Honda OEM wiper blades, any better than aftermarket?

I have a Honda Accord nearing 300K. It could be that my winshield has
too many small pitts that make my windshield wipers wear out quickly
(2-months). I clean them once a month with rubbing alcohol and polish
my winshield with newspaper every 2-weeks or so.
I have always used aftermarket blades. But I see no difference in
longevity between the more expensive and cheaper brands/models.
I thought about trying the OEM blades, but they are pricey at the
dealer.
Has anyone noticed any longevity differences in Honda OEM blades vs.
aftermarket?

"techman41973" > wrote in message
...
>I have a Honda Accord nearing 300K. It could be that my winshield has
> too many small pitts that make my windshield wipers wear out quickly
> (2-months). I clean them once a month with rubbing alcohol and polish
> my winshield with newspaper every 2-weeks or so.
> I have always used aftermarket blades. But I see no difference in
> longevity between the more expensive and cheaper brands/models.
> I thought about trying the OEM blades, but they are pricey at the
> dealer.
> Has anyone noticed any longevity differences in Honda OEM blades vs.
> aftermarket?

I am sure that at least five people will jump in and tell you that you MUST
use OEM blades! I don't know why because there are many good brands out
there to be had at prices far less than OEM at the dealer. That said, I
think part of your problem is cleaning them with isopropyl alcohol. IIRC
this actually has a degrading effect on the rubber in the blades. Hot water
and dishsoap with a good rinse will clean them just as well as anything. I
don't really think you will notice any significant difference in the
longevity of a quality aftermarket wiper blade and the OEM ones....

DaveD
>
>

techman41973 > wrote in news:159c3f7f-8619-48ee-
:

> I have a Honda Accord nearing 300K. It could be that my winshield has
> too many small pitts that make my windshield wipers wear out quickly
> (2-months).



There's a very good possibility of that. It's happened to me more than
once.



> I clean them once a month with rubbing alcohol and polish
> my winshield with newspaper every 2-weeks or so.
> I have always used aftermarket blades. But I see no difference in
> longevity between the more expensive and cheaper brands/models.
> I thought about trying the OEM blades, but they are pricey at the
> dealer.



Five dollars is pricey?

However, if you've discarded the metal wiper blades themselves, then yes,
OEM is expensive (~$40 per side). But only the first time. After that it's
five dollars per side for the rubber refill.



> Has anyone noticed any longevity differences in Honda OEM blades vs.
> aftermarket?
>



OEM lasts longer and works better (six months to a year). In my humble
opinion, which is based on 18 years of trying everything out there and
eventually going back to the five dollar OEMs.





--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Tegger wrote:
> techman41973 > wrote in news:159c3f7f-8619-48ee-
> :
>
>> I have a Honda Accord nearing 300K. It could be that my winshield has
>> too many small pitts that make my windshield wipers wear out quickly
>> (2-months).
>
>
>
> There's a very good possibility of that. It's happened to me more than
> once.
>
>
>
>> I clean them once a month with rubbing alcohol and polish
>> my winshield with newspaper every 2-weeks or so.
>> I have always used aftermarket blades. But I see no difference in
>> longevity between the more expensive and cheaper brands/models.
>> I thought about trying the OEM blades, but they are pricey at the
>> dealer.
>
>
>
> Five dollars is pricey?
>
> However, if you've discarded the metal wiper blades themselves, then yes,
> OEM is expensive (~$40 per side). But only the first time. After that it's
> five dollars per side for the rubber refill.
>
>
>
>> Has anyone noticed any longevity differences in Honda OEM blades vs.
>> aftermarket?
>>
>
>
>
> OEM lasts longer and works better (six months to a year). In my humble
> opinion, which is based on 18 years of trying everything out there and
> eventually going back to the five dollar OEMs.
>
>
>
>
>
We had this discussion about a week ago and Tegger you called the price
at $5. I stopped by the Honda dealer in Manassas. Retail for both
sides were $13. That seemed to be pricey. Maybe you get a special
rate, but I don't.

Daveed

techman41973 wrote:

> Has anyone noticed any longevity differences in Honda OEM blades vs.
> aftermarket?

I certainly have. Not only in longevity, but in how well they work.

Stick with the OEM blades, and replace just the rubbers when necessary.

