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Jun 10, 2023

The 6 Best Windshield Wipers and Glass Treatments for Your Car of 2023

We’ve added long-term test notes on our top pick, the Bosch Icon, and added our

We’ve added long-term test notes on our top pick, the Bosch Icon, and added our recommended water-repellent windshield treatments, the Rain-X Original Glass Water Repellent and Aquapel Glass Treatment as picks.

After researching wiper blades for more than 60 hours, scouring user reviews, talking to auto-service shops in such weather-challenged regions as Chicago and Portland, Oregon, and testing top competitors on a handful of cars, our findings show that the Bosch Icon is a good bet for most drivers, as long as it fits your car. Bosch wiper blades are recommended by the shops we interviewed more than any other brand, and the Icon is consistently among the highest-rated models by users on websites that sell a wide range of wipers. It's also earned among the highest ratings of any top-selling blade on Amazon with relatively few complaints.

This beam-blade wiper is a solid choice for any climate and is consistently among the highest-rated wipers by users.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $20.

The best wiper blade, of course, is the one that fits your vehicle and performs well throughout its service life. But because windshield shapes vary a lot, even the best quality blade may perform poorly if it doesn't fit (as is obvious from the number of negative reviews you’ll find for just about any popular wiper). The Icon is a beam-blade wiper that, like other beam blades, generally works better in snowy and icy conditions than traditional bracket-style wipers. It's a great choice for year-round use in any climate. It's among the top-rated wipers on the Amazon, Walmart, Advance Auto Parts, and JC Whitney websites. And it has the best differential between five- and one-star ratings of any best-selling model on Amazon, which is important to know since many users leave a one-star rating when a wiper doesn't fit their car well. That means more people like them and fewer people have had problems with them. The bottom line? If you’ve found wipers that you’re happy with, you might want to continue using those, because you know they’ll work on your windshield. But if we were buying new wipers, we’d choose the Bosch Icon first.

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Our previous top pick is a beam-blade wiper that has performed well in our long-term tests and has gotten generally good ratings, though not as high as the Bosch Icon.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $16.

The Rain-X Latitude, is a best seller on Amazon and another solid choice that we’ve used a lot. It has a beam blade like the Bosch Icon and is similarly priced. Overall, we found that if the Latitudes fit your windshield well, they’ll keep it clear of rain and snow and perform well throughout their life cycle, so you’ll probably love them. User reviews show that more people have had problems with the Latitude than the Bosch Icon, however, and it's also generally not rated as highly by users. In addition, none of the shops we talked to mentioned the Latitude as a wiper they recommend to their customers.

This traditional wiper performed well in our long-term test and has earned very good ratings on Amazon.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.

This wiper is one of Amazon's best sellers and has gotten very good ratings. But, like all bracket-type wipers, it won't perform as well in wintry conditions as a beam blade.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $13.

If you want to save a few bucks and don't need the advantage of a beam blade in wintry conditions, the Valeo 600 and Rain-X Weatherbeater are generally safe bets for a traditional bracket-type wiper. The Valeo 600 is another wiper that we included in our long-term, multicar test, and it performed solidly for most of our drivers. The Rain-X Weatherbeater is one of Amazon's best sellers, and both wipers have earned generally good user reviews on that site. Keep in mind, though, that if your car originally came with beam-blade wipers, you should replace them with that same type to make sure they fit right and provide the same performance—downgrading to bracket-type blades is not worth the savings.

This wiper comes highly recommended by both Amazon users and an auto service shop in rainy Portland, Oregon. But it costs more than wipers of a similar design.

If you don't mind spending a few extra bucks, PIAA silicone wipers come well recommended and are claimed to last. Travis Decker, of Atomic Auto Service in Portland, Oregon, told us that "PIAA Silicone are the best I have ever used." He said they "last longer and are impregnated with silicone, so they leave a slight bit of water-repellent film on the windshield." He admits, though, that they are pricey, compared with wipers of a similar design. (He typically recommends Bosch blades to his customers.) PIAA claims that the silicone blade will last "at least 2x longer than traditional blades." PIAA wipers are available in beam-blade, bracket, and hybrid style, and on Amazon all get high ratings with relatively few negative reviews.

The most-effective water-repellent treatment for your windshield and windows.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $6.

