. Or if they start squeaking.
If you clean the windshield yourself, and don’t use the wiper and washer to get hard stuff off,
They seem to last longer. I actual try to wipe the rubber blade clean when I wash my truck.
I forget half the time, but it seems to help. I always get a lot of black residue off the blade. Along with dirt and dust.

As for the arms? I never have yet.

 

I generally do it every year if I remember. They never seem to last long before they stop running smooth.

 

I don't think I've ever had to replace the arm; Just the blade and the part that attaches the blade to the arm...

 

We all different it depends How much rain you need to drive in.

Then an average week for me might be 800 miles.

Myself Wow these wipers need changed but only when it is raining this repeats till the blade starts to come off . Might be a year or two

Then I install a new drivers side and call it good.

 

Charlie best thing you can do is keep the windshield clean with glass cleaner. I carry cleaner and paper towels behind the seats. Also a small razor blade for (carefully) scraping off dried bugs.

Avoid RainX, it dries out the rubber on the blades. You want soft rubber, not hard and dry

Also pay attention to the angle of the arm against the windshield. The hook and arm should be parallel to the glass. Over time the arm will twist slightly from dragging the blade, that makes the wipers skip and chatter going back down

I usually replace mine every fall before the winter driving starts. I'm always driving in snowy conditions so I carry a couple spares in case one breaks

I've found the OEM brand (NWB) to be the best

 

Our 2005 has original arms and I doubt they will ever need replacing. Without digging through my records, I'd say I install new OEM (Toyota) blade inserts about every three years. I replace them when they start to streak or otherwise fail to wipe the glass clean.

 

you replace them when they start developing problems such as streaking
on some cars that's once a year from sun damage

OEM Tacoma blades are good; the metal springs can wear out after a long time requiring replacing the whole thing.
But until that point, you can just take out the rubber insert and replace that as needed, which is cheaper.
Both are cheap and the same as cars.

I would not bother with the sub $7 crap from walmart. It basically stops working in a day. And ends up being a huge waste of time among other things

 

Surprised you don't own an Ultragauge, it's a fun little gadget.