I bought the D1 wiper arm kit with "winter wiper blades" from AB for my D2. I like the idea of being able to use off the shelf wiper blades.

I installed them today and immediately tested them out. The passenger blade left a huge un-wiped area in the middle of the windshield - no contact!

I figured it was the funky looking NAPA winter blades. I head down to AutoZone to get a decent set of Bosch Icons - 21" (the blades in the kit were 20").

Same problem - no wiper to windshield contact right in the middle of the windshield. The wiper arms either have weak springs or they cannot extend far enough to create even blade contact.

I think the kit is pure crap! Not cheap either at $80 + another $45 on new blades to try to make them work. I'll call AB in the morning to see about a refund.

The wiper arms in the kit were BritParts brand. Has anyone had success at this with genuine D1 wiper arms?

 

My D1 "gently used" non-AB arms work fine w/ ****ty Napa blades, better with premium blades.
Give it another chance. Maybe you "manipulated" the arm into place bring it out of alignment? Grab the underperformig arm and gently "mold" it into place.

 

Just buy the cheapest Walmart wiper blades you can get for your d1 arms. I've had nothing but trouble with the new modern style blades like the Bosch icon, especially the very long ones. Same story on my Acura TL as on my D2 (both previous vehicles of mine).

 

I tried adjusting these things for way too much time. They did not work out of the box with the supplied wiper blades or new ones. I'm afraid I may not be able to return them after trying to adjust them. Unfortunately, a big disappointment all the way around.

 

I don't recall who I bought my kit from, but the wipers that came with it were junk too, and we're very streaky. Then I tried modern beam style wipers and they wouldn't wipe the entire length of the blade. Then I tried cheap wiper of a conventional type. They worked fine.

 

Been using the fancy Bosch blades for years with great results on an '05 GTO, '09 Cherokee, and a couple of BMWs. Had the damned things worked with the supplied blades, I wouldn't have bought the Bosch ones...

 

Just installed my D1 arms with the blades in the kit from British Atlantic. They work incredibly well!

I noticed when I changed my windshield that the old arm/blades contacted my old window, but not my new one. Went to change the blades and realised the whole setup was held together with small machine screws.

Now I get full coverage from my wipers, and I think the blades I got in my kit were 18".

 

Have been running d1 arms and pretty much any ol blades for a couple of years with no problems, heavy rain, heavy snow etc.
Mine are actual d1 arms , not a "kit"
I do treat all my windshields with 3m aquapel or rain X.

 

The "kits" are actual D1 arms, but sold in a kit that comes with both arms, blades, and they used to provide the caps over the nuts, before they became unobtainium. It was cheaper than buying the arms individually, and I didn't want to put used parts on mine for fear of the springs being weak.

 

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I'm sure the genuine article arms work as intended. I suspect the aftermarket BritParts arms just aren't the same.