This water-repellent windshield treatment is a great supplement to wipers for helping you see out of your windshield in heavy rain—and for making it easier to see out of your side and rear windows. It forms a hydrophobic coating that causes water to bead up and quickly slide off the glass. Rain-X Original Glass Water Repellent was the most effective option in our testing, it gets the most reliably positive user reviews, and it's the least expensive, but it needs to be reapplied about once a month to maintain effectiveness.

This beam-blade wiper is a solid choice for any climate and is consistently among the highest-rated wipers by users.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $20.

Our previous top pick is a beam-blade wiper that has performed well in our long-term tests and has gotten generally good ratings, though not as high as the Bosch Icon.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $16.

This traditional wiper performed well in our long-term test and has earned very good ratings on Amazon.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.

This wiper is one of Amazon's best sellers and has gotten very good ratings. But, like all bracket-type wipers, it won't perform as well in wintry conditions as a beam blade.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $13.

This wiper comes highly recommended by both Amazon users and an auto service shop in rainy Portland, Oregon. But it costs more than wipers of a similar design.

Ed Grabianowski has been writing about the automotive industry for sites like HowStuffWorks since 2005. He's written about million-dollar supercars and raced a $200 Saturn in the snow. He said, "I’m no master mechanic, but I handle basic maintenance and am slowly restoring a classic car (if you think finding wipers for your car is hard, try finding them for a 1963 Ford Thunderbird)."

Rik Paul was the automotive editor for Consumer Reports for 14 years, where he edited all of the publication's auto accessory tests, including, yes, windshield wipers. Prior to that, he was the senior feature editor for Motor Trend for nine years, where he wrote a monthly column about car care and maintenance. He cut his teeth in the area of auto maintenance and repair by writing DIY repair manuals for Haynes Publications, rebuilding an engine that started out as pieces in a wooden crate, and coaxing several past-their-prime cars down the road with a ready toolbox and lots of TLC.

To help us figure out which wipers work best, we also talked to other automotive writers and experts, interviewed several auto-service shops (in Chicago and Portland, where wipers get lots of use), dove into user ratings on several websites, and have been running ongoing tests of our picks and other wipers.

Wipers should smoothly clear water, snow, and slush from your windshield with no squeaking, chattering, skipping, or grabbing. If you notice these signs, or if a wiper is leaving streaks or bands of water, it may be time for new ones. When long-term testing our picks, they typically worked well for about nine months to a year before showing signs of wear, although this varied, depending on the conditions, the type of wiper, and how well they were maintained. Sure, wipers see a lot of action in wetter and snowier areas, but even in the southwest, where you can go months without rain, they can degrade quickly. The constant heat, dryness, and sunlight can deteriorate the rubber element; we’ve even seen long-unused wipers that had to be peeled off of the windshield glass. So, in those conditions, it's good to run your wipers about once a week while spraying the windshield with washer fluid.

When we asked representatives from several service shops about problems they’d seen caused by worn, neglected wipers, the answers were both similar and convincing. "I personally have seen people wait so long that the blade becomes old and brittle, and it damages the window," said Joe Betancourt Jr., VP of Joe's Expert Auto in Chicago. "In some cases, the blade comes off with the backing and the arm will gouge the glass, causing an expensive and unneeded repair."

Pete McAdoo, of Honest-1 Auto Care in Portland, agrees, "I’ve seen them come off, come apart to where they scratch the glass. And now they have an etching of the sweep of the wiper on the glass." McAdoo has also seen disintegrated wipers get hung up on something and damage the wiper motor: over a prolonged period of time, even a wiper that's chattering and dragging on the windshield "puts stress on the motor and linkage," which can shorten their service life. "Change them on a regular basis," he advices. Travis Decker, of Portland's Atomic Auto Service, agrees: "Wipers are cheap insurance" against more costly repairs.

If you notice your wipers having problems, first try cleaning the rubber blade. Sometimes that's all it takes to get a few more weeks or months from your existing wipers. Dip a clean paper towel or cloth in a little water, washer fluid, or rubbing alcohol and wipe along the edge of the blade. Also, look at it closely and feel for any adhered debris or roughness. The edge should be sharp and smooth without any nicks, chips, or gaps, and the rubber should be pliable, not cracked or brittle.

In the winter, thoroughly scrape ice off of the windshield before using the wipers, as ice can abrade the rubber and dull or damage the edge.

Geoff Helzer, of Portland's Green Drop Garage, said that another common problem he's seen is a film that builds up on the windshield from oily, greasy road-grime spray. "The film can be removed by using a windshield stripper product that does a deep clean of the windshield surface," he said. It requires some elbow grease, but "has proven to be very effective in returning the glass to a like-new condition."