"techman41973" > wrote in message
...
>I have a Honda Accord nearing 300K. It could be that my winshield has
> too many small pitts that make my windshield wipers wear out quickly
> (2-months). I clean them once a month with rubbing alcohol and polish
> my winshield with newspaper every 2-weeks or so.
> I have always used aftermarket blades. But I see no difference in
> longevity between the more expensive and cheaper brands/models.
> I thought about trying the OEM blades, but they are pricey at the
> dealer.
> Has anyone noticed any longevity differences in Honda OEM blades vs.
> aftermarket?
>
>

Consumer Reports recently rated wipers/blades and found little relationship
between price/quality-- but did recommend three or four models. They found
that all of them had deteriorated a good bit after 6 months and after a
year, all needed replacement.

On 3/24/2009 3:47 AM Tegger spake these words of knowledge:

> techman41973 > wrote in news:159c3f7f-8619-48ee-
> :
>
>> I have a Honda Accord nearing 300K. It could be that my winshield has
>> too many small pitts that make my windshield wipers wear out quickly
>> (2-months).
>
>
>
> There's a very good possibility of that. It's happened to me more than
> once.
>
>
>
>> I clean them once a month with rubbing alcohol and polish
>> my winshield with newspaper every 2-weeks or so.
>> I have always used aftermarket blades. But I see no difference in
>> longevity between the more expensive and cheaper brands/models.
>> I thought about trying the OEM blades, but they are pricey at the
>> dealer.
>
>
>
> Five dollars is pricey?
>
> However, if you've discarded the metal wiper blades themselves, then yes,
> OEM is expensive (~$40 per side). But only the first time. After that it's
> five dollars per side for the rubber refill.

Dave is right about the cost; $14 each at my dealer. The cheapest Amco
wiper refills at Wal-Mart are $5 for the 18" side, $6 for the 26" side.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams come true. Unless it's
really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life.
Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's
death by meteor.

daveed > wrote in :


>>
>>
> We had this discussion about a week ago and Tegger you called the
> price at $5. I stopped by the Honda dealer in Manassas. Retail for
> both sides were $13. That seemed to be pricey. Maybe you get a
> special rate, but I don't.



Noted, thanks.

Maybe your wipers are longer and more expensive than mine. Mine are just a
bit over $5 each, no discount.

I still think $13 is pretty good for OEM quality versus aftermarket
quality. When people complain about their wipers, they're almost always
using aftermarket.

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Dave Kelsen > wrote in
g.com:


>
> Dave is right about the cost; $14 each at my dealer. The cheapest
> Amco wiper refills at Wal-Mart are $5 for the 18" side, $6 for the 26"
> side.




OK, $14 each, then. I stand corrected. But mine are $5 each. My last
invoice (with 10% discount because I spend so much there) shows $4.95 each.

Still, I've had way too much annoying trouble with aftermarket over the
years, mostly smearing and squeaking. That's the reason I stopped (in
disgust) using aftermarket and went back to OEM. Best decision I ever made.

If aftermarket is working for you, go for it. Too often they did NOT work
for me. Of if they did, it was only briefly before the streak & squeak came
back.

In any case, wiper rubbers should be changed twice a year for optimum
performance.


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On 3/24/2009 3:37 PM Tegger spake these words of knowledge:

> Dave Kelsen > wrote in
> g.com:
>
>
>>
>> Dave is right about the cost; $14 each at my dealer. The cheapest
>> Amco wiper refills at Wal-Mart are $5 for the 18" side, $6 for the 26"
>> side.
>
>
>
>
> OK, $14 each, then. I stand corrected. But mine are $5 each. My last
> invoice (with 10% discount because I spend so much there) shows $4.95 each.
>
> Still, I've had way too much annoying trouble with aftermarket over the
> years, mostly smearing and squeaking. That's the reason I stopped (in
> disgust) using aftermarket and went back to OEM. Best decision I ever made.
>
> If aftermarket is working for you, go for it. Too often they did NOT work
> for me. Of if they did, it was only briefly before the streak & squeak came
> back.
>
> In any case, wiper rubbers should be changed twice a year for optimum
> performance.

Of course they should, but I change mine (as most folks, I imagine) when
they bug me enough to do so. Probably once a year, or so. But I agree
about when they *should* be changed. ;^)

RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit
it. I myself deny it.