Wiper blades

[Ian Bennett]

Wondered if anyone had converted their corolla to flat Wiper Blades? I have replaced mine with genuine toyota blades but they keep leaving lines on the screen, particularly the n/s, it's appears the spring on the arm may not be strong enough.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota do two ranges of Wiper Blades - original factory fit blades and a cheaper Optifit range made by Trico to Toyota specifications. Which have you fitted? Also refills may be available for the factory fit.

Have a !ook at the Toyota stores on eBay and Amazon -

Some members use Bosch blades.

[Roy124]

Ian, I don't recall other cars leave such marks on the screen.  My Yaris Cross leaves a line on the tip of the driver's wiper arc and a smear around 2/3 at 10 o'clock.  The Corolla had a perpetual smear there too. 

The rear also suffers from washer drip.  My earlier non Toyota washer fired up rather than down so no drip on the glass. 

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, Ian Bennett said:

Wondered if anyone had converted their corolla to flat wiper blades? I have replaced mine with genuine toyota blades but they keep leaving lines on the screen, particularly the n/s, it's appears the spring on the arm may not be strong enough.

Hi, 

have you installed a new set of wipers bough from Toyota? 
Just check again for proper fittings , sometimes the Wiper Blades can be fitted incorrectly and cause similar problems. If all ok there , you can give a good clean on your windshield, and use a good quality screen wash. Do not wipe clean the blades with anything. If still like that you may just need to leave it and with the time they will become ok again.
Very important to note here: 

very likely the issue is caused by the contamination of the windscreen and particularly car washes . Most cheap ones are using some chemicals after wash like some sort of liquid wax that they spray all over and then wipe dry the car, this is what cause these issues with wipers afterwards 95% of the cases. wiper blade arms almost never goes wrong. 👍

[Niky]

Had the same issue with my original wipers

I am very happy with those now - the rear isn't perfect, but still better than the original 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115494820857

 

[Ian Bennett]

On 2/23/2023 at 8:56 AM, FROSTYBALLS said:

Toyota do two ranges of wiper blades - original factory fit blades and a cheaper Optifit range made by Trico to Toyota specifications. Which have you fitted? Also refills may be available for the factory fit.

Have a !ook at the Toyota stores on eBay and Amazon -

Some members use Bosch blades.

thanks for your reply, I'm not sure which ones i received I wasn't given a choice.

[TonyHSD]

53 minutes ago, Ian Bennett said:

thanks for your reply, I'm not sure which ones i received I wasn't given a choice.

You can fit any Wiper Blades of the same size . If not happy with Toyota you can try Bosch classic or Aerotwin, carparts4less with coupon will be cheaper and original. Michelin classic also a good choice from eBay or Costco. 
 

[Cyker]

Check there's not some debris stuck to the blade or a kink in the edge or something.

I have to clean edge on mine frequently due to the bits of plant material that always seem to get under it!

I'm actually hoping it rains more as ever since I had the windscreen replaced it lost the silicone coating the wipers laid down and the water doesn't bead up like it used to. Will take a while for a sufficient layer to be laid down again!

[Gerhard_Corolla]

4 hours ago, Cyker said:

Check there's not some debris stuck to the blade or a kink in the edge or something.

I have to clean edge on mine frequently due to the bits of plant material that always seem to get under it!

I'm actually hoping it rains more as ever since I had the windscreen replaced it lost the silicone coating the wipers laid down and the water doesn't bead up like it used to. Will take a while for a sufficient layer to be laid down again!

Which silicone wipers did you bought?

 

The wipers on my Corolla are starting to fade out just after 12 months, I don't know if all the highway salt is the culprit, but that's quite fast!

[Gray86]

Toyota use Denso Wiper Blades from the factory. Mine are 2 and a bit years old, and still work well (21,000 miles) although one has started leaving lines, so I’ll swap the pair for more Denso blades. 
 

I’ve had Bosch aerotwins in the past. They work great for a few months then deteriorate quickly. 

[Tomv]

Replaced my OEM with Bosh and they are much better. Can’t tell about longevity since I have them only for 2 months 

[Cyker]

5 hours ago, Gerhard_Corolla said:

Which silicone wipers did you bought?

 

The wipers on my Corolla are starting to fade out just after 12 months, I don't know if all the highway salt is the culprit, but that's quite fast!