If cleaning doesn't help the wipers, it's time for new ones. And always replace them in pairs, because if one wears out, the other won't be far behind.

Replace both wipers. Once one blade wears out, the other won't be far behind.

While a lot of people wait for these problem signs to appear before buying new wipers, it's better to be proactive and replace them before you need to. Not being able to see clearly in a sudden downpour or heavy snow or ice storm can be a real drag, not to mention dangerous. And then there's that "cheap insurance" thing, too—it's better to replace them before they wear to the point where they can cause damage to the car.

So, how often should you replace your wipers? Wiper manufacturers and a couple of the shops we talked to suggest replacing them every six months. But once per year may be a reasonable interval for you. In an online poll we conducted, about a quarter of respondents said they replace their wipers about every nine to 12 months, while about a fifth said every 12 to 18 months. Almost as many—18 percent—agreed that we summed up their thinking on the issue with the question, "Wait. Wiper blades don't last forever?"

Travis Decker, of Atomic Auto Service, recommends to replace them as needed, but that depends on the climate. "Here, in Oregon, I suggest every fall." Joe Betancourt, of Joe's Expert Auto, said, "In areas like where we are (Chicago), I recommend every 3 to 4 months during the winter season, due to icing on the windshield."

If you have a tough time remembering to get new blades, tie the task to another regular event. The windshield wiper industry has tried to co-opt Groundhog Day as national "replace your wipers day," so you can use that if it works for you.

There are several types of wiper blades available for today's cars, including traditional bracket blades, low-profile beam blades, and newer hybrid blades that combine those designs. Each has its own advantages, and the one that's best for you depends on your vehicle, your budget, and your local climate.

The older-style brackets, which use a framework with multiple contact points to press the blade to the windshield, are typically the least expensive, but they’re more vulnerable to wintry conditions. The metal framework allows snow and ice to collect during winter driving. That buildup can bind the wiper and cause smearing, streaking, or a complete failure to clear the windshield. If you drove cars before beam blades became popular, you might have had to open your window while driving and reach out to "snap" the wiper against the windshield to clear away the ice buildup. So-called "winter" blades are designed to prevent this; they’re basically a bracket blade with a big rubber boot that covers the metal framework to keep the ice out. But winter wipers have all but disappeared since the introduction of beam blades.

Beam blades, which use a single curved piece of metal within the blade to provide tension and contact, generally work better than bracket-style blades in wintry conditions. That's because their sleek design doesn't give snow and ice anything to build up on. They can cost a few dollars more than bracket-type wipers, however. Some of the manufacturers and experts we consulted told us that the design of beam blades gives them better performance and greater durability than bracket blades because they spread the force evenly along the length of the blade instead of at the contact points where the brackets attach.

Beam blades generally work better than bracket-style blades in wintry conditions.

Geoff Helzer, of the Green Drop Garage, said, "We have found the beam-type blades maintain better contact with the windshield and produce less chatter during lower temperatures."

Luke Perkowski, former senior product manager with Bosch, told us "The pressure distribution is also better on a beam blade. With a bracket, the load path travels through the frame to the claws that connect to the blade. There's more pressure at the claws, which accelerates wear. We can also engineer beams more precisely, to create the best curvature for the radius of the windshield, which allows for consistent wear and even pressure." That sounds great if the blades fit your car, but, again, different windshields have different curvatures.

In terms of durability, however, our long-term testing didn't show a significant difference between beam and bracket blades.

Hybrid blades, which have become more popular in recent years, have a similar construction as bracket blades, but with an outer shell that helps give them a lower-profile, more aerodynamic shape. This helps give them similar resistance to snow and ice buildup as beam blades.

If your vehicle originally came with bracket blades, you can typically upgrade to beam-blade or hybrid replacements. If your car originally came with beam blades, however, you should replace them with the same type to make sure they fit right and provide the same performance.

Our initial research on windshield wipers led us to three insights: There are no recent tests of wiper blades that are a reliable barometer; it's very difficult to get hard data on wiper performance; and, as long as wipers fit the windshield and can handle wintry conditions, there doesn't seem to be a great gap in performance between most wipers in the early months of use. In fact, Geoff Helzer, of Portland, Oregon's Green Drop Garage, said, "Honestly, if they are being changed twice a year, almost any brand will be sufficient." (Of course, we know that most people don't change them that often; only 16 percent of our survey respondents reported changing wipers every six to nine months.)

