How do you replace the windshield wiper inserts??

If you look at the wiper arm you will see that the end of it is curled in a U shape. When you depress the latch, you pull down to extract the blade assembly away from the U.

Once you have the blade removed from the arm, look at the end of the blade carefully. Usually you will see two metal fingers that fit into matching indents in the rubber, which locks the rubber in place. Use a pair of pliers to pull the old rubber insert out from the metal blade frame.

After the old rubber is pulled out, you will note two very thin metal strips that provide a "spine" to the rubber insert. You need to move those strips to the new insert.

The inserts should be placed so that they form a U for the driver's side blade (when the blade is held so that the strips are on top). Their position should be reversed so they form an upside-down U for the passenger's side blade.

Insert the new rubber insert with the metal strips into the wiper blade metal frame. The frame has little fingers along the length to hold the insert. Examine the old insert before removing it, so you can see how it fits into the metal frame. If you've already removed one side before doing this examination, compare to the other wiper blade.

 

amazingly complicated.

 

Well, you need to exert a tiny bit of skill if you want to save the money associated with the use of a refill vs. a new blade.

 

Doing this tomorrow, so thanks for the step by step and the video!

 

Comment on the video: I'd strongly recommend, once the blade is removed from the arm, to gently lower the arm down onto the glass, or better yet onto a rag buffer.

 

Or just leave the arm up, pointing to the sky.

 

With the tension arm sitting there like a mousetrap, I couldnt stand the "tension". do not know how forcefully it'd come down if bumped, but don't want to find out.

 

a tiny bit for you, but everything and more for me. replacing the battery pack is less complicated.

 

Fwiw, I've never had any luck replacing just the rubber... It always seems to leave streaks within a month. I go right to the Toyota dealer and buy new blades for like $5 each. Ways cheaper than an auto parts store or even Walmart and I get a good year of life out of them.

 

It could be that the metal blade structure is slightly warped. With my 2004 (184K miles) I had to replace the passenger-side blade once, around a year ago. Other than that, I've just replaced the rubber inserts on all three wiper blades around once a year.

If you can buy a new blade (including rubber and the metal frame) for $5 at your dealer, that is a good price.

 

It's worthwhile to try automotive glass cleaner too. Sometimes it's not so much the wiper blades as a film build-up on the glass. Run a cleaner-dampened cloth along the blades too.

 

I will check and see exactly what I pay at the dealer as reference for other Priuschatters. But I want to say one blade is $5.30 and the other is $5.82 or something like that.

 

+1 on wiping the rubber blades with a damp cloth quite frequently. I was having streaks shortly after changing refills until I read this advice. Now I am getting 12 to 18 months on a set of refills simply by keeping the back of the refills clean.

Unless the blade structure is warped, as Patrick indicated, removing the wiper blade from the arm should be a simple task. Or at least once you figure it out the first time it should be an easy task.

 

Ease of blade removal from the arm can vary, with different cars. I was removing blades from arms on an 06 civic, the other night. Outside, raining a bit, dark, leaning over the hood. For starters there's a plastic garnish that defied removal for some time. Went in, viewed a Youtube video, and the poor guy making the video struggled for close to 2 minutes on this one item, as much in the dark as me, lol.

Once you coax that bit off, then there's no readily apparent way to release the blade, no obvious tabs. Back into the house, watch a bit more Youtube, find out there's a hidden catch on the underside, needs depressing, then push tug: blade shifts backward about 1/2", but still on there..., just persist, wiggle waggle it some more, finally off! REALLY gently lower the free arm down onto the glass.

Now the other side...

 

I just replaced my front rubbers (heh!) today. Pop the latch, push the blade towards the arm, pull out. Slide the rubber out (it has a stop at one end, just pull from there), keep the orientation of the two metal pieces the same when putting them on the new rubber, slide the blade back in until it catches. Took me about ten minutes to do both.

 

Patrick, Are you saying that the "hump" of the wiper blade inserts points UP on the driver side but DOWN on the passenger side when installed??? Or vice versa? Why would they not be the same for both driver and passenger sides?

 

I replaced a wiper blade (frame and rubber set from Costco, $15) on my old Volvo in the past; if I can get the whole wiper kit, including the frame and rubber, for $15-$20, I will take that route vs just buying the rubber part, will save me time and grief. I think Jiffy Lube will replace a wiper blade for about $30.