PIAA - they're expensive but they last for ages; In my previous cars I used to have to change wipers every 1-2 years but when I switched to the PIAAs they always lasted until I sold the car so they're always the first thing I change when I get a new car!

The best thing about them is after enough use, they lay down enough silicone that it repels water (I really missed that during the cold snap; Just had a new virgin windscreen put in and it was so much hard to scrape ice off the windscreen without the silicone layer!!)

They're a bit tricky to source; I used to get them from tdcautomotive but they seem to have moved to being an eBay shop as the wipers are listed at £9,999 on their old website   (I know they're expensive but not that expensive!  )

[Gerhard_Corolla]

On 2/27/2023 at 10:02 PM, Cyker said:

PIAA - they're expensive but they last for ages; In my previous cars I used to have to change wipers every 1-2 years but when I switched to the PIAAs they always lasted until I sold the car so they're always the first thing I change when I get a new car!

The best thing about them is after enough use, they lay down enough silicone that it repels water (I really missed that during the cold snap; Just had a new virgin windscreen put in and it was so much hard to scrape ice off the windscreen without the silicone layer!!)

They're a bit tricky to source; I used to get them from tdcautomotive but they seem to have moved to being an eBay shop as the wipers are listed at £9,999 on their old website   (I know they're expensive but not that expensive!  )

Thank you!

 

I've found a dealer in Greece, they sell the refills as well, so I'll ask them if those refills can be suited to the original frames. They don't have a back wiper suitable for the car...

[Mojo1010]

Have Bosch aerotwin on mine, last 3 years for average use of 8-10k miles annually. Find it very good. 

[paul9]

I saw wiper refills in Halfords the other day and they cost more than the full wipers. 🤑

[TonyHSD]

Neve tried silicone wipers myself. Bosch aerotwin are good however the fitting peace it’s always in my eyes the minute uninstall any of these. They seems ok when the car came as oem fitted but retrofit the plastic that clips into the wiper arm is huge and upsetting to me, otherwise they are good indeed. For me the original Denso hybrid wipers are the best , they clean good and suit the car design and also they are the quieter one when at speeds against classic ones which whistle. 

[Cyker]

8 hours ago, Gerhard_Corolla said:

Thank you!

 

I've found a dealer in Greece, they sell the refills as well, so I'll ask them if those refills can be suited to the original frames. They don't have a back wiper suitable for the car...

TBH I'd recommend going straight for the flat blades; I tried refills on my Mk2 but the PIAA blades don't seem to fit properly in the Toyota carrier for some reason, and it always left lines and missed patches because it wasn't being pressed onto the screen evenly across its travel.

I really tried to make it work as they are quite expensive, but gave up and threw more money at the flat ones, which just clip onto the arm and worked flawlessly for the whole time I had the car.

The blades are softer than normal rubber, are UV resistant and don't harden which is partly why they last so long - The wipers I used to use would loose their elasticity over time causing them to crack and tear. The silicone ones stay soft and flexible so they resist tearing far longer, and this also makes them stay quiet; The only time mine have ever squeaked is due to some sort of contamination on the windscreen or trapped debris! Even on a lightly moist screen they don't screech, which is something a lot of normal wipers do when they age and their surface coatings wear off.

A lot of Wiper Blades will match the PIAAs when new and often be cheaper, but the thing about the PIAAs is the performance doesn't degrade over time anywhere near as quickly as normal wipers do, and when the silicone layer is thick enough you won't even need to use the wipers when driving at speed!  

...

Jeez they should be sponsoring me for all this free advertising!!!

[Talking Hoarse]

Wiper Blades .... I have always replaced mine yearly on previous cars.  So a few months yet on my (I think still) new Corolla.  And I usually buy well in advance so the bits are "ready to go".  

I routinely used the Michelin blades available @ Costco in UK, at approx £8-10 each, and found to be excellent.  However ...  the Michelin catalogue quotes the (front) blades for my car as 26" + 16".  Whereas oe fit and others list 28" + 14".  I reckon this is because Michelin do not catalogue a 14" blade. 

So - armed ready with the Michelin 28" blade I will look for a 14" to match elsewhere when needed.    Any recommendations?

[Rav4ster]

HEYNER Hybrid Wiper Blades are good, similar performance to Denso, but cheaper  (buy them from HEYNER directly), Bosch Aerotwin are also good, but long wipers sometimes shake at the high speed, as they are not as rigid as hybrid blades. Both makes front set can be had under £20.