So, we reasoned that the best way to identify wipers that are best for most people is to see which models draw the most positive—and the least negative—feedback from users and professionals. We interviewed representatives from several auto-service shops in such weather-challenged areas as Chicago and Portland, Oregon (which averages more than 150 rainy days per year). We also reviewed user ratings on a number of websites that sell wipers, noting which models tend to show up at the top. And finally we took a deep dive into the ratings for the top 60 best-selling wipers on Amazon. Here, because of the high number of user reviews, we could look beyond the overall ratings to see each wiper's percentage of five- and one-star ratings and the differential between the two. We’ve found that when a driver buys a wiper that doesn't fit his car's windshield—leaving streaks or bands of unwiped water—he or she generally gives it a one-star rating. So that is a good indication of how many cars a particular wiper doesn't fit well. So, the larger the differential between five- and one-star ratings, the more people were happy and the fewer people were unhappy. And we figured that means it's more likely that you’ll be happy with the wiper as well.

This beam-blade wiper is a solid choice for any climate and is consistently among the highest-rated wipers by users.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $20.

While no wiper blade is right for every car, our research shows that the Bosch Icon is a good bet for most drivers. Sure, you could get a wiper that fits your car perfectly by paying a visit to your dealership and possibly paying more. But if you want to simply order online or pick wipers up in an auto-parts store or big-box retailer (as more than 80 percent of people who responded to our online wiper survey do), we’re convinced that the Icon is an easy choice for many people. The Icon is a beam-blade wiper that, like all beam blades, works better than traditional bracket wipers in wintry conditions, so it's a good year-round performer. Among the four auto service shops we talked to in Chicago, Illinois and rainy Portland, Oregon, Bosch wipers are recommended by two of them. The Icon, which is Bosch's top-of-the-line model, is consistently among the top-rated wipers on websites that sell a wide range of models, including Amazon, Walmart, Advance Auto Parts, and JC Whitney. And on Amazon, which has by far the most user ratings, Icon models not only get among the highest overall ratings of any best-selling wiper at the time of this writing, across all sizes, they earn the highest percentage of five-star ratings and the lowest percentage of one-star ratings among the most popular wipers, meaning the Icon is more likely to fit your car.

Although the Icon has been around since 2005, Bosch reformulated its rubber element at the beginning of 2015, now using what it calls its "ClearMax 365" composition, a design that's exclusive to the Icon and other premium Bosch models. The company claims that internal testing shows this formula to resist cracking from ozone up to 40 percent longer than competitors. Because that's a Bosch test, you can take it with a grain of salt (and ozone certainly isn't the only thing that degrades wiper blades). But it's a good example of how things are constantly evolving in this market.

What we can tell is that most users rate the Icon wipers highly. Our in-depth look at user reviews and ratings on Amazon, for example, revealed that the vast majority of people who bought the Bosch Icon wipers are very happy with them, more than with any other popular model.

Bosch is also a trusted brand in this area. As one of the largest suppliers of auto parts, it provides original-equipment wipers to such companies as Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Porsche, according to Autohaus AZ. Geoff Helzer of the Green Drop Garage in Portland, Oregon, said that his shop tends to use Bosch wiper blades on their customers’ vehicles. Similarly, Travis Decker, of Portland, Oregon's Atomic Auto Service, told us that they typically recommend Bosch Evolution wipers, a beam blade that's one step down from the Icon in Bosch's lineup. He added that they used to sell the Icons, but that "the Evolution seems to be a very similar product" at a little lower price. (When we checked, the Evolution was a couple dollars less than the Icon on Amazon for similar sizes.) The only other brands recommended by the shops we talked to were PIAA and Denso, which supplies original-equipment wipers to several automakers and isn't available through many retailers.

Is the Icon a sure bet? No. A small percentage of users have been disappointed, often because it didn't fit the contour of their windshield well or didn't attach to the wiper arm correctly. In fact, we experienced this latter problem when installing a set of Icons on a 2013 VW Jetta for long-term testing. Although the car selector tool indicated that the 24OE and 19OE versions would fit the car, the connectors on those wipers don't fit easily in the car's wiper arms. (Similar problems with the Icon OE models have been reported by other Audi and VW owners, and the selector tools have now been corrected.) We were left with the choice of either returning them or removing a couple small plastic protrusions on the connector to make them fit. We went with the latter option, which took about 15 minutes per wiper with a drill and small grinder attachment; though not the most elegant solution, it worked.

