Ok, Snow folks, what's your prefered winter wiper blade?

[motormikeyman]

I second the Bosch Icons- they work great year round.

[FireFox31]

I avoid Bosch Icon. When I had my windshield replaced on my Mercedes-Benz E320, the installer broke my blade and replaced it with what looks like a Bosch Icon. When driving during snow, the outer half of the blade would get iced up and not contact the windshield. I would have to stop and wipe down the blade, but it would ice up again. Even when the roads were wet and salty, cars in front of me would kick up dirty spray and the wiper would just glide over it, not clearing anything.

I always buy wiper blades from RockAuto. Their prices are a fraction of any auto parts store for the same parts (Trico by all of its brand names). Many years ago, they bought the entire stock of NAPA wiper blades and sold them for like $1 each. I bought about 5 sets for every car in my family. I'm still working through those.

I plan to try Volvo brand blades from FCP next. I don't love the beam style and want to return to the multiple pressure points of the traditional metal frames.

[Krons]

I stay with beam style wipers, the metal frame of the old style wipers seem to collect ice. I've been ok with the Rain-X beam wipers at Walmart.

[BEJinFbk]

I avoid Bosch Icon. When I had my windshield replaced on my Mercedes-Benz E320, the installer broke my blade and replaced it with what looks like a Bosch Icon. When driving during snow, the outer half of the blade would get iced up and not contact the windshield. I would have to stop and wipe down the blade, but it would ice up again. Even when the roads were wet and salty, cars in front of me would kick up dirty spray and the wiper would just glide over it, not clearing anything.

I don't love the beam style and want to return to the multiple pressure points of the traditional metal frames.

Bosch does produce some less expensive beam style blades,
but I can't speak to how they perform. There are plenty of
cheaper beams out there, too. All I can tell you is that
I've never been disappointed with Icons on my car.
Snow, slush, sleet and rain, they just work.

As far as "traditional"? Those things constantly lock up with
ice and snow, stop flexing and fail to conform to the windshield.

And what got me started with Icons was moving up from booted
"traditional" blades to something that would last longer and not
fall apart. They rubber boots helped a lot with buildup, but the
boots don't handle -40 very well and split out.

Icons do what I wanted them to do and last several seasons.

[BEJinFbk]

Clearing the windshield as mentioned about is how to make them last. I know some that put a cloth under the blades to try to stop them sticking to the windshield and easier to remove the snow/ice.

Neil.

I see people putting their wiper arms up all the time, now. That's always seemed silly to me. It used to be a sure sign of a southerner in MI.

When we know that snow is coming, rigs all over
town sprout those Martian antennas. Keeps the
blades from sticking and makes it easier to brush
off the snow before the windshield warms up and
it all turns to slush, then ice. Clear snow while it's easy!

[abscate]

We have been visiting your planet for years and we disguise our comm links by hiding in cold climates this way

[befarrer]

I lift my wipers if it's snowing and warmer out, if the sun hits the snow, it will melt it, then ice accumulates on top of the wiper, when I'm off work or the next morning when it's frozen again I don't have to dig out my wipers from the ice. With the wipers up, all the water can run off the windshield, and the wiper blades stay ice free.

[454cid]

Apparently in the last day or two, I bent my driver's side wiper arm, or the mount? Last night, it wasn't wiping the window, and I finally realized that halfway thought it's arc, it was lifting off the glass. There was ice packed under the non-flexible part of the arm, and even after I removed the ice it still did it, so something is bent.

[BEJinFbk]

If it’s the blade, sometimes removing it
and bringing it inside to thaw will fix it.

[454cid]

If it’s the blade, sometimes removing it
and bringing it inside to thaw will fix it.

It was the arm.... the blade wouldn't touch about 1/2 way through it's travel. Amazingly, it seems to work today, so maybe I was not seeing all the ice that was there. I'll look at it more Saturday.