My F150 will be 11 months old later this month. Today I had a chance to check out my wiper blades & squirts. It rained yesterday afternoon first time in 11 months in the greater Phoenix area, but I was home already and the truck was in the garage. But this AM, it rained again and I can now attest that my wipers seem to work just fine !

 

 

yeah with the pollen and dust around here it's pretty much every drive they get used. Kind of why i have given up washing my truck in the non-salt months, 20 min later it looks just as dirty as it did before. My wipers are getting crunchy at 13 months though, not bad for OEM.

 

This is funny. We get a lot more rain than Phoenix, but a paltry amount relative to other parts of the country. The issue for us is that we live on a relatively long gravel driveway (8/10 mile). So we get a lot of dust. I probably run the washers/wipers once or twice a week. In the winter (November - March), we will get some rain.

 

PSA, when replacing your wiper blades, go for the silicone ones. They are comparable to the high end Bosch in price, but last 3 to 4 times longer.

I put PIAAs on my 150 last summer and they wipe just as well as they did the day I bought them. They survived through ice/snow and the moderate heat of the upper midwest. Which is important when you have the rain sensing wiper system.

You won't find them at any auto parts chain, as the wiper game is quite lucrative for those chains. People coming in 3 to 4 times a year to put down 50 bucks for a product that uses little shelf space and has a high profit margin is something they want to protect.

 

I have read in a couple of places that OEM wipers will give the best performance. Any comments on that?

 

The stock ones on my truck have lasted longer than the expensive bosh ones on my jeep, they are parked right next to one another so they see similar conditions. I can probably get another month or two out of them is i clean them up some.

 

I'm still running the original wipers that came with the truck. Almost 3 years and 58K miles later they still work great. Wonder if the blades you get from the dealer are the same???

 

 

If you take the plastic "tray" they are packaged in, and turn it over like a bowl, then fill it up with a little aerospace 303. Let them soak at least an hour or so. Then store them wrapped in plastic, they will be very pliable when you pull them out.

 

 

I also heard for rubber blades that a rag soaked with mineral spirits quickly wiped down the blade will rejuvenate the rubber. But if people are getting 3-4 years on stock blades,I wonder if they are even rubber. They may be silicone.....

 

Denatured Alcohol also works good. Clean them once per month (wipe them down) and I was able on my old truck to go 6 years before they finally died.

 

The factory blades on my truck lasted longer than any other aftermarket ones I've bought. Even the PIAAs. Next set will be OEM replacements. Not only did they last the longest, but wiped the best.