Over the past couple of years, several Wirecutter staffers have had good experiences with the Bosch Icon wipers on a variety of cars. One of this guide's writers, located in the New York area, got excellent performance from the Icons on his 2013 VW Jetta for more than a year before he began to hear some squeaking and saw some smeared water left behind after a wipe. Still, he cleaned them regularly and squeezed another year out of them before buying replacements.

Other staffers have had no problems with their Icons over the past nine months to a year (including a full winter) while using them on a 2000 Honda CR-V in Saint Paul, Minnesota; a 2005 Honda Pilot in the San Francisco Bay Area; and a 2008 Ford Escape and 2004 Ford Explorer in Houston. In a future update, we’ll let you know how long they go before showing signs of wear.

Our previous top pick is a beam-blade wiper that has performed well in our long-term tests and has gotten generally good ratings, though not as high as the Bosch Icon.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $16.

When we first published this guide in 2013, we chose the Rain-X Latitude as our top pick. And after running it on a number of cars over the course of a year, we found it worked well for most of our drivers (although not definitively better than the Valeo 600 bracket-type blade that was also in that test). Overall, though, it doesn't fare as well in user reviews as the Bosch Icon, and more people have complained that it doesn't fit their windshield well.

In our long-term test, only one of eight drivers had problems with the Latitude from the start (on a 2004 Chevrolet Impala). And while the Latitude is a best seller on Amazon and is generally rated highly, it's garnered more negative reviews than the Icon, with many people complaining about the fit.

While our experience has been pretty positive overall, on other websites we looked at, the Latitude doesn't show up among the higher-rated models as often as the Icon, and none of the service shops we interviewed mentioned they recommend it to their customers.

In 2015, Rain-X introduced a new version, called the Latitude Water Repellency wiper, which the company claims leaves a thin layer of Rain-X water-repelling treatment on the windshield to help water flow off more easily. Although this wiper gets mostly positive user ratings on Amazon, some people have complained that the Rain-X coating lasts only a few weeks, and a few have complained about the rubber element becoming separated from the wiper. We’re not surprised by the first gripe, as, in our own testing, we’ve found the Rain-X repellent itself effective but short-lived. We’ve also just installed a pair of Latitude Water Repellency wipers on a staffer's car to get our own impressions.

This traditional wiper performed well in our long-term test and has earned very good ratings on Amazon.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.

This wiper is one of Amazon's best sellers and has gotten very good ratings. But, like all bracket-type wipers, it won't perform as well in wintry conditions as a beam blade.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $13.

If your car originally came with traditional bracket-type wipers and you don't need the extra insurance that beam blades provide in snowy and icy conditions, you can save a few bucks by sticking with a bracket wiper. The Valeo 600 is one we can personally vouch for, as it was one of the two wipers (with the Rain-X Latitude) that we used in our long-term, multicar test. The Rain-X Weatherbeater is another best seller on Amazon that has gotten high ratings. It's also among the higher-rated wipers on Advance Auto Parts’ website.

In our long-term testing, the Valeo 600 received high scores from most drivers; an exception was one with a 2010 Ford Edge, who gave it only a six out of 10. And though yes, a lot has changed in the wipers market since we first started testing, Amazon users still rate it well. The differential between five- and one-star ratings puts it solidly between the Bosch Icon and Rain-X Latitude in how well it works for most people.

The Rain-X Weatherbeater has garnered similarly good reviews as the Valeo 600. Some Weatherbeater versions have also earned a high rating from users on Advance Auto Parts.

This wiper comes highly recommended by both Amazon users and an auto service shop in rainy Portland, Oregon. But it costs more than wipers of a similar design.

PIAA Super Silicone wipers cost a few bucks more than most wipers of a similar design, but they’re claimed to last longer and are backed up by high praise from both one of the shops we interviewed and Amazon users. When we asked Travis Decker of Portland, Oregon's Atomic Auto which wipers he recommends, he told us that "PIAA Silicone are the best I have ever used." They "last longer and are impregnated with silicone, so they leave a slight bit of water-repellent film on the windshield." He does admit that they’re pricey, though, which is one reason he typically recommends Bosch blades to his customers. PIAA claims that the silicone element will last "at least 2x longer than traditional blades." We can't comment on this until we have spent more time with them, but users are pretty enthusiastic, giving the bracket-type Super Silicone wiper a high overall rating on Amazon. PIAA wipers are available as beam-blade, bracket, and hybrid designs, and on Amazon all get high overall ratings with relatively few negative reviews.

