new wiper blade with replaceable rubber refill

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 04 Apr 2018, 10:56

Can anyone recommend a new wiper blade in which the rubber or silicone can be refilled rather than replacing the entire wiper assembly? Having trouble finding these. Do non-refillable blades have any significant advantages?

Thanks.

Post by **scot850** » 04 Apr 2018, 11:32

Haven't seen those in years. My 2003 Toyota 4Runner would have come fitted with those but the dumbass PO removed them and fitted cheap and nasty aftermarket ones. Toyota still sell the re-fills but not the frame for my car. Haven't seen that style for a Volvo in probably 20+ years. I'm sure someone will say otherwise!

The positives of them is the blades (if you can find them) are usually cheaper, but surprisingly not by as much as you would think.

Negative is the wiper blade frames wear with time and may not give consistent pressure.

Neil.

Post by **abscate** » 04 Apr 2018, 11:59

You can refill the non-refillable ones with a bit of plier work and maybe a Dremel cut or two.

You can also eschew the expensive rear wipers by refilling with a long refill cut into two, at 1/8 the price (1/4 the price of the rear blade, and 2 fills per long refill.)

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 04 Apr 2018, 12:35

I've seen Bosch refillable blades in Europe, but not in North America for a long time. In Europe, they were more about environmental friendliness than being cheaper. If you paid the fee for the service station to install the new rubber, the final cost came equal with a regular set of single use wiper blades. I have seen people manually replace the rubber on Bosch's standard frame-type wiper blade that you can buy at any auto parts store, but I do not know where they got the rubber.

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 04 Apr 2018, 16:41

I recently refilled my V70 rear wiper blade with silicone. Works well. Our XC70 refillable rear wiper just lost one of the holders for the rubber. Don't know how that happened. Both front wipers on V70 and XC70 are non-refillable. Would like to find refillable replacements for all of them

"Refilling is so easy even an auto mechanic can do it."

Post by **cn90** » 04 Apr 2018, 22:47

- Keep the Bosch original.

- To use refill, I use info from BMW forum using TRICO refill.
I posted all the detail in this thread:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showth ... 826&page=8

- To do a successful refill job, it is very very easy. The new refill should slide easily into the space between the 2 prongs on the metal arm. If not, all you have to do is to spread the prongs VERY VERY gently such that the refill is snug but not loose. The refill should be able to slide back and forth freely. Clearance between refill and the prongs should be < 1 mm.

Post by **abscate** » 05 Apr 2018, 04:42

The best part of reading the BMW forum is Volvo parts look cheap.

You can pry $30 for wipers from my cold, dead fingers

Post by **Rattnalle** » 05 Apr 2018, 06:09

Bosch wipers cost the same over here even if you drive a BMW. €20 for a set of Aerotwins online. Or €50-60 over the counter..