Anybody recommend good wipers for the TCH? It's about time for my first replacements and I am wondering whether to go with the Toyota version. I'm sure they're much more expensive than what I could buy from the local parts place. Are they worth the extra money?

Consumer Reports rated wiper blades years ago, but I don't think they have any current information. Thoughts?

 

From what I remembered...Bosch is a very good brand.
Skimp on a lot of things, but splurge on wiper blades.
They're a luxury that will be noticed every time it rains.

 

bmgoodman,

Try the Bosch Icons. They are expensive but well worth the money. I have a set in stock at the house for every car we own except the new Civic. The Icons don't come in that style of wiper (yet).

I agree as above. This is one of those areas that I prefer to spend my money on.

 

I was headed to post that you get the Bosch, so in this case, I am seconding the other poster. They are expensive but beautiful (very clean lines, wholly encased) and work really really well.
I would recommend you get them from Amazon.com
They recently had a BOGO free offer, which I pounced on, but I don't know if it's still going.
Pep Boys carry them here locally.
Note, there are a couple of different lines, so go for the more expensive ones, I believe they are called ICON.

 

in addition to whichever wiper blades you use, i use RAIN-X spray on the exterior windshield and windows. at higher speeds(above 30 mph), i dont even have to use my wipers. the rain beads upon impact and immediately rolls up and over the windshield.

 

I used Rain-X for a while. It works ok for open-road driving, outside the city. But for stop-and-go driving (of which I have many miles per week), and for slow-but-congested highway driving (with fine mist) (which account for most of the rest of my miles), all it does is smear. For Rain-X to work, you need large-enough drops, and enough wind (forward motion) to drive each drop to the top of the window. If the drops are too small (mist), or the forward motion is not enough, you still have to use the wipers. And, when you use wipers on a Rain-X'ed window, the silicone just smears.

Thanks, everyone else, for the suggestion re Bosch Icon wipers. My other half is due for new wipers. In Florida, we have to replace them every year. He likes the look of the Toyota wipers, but the price from Toyota ($23 for the right, and $43 for the left) is just obscene.

 

Why not just go to your local Toyota dealership and buy wiper refills from the parts department? The OEM wiper blades were designed for your TCH. Buying the wiper refills should only cost what the cheapest wiper blades cost. For my Honda Civic, I believe I pay $11 for both wiper refills. Better than paying more than double that for aftermarket wiper blades that probably don't even work as well as the OEM ones.

 

I have had good results with the frameless wiper blades sold by Wal-Mart at <$15 each. Costco is now selling frameless Michelin wiper blades for ~$10 each, and these look to be every bit as good as the Wal-Mart ones, but cheaper. I (and others on this forum) have found that the central portion of the original (framed) passenger-side wiper blade did not properly contact the windshield in near- or sub-freezing weather. The frameless blades are much better in this regard.

Stan

 

I just put a set of these on. It hasn't rained yet, so I can't say if they work well. But they don't look like they belong on the car, aesthetics-wise. The mounting brackets leave a gap whereas the OEM wipers make everything look seamless. Yeah, maybe I'll change my mind when it rains....

 

are you guys serious?