The most-effective water-repellent treatment for your windshield and windows.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $6.

Water-repellent windshield coatings, which help water bead off the glass, can be an effective supplement to wipers, helping make it easier to see out of your windshield—they’re especially useful in heavy rain. If you want the most effective repellent, pick up the classic Rain-X Original Glass Water Repellent and commit to applying it once a month—its effectiveness wears out after several weeks.

Once applied, Rain-X forms a hydrophobic coating that causes water to bead up and quickly slide off your windshield—instead of spreading out on the glass—especially at highway speeds. This makes it easier to see through the clear areas between the beads, and takes some of the workload off your wipers. Rain-X has worked very well in our testing, and it has received the most reliably positive user reviews we’ve found, but most users agree that you need to reapply it about once a month to maintain effectiveness.

Costs more than Rain-X and doesn't work quite as well, but lasts much longer.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $30.

If you simply want to give your windshield a boost, Aquapel Glass Treatment isn't quite as effective as Rain-X and is quite a bit more expensive, but it can last much longer—it's a better option if you don't want to bother with monthly applications. Instead of coating your windshield, Aquapel bonds to the glass chemically and should last for three to six months before you’ll need to reapply. To give you an idea of how the two compare, check out this YouTube video that shows a 30-day comparison: Rain-X is more effective at first but after a month Aquapel still works even after the Rain-X has all but worn off.

For either product, you’ll need to start with an extremely clean windshield, and both products dry best in warm weather, out of direct sun. Even when perfectly applied, however, these treatments have potential drawbacks. Some people complain that the products cause noticeable haziness at night. Others report trouble getting windshield chips professionally filled after learning that the chemicals interfered with repair methods, though Aquapel's site refutes such claims.

In our online poll, we asked people, "Is it hard to find wiper blades that fit your vehicle?" While 93 percent of the respondents said no, seven percent said yes. One person wrote that the clips often don't match the arms on European models (a problem we experienced with our VW Jetta), but we were surprised to see owners of such models as the Honda Civic and Fit and the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty having problems, too.

Unfortunately, there's often no surefire way to figure out which brand and model of wiper blade will give you the best fit until you’ve actually bought and tried to install them. So check the return policy and keep the receipt regardless of what you buy and where you buy it. If you’re having trouble finding a wiper that fits your windshield well, don't fret; we have some best practices for finding something that will:

Our bottom-line advice is to find a wiper that fits your car and replace it every year.

Sometimes, you can save a few dollars by replacing only the rubber wiping element of your windshield wipers (known as a wiper refill or insert), and keeping the existing metal frame. This is an inexpensive way to refresh your wipers that many people have long championed. For most people, though, we don't recommend doing this because of the drawbacks. First, you need to remember the exact type of wiper that's on your car so that you can get the correct replacement element. For many people, installing a refill is more difficult than simply attaching a wiper blade to a car's wiper arm. In addition, the wiping element isn't the only thing that wears out, especially with traditional bracket-style wipers.

The wiper's framework and connections are also subject to wear, and they can get bound up or loose, causing the wipers to rattle, to skip, or to lose contact with the windshield. Former Popular Mechanics autos editor Mike Allen wrote about wipers in 2005, saying, "But by the time you need [wiper refills], the articulated arm itself is probably in bad shape, too. If it's sticking, the blade won't conform to the shape of the glass, leaving you with streaks or unwiped areas. Spring for a complete wiper blade."

As we heard from all of the shops we interviewed, worn wiper arms can come loose or break, marring the windshield or damaging the wiper linkage or motor. That said, if you’re handy with auto parts, know what to look for when inspecting wipers, have some patience, and can find the right inserts, installing them remains a money-saving option.

Joe Betancourt Jr, Joe's Expert Auto, Chicago, Interview

Pete McAdoo, Honest-1 Auto Care, Portland, Oregon, Interview

Travis Decker, Atomic Auto Service, Portland, Oregon, Interview

Geoff Helzer, Green Drop Garage, Portland, Oregon, Interview

Luke Perkowski, Robert Bosch LLC, Farmington Hills, Michigan, Interview

Ed Grabianowski

Rik Paul

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