Alternatively Mr. Snail you might still pick up some blades from our friends Lidl who had an offer of pairs of blades last week (either 1.49 or 1.99 the pair - cannot which) our local store still had some left when I was there yesterday. Our motor was in for MOT last week so I treated myself to a pair. Found them v.good quality, wipe well without squeaking.
Happy to save money anywhere Phil I
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remember is the missing word.
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Alternatively Mr. Snail you might still pick up some blades from our friends Lidl who had an offer of pairs of blades last week (either 1.49 or 1.99 the pair - cannot which) our local store still had some left when I was there yesterday. Our motor was in for MOT last week so I treated myself to a pair. Found them v.good quality, wipe well without squeaking.
Maybe Lidl are different but I bought some from Aldi,£1.99,German manufacture.They went rusty very quickly and the performance was indifferent,in fact I have binned them though they are hardly worn.A definite false economy.
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>>A definite false economy.>>
Same for those cheap Magic wipers with five blades on each rubber offered in many discount stores.
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It should be a 22S/19 for a Focus.
The selection chart and the box (Double Pack) both say 22/19S. Regardless of what the marking on the box implies, the 22" wiper has the spoiler and is fitted on the driver's side. The 19" wiper is fitted on the passengers side. The inner ends of the rubbers overlapped by approximately 6mm. I took 5mm off both to be sure they would be clear.
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L\'escargot.
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<< We supply Boschwipers and I can honestly say that I have not heard of any problems like the ones you mention.
Perhaps the cheap and nasty construction is the result of recent cost reductions. Maybe earlier versions were better.
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L\'escargot.
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Just a thought: Halfords also do a range of bespoiled wipers and their cheap and cheerful tackiness - crude spoiler and metalwork - reflects their price.
When I went looking for some blade assemblies for a family member's car a few months ago I was glad that I checked in the box before I came home; someone had undone the "hanging" end and put (the wrong sized as it happens) Halfords blade assemblies in a Bosch box.
The Bosch items were usual Bosch quality and fitted perfectly.
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<< someone had undonethe "hanging" end and put (the wrong sized as it happens) Halfords blade assemblies in a Bosch box.
The box was sealed and the contents are marked Bosch. I've always been very satisfied with Halfords own brand wipers.
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L\'escargot.
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I bought some Gillette blades in plausible packaging, but they were counterfeit. Are you sure they are Bosch? Try sending them to their UK HQ for an opinion?
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Get some PIAA Super Silicone wiper blades. Superb stuff, and they even give you a coating to apply to the screen. Once that's on, they even wipe a dry screen with no squeaking or smears. Plus, the coating reduces the amount of water that stays on the screen, you notice it more at higher speeds. I wouldn't fit any other blade.
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Is it possible that they were the wrong size to begin with? I cannot understand why you felt you had to cut them to fit.
I use wipers on my car that are much larger than the manufacturers spec. I had to measure them to see that I could fit larger ones on. What I do though when I come to replace them is to place the new wiper up against the old wiper before I fit it. If it is wider then I know it will be unsuitable. No matter what it says on the box. These wipers could just have been put in the wrong box at the factory.
In keeping with the BR tradition of offering smug advice after the event I am afraid to say that I certainly wouldn't have resorted to cutting rubber from the ends