Wiped blades

People are talking about Wiper Blades here

 

Get one of these?

 

Or you could get one of these...


The first link shows the drivers side = 26" and the passengers side = 16"

 

26" and 16"

 

Seriously, don't bother trying aftermarket blades, it's not worth the hassle. The Gen 4 connector isn't the hook like Gen 2 (and likely Gen 3) so the ones you'll find at Advance Auto Parts, et al. won't fit. You can buy Toyota wiper blade refills online for the same price or less from some dealers. I've seen a few of them on Amazon.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

The easiest and cheapest way to deal with wiper blades is Inserts. At most Auto supply stores. I quit replacing whole blades about 14 years ago.

 

Auto supply stores don't have Prius Prime inserts up my way. I can only get them from Toyota.

 

Cheapest, maybe. Although OEM ones at $8 a piece online and I think $10 MSRP, may not be cheaper than aftermarket wiper blades if they now have the one that fits PRIME wiper arms. As far as being easiest, have you tried one with PRIME's OEM wiper? I have read somewhere it is rather difficult to replace the insert. I certainly do not want to try that in subzero temp in white-out blizzard condition. Thus I purchased both inserts rubber and OEM complete wiper blades a few months after I purchased my car. That was almost two years ago. My original OEM wiper is still going strong. They are of good quality.

 

Be aware that the rear wiper insert is also 16", but has a different type of "groove" to attach to the blade, hence a different Toyota product number:

RUBBER, WIPER, RH 85214-78010

RUBBER, WIPER, LH 85214-47110

RUBBER, REAR WIPER 85214-47010

 

JFYI, PRIME has NO rear wiper. That part is only for Gen4 Prius other than Eco?

 

Interesting, no thus far I have not done a thing to my Prius Prime plus, but, it sounds like you are well prepared.

 

I just took a section of the insert with me and matched it at the Auto Parts store, have not gotten into that yet in the Prime.

 

I have had experiences not once but twice losing wiper blade in the middle of the snow storm. Ever since my first experience, I never go anywhere without spare wiper in my car. A car without functional wiper in the middle of a snowstorm is basically undrivable, IMO. I bought those spare wiper blades and inserts as spare, but so far have not needed them yet.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the OEM inserts from Toyota at the best bang for the buck. I haven't needed them yet for the Prime, but I did replace the garbage aftermarket ones on my PiP and my wife's '07. They're like $8-9 each and last almost forever.

 

So here are my questions. Being an employee of a major, nationwide parts store chain, I sell wiper blades daily. Why does every blade manufacturer that we sell recommend replacing the blades every 12-18 months? Is there something different (better) about the OE blades? Would it be worth me investing in OE replacement blades for my car? I see that I can buy the OE blade with insert for about $21 per side, within a couple of dollars of the aftermarket. That would be a 1 time expenditure, and refills as needed for about $7. My employer does not offer refills at all.

 

My OEM wiper blade lasted 2.5 years. So, it is not all garbage IMHO.
I've seen jb in NE post OEM parts from McGeorge Toyota.
below is what they are sold though I do not know how much the shipping is.

 

I don't think I've ever gotten an aftermarket blade to even last 12 months. However, the OEM inserts seem to last several years. And the inserts cost less. So I would say it's definitely worth it. I did that with my wife's '07 blades about 18 months or so ago. Still running the same Toyota inserts and it's parked in the sun all day.

 

Last October, before a road trip, I bought a pair of Bosch Envision brand blades for my car. Beam type design, with a sticker that as the blade wears(is exposed to the elements)becomes visible. When you can read the writing on the sticker, you are supposed to change the blade. I replaced them last week with the cheapest blades I could find. At least for the moment, they wipe just as good as the expensive ones.

 

You're supposed to change them?

Not kidding: our 2010 only has 81K kms on the odometer but the original wipers still look virtually new. Maybe a little curled at the ends, not effecting their performance.

And when I do, without hesitation, I'll just pick up replacement inserts at dealership.