Windscreen wiper inserts

[idb000]

Hi All,

I've just been reading the thread about the windscreen washer nozzles and it jogged my memory back to the recent rainy days in Sydney, and the fact that my wipers need to be replaced. I popped in to MX5 Mania on the weekend to see if I could get a new set of wiper inserts, but Simone told me that Mazda had stopped making them. Apparently, the Mazda inserts used to fit perfectly, but now the only option are the generic inserts you get from Repco, Supercheap, etc, that you have to cut to size. I've heard that the Repco ones are not very good. Can anyone recommend where to get a good replacement wiper insert?

Thanks in advance
Ian

[Andy Wana]

I've bought a pair of wipers from Supercrap once ... never again
BOTH of them failed after less than 6 months (plastic extrusion near the metal clips cracked, rendering them useless)

Bought one of them Telfon coated wipers at Repco and they were excellent IMHO
They were quiet during use, smooth in operation, fit very well onto the OE wiper blades and I've not had any problems since
They also have thin metal blades sandwiched between the rubber profiles, making them very strong as opposed to Supercrap's all chintzy plastic construction
Let me sort thru my rubbish in the garage and find the brand for you

If any of you have better suggestions, let me know as well

[Andy Wana]

One more thing to add ... I don't have to cut any of the Repco wipers to suit the car
It came in different lengths for different sized cars ... very handy IMHO

[idb000]

Hey Andy, thanks heaps for the info. I will have a look at the Teflon ones Repco. If anyone else has any other suggestions, I'd be interested to hear.

[ducktape69]

bought some from autobarn. $13 i think. they work great. steer away from the cheaper ones...they r crap

[Garry]

Because my car is \"special\" in so many ways the cheaper plastic backed ones work much better than the more expensive metal between the rubber profile ones. I find the more expensive ones jump across the screen for some reason. I've tried all sorts and all prices but the cheapy $6 ones work the best for me.

[JSE]

Repco at Kellyville or Autobahn at Blacktown (Autobahn have some quality ones) ... thats where I got mine with a pretty large range. Hope this helps Ian.

[idb000]

Thanks guys for your responses. It has given me an idea of where to look and what to look for.

Thanks again
Ian

[drifter]

I also use the Teflon ones with the two metal strips and the metal end clip. Got them from K-mart and they are a perfect fit. They come in 3 sizes...I got the smallest.

They wanted $15 each for the cheap looking OEM rubber refill.

[Daz 27]

Can anyone recommend where to get a good replacement wiper insert?

any auto parts store can sell you a good wiper insert.
it doesn't really matter which one you buy or which one has worked well for someone else, everyone has different experiences with different wiper blades on different cars.
one of the advantages of working in a parts shop is i get to try most of this stuff coz it's really cheap.
i've tried all of the wiper blades that we sell but i haven't tried them all on the same car.
on the MX5 at the moment i have a set of Bosch inserts (the most expensive insert we sell) & they're crap.
on my Navara i have a set of the really really cheap red inserts & they are awesome, i think they retail for about $3 a pair.
on my wifes Pathfinder i have a pair of purple silicon blades from Aunger & they're working pretty good.
one of the guys from the shop just fitted some new wiper heads to his girlfriends Pulsar & they are friggin awesome, much better than anything i'm using.
it's a really weird looking wiper head that is curved & it's from Aunger, works great though, i'm going to change the MX5 over to these & see how they go.
it doesn't really matter which parts store you go to, there should be a huge range of wiper inserts to confuse you.

[bigdog]

From my own experience in selling auto parts the biggest factor in blade quality is freshness - the newer they are the better they work. Blades sold in supermarkets or servos can be 12 months old before they're used, often exposed to sunlight too. Same as others, I have used cheapies that were great and bought dear ones that were crap, but that probably had more to do with how long they were in the warehouse and shop than anything else. By far the best solution is rainex - if you keep a good coaton the screen you only need to use the wipers once in a blue moon

[rjastra2]

you need some of these....

[Garry]

quote]you need some of these....
[/quote]

Does anyone know where to get them from in Sydney? They seem to work well on rjastra's PoLo but my other mates PoLo and Golf not so well.

[Juffa]

Over the years I have tried various inserts and have noted the following. What has worked the best for me is not so much to do with the blades but ensuring that the windscreen is given a very good clean on a regular basis. I have used a paste based product that would remove built up grunge from the glass. It is a bit like using a clay bar on your paint. All the small ridges are removed and the wipers are able to do a better job. I ran out of the paste and have not actually gotten around to buying some more...must add that to the list.
Ps don't use a harsh cleaner, such as ajax or jiff to do this . They will sratch the glass...you might not notice it at the time, but you certainly will when driving in bright sunlight.

J

[green_comet]

Anyone know of a place here in Melb, where you can get those Trico Neoform Beam Blades?? Been doing some reading and they seem quite good..