My last two pairs of Sill Blade front blades have lasted about 6 months before noise and streaking.

Can anyone recommend something else they have had good luck with?

Thanks!

 

I keep looking for different blades on all my cars. Seems they all squeak after a while. I have tried all the major brands and still getting squeaking, even after scrubbing windshields. I'm wondering if it isn't an issue with the different diesel fuel fumes from trucks gathering on windshield and the glass cleaners (been tryin different brands) and towels just don't clean off stuff as they used too. Seems harder to keep streaks away. MY LR4 and my MINIs still come up with the same problem.

 

I worked with a man at a GM dealership years back who told me his method was an ammonia glass cleaner ( best for the least $ was NAPA #8100 ) and a light wipe first with 000 steel wool,(if you have a spot needing scrubbing - use a razor blade - the wool will scratch if you scrub, but a light , glass cleaner-wetted wipe will not - used technique on new and used cars!) followed by a final cleaning with standard blue windshield paper towels. He'd stack 4-5 squares of towel and wipe with one side, then turn the stack over to do a final wipe with the dry side to finish, then remove the dirty pieces as he went. Inside and out. It was the only way to get cigarette film off the inside.
I had wiper reps tell me that the wear on blades comes as the squared edge on the rubber rounds off from the abrasive action of dirt - as long as it stays sharp (90 degree edge), it will wipe clear. The standard metal frame blades also add the component of multiple contact points, changes in flex and pressure as those pivots wear, etc.
When NAPA first started selling the beam blades, I bought a pair for a car we had when I lived in St. George, Utah ( hot, desert weather - no garage ). That pair lasted 6 years! They started leaving a small 1/16" strip centered on my view that bugged me and replaced with exact same part number - never got that kind of life again. And possibly the desert sand had micro-pitted my glass to add that wear, but I still recommend the beam-style (the NAPA Exact-Fit or Bosch - NAPA does sell an economy - OWI line code- that is crap - not real rubber - DO NOT BUY) because of the equal pressure over the full length of the blade where the hard backbone styles are only pushing where the frame contacts the refill. I also like them over winter (booted) styles for the same reason.
I've wanted to try the silicone blades for the UV resistance and would suspect your short life with them would also relate to dirt/film abrasion. A magnifying glass will show you the edge I'm referring to on your blades. I remember one company gave me a "sharpener" for the blades - some kind of blade I suspect - but never saw them marketed after, nor did I use - tossed in the desk and forgot. Probably wouldn't help wiper sales, eh?!
This does seem to be one of those old-fashioned methods that "modern technology" hasn't thought of yet in making a better way of keeping our view unobstructed...
I do still think Rainex is a worthwhile addition to windshield protection, but it does take some work to do it right. The original wipe on, buff off formula - but a complete, total buff off is necessary to look and work right. Haven't been impressed with the spray-ons and cleaners with formulas. My .02 cents (we've probably got a couple of bucks somewhere, if we add up all my .02 cents!!! Russ

 

I have been having decent luck here in Georgia with the Costco goodyear wiper blades

 

 

Thank you for the replies. Much appreciated.

 

I don't get any life out of mine either. Tried Rain-X, the highest-end Bosch, and the high-end Anco. Now I just buy the mid-grade beam wipers since none of them last more than one winter season (the only season the wipers are ever turned on around here). So I buy them at the start of one winter, and at the start of the next winter, they're toast. I know part of the reason is ice on the windshield in the winter. I'm not patient enough to scrape it all off and I'm sure it ruins blades fast. Pitted glass probably also wears them faster.

I also use 000 steel wool. I have scratched glass once when scrubbing, but I have done a lot of cleaning auto glass with it and only ever scratched that once. It can be avoided if you don't scrub, but I'm the type that has to try something until I know by experience. It also cleans nasty stuff that ordinary paper and cleaner scrubbing would not in a very long time. If the glass is not really gunked up, it is safer to use the automotive detailing clay. The clay will remove very flat-lying contaminants that paper and glass cleaner will just rub over the top of.

I'll have to try the NAPA cleaner someday. Right now I am using Unger commercial window cleaning concentrate diluted with distilled water.

I also like the Rain-X, but agree it takes a lot of buffing work to get it clear. I'm more likely to just use Meguiars Ultra wax when I'm waxing the car -- but not the Land Rover. I don't wax the Land Rover. The blackout rustoleum on the hood is an improvement on the factory paint.

 

Quick tip.

Tighten the nut on the washer arm that connects to the motor.

Those nuts loosen over time and create less pressure for the wiper blade contact with the windshield.

Takes 1 minute and is dead simple. For a more permanent solution dab some loctite (blue) on the nut.

Report back with results.

 

FYI, The nuts holding the wiper transmission inside the cowl also come loose over time and reduce pressure of the arm on the windshield.

I switched to D1 wiper arms before this rainy season and have not yet found a blade that wipes the entire windshield without missing a large patch or two. I tried the most expensive Bosch and Michelin 21" in beam style and then got some Michelins with the braces and still no clean view.

I'm contemplating going back to my old D2 arms as even at their worst weren't as bad as what I have now.

The only blades I've had any luck with were from the dealer or my indy shop... not sure who makes those but I will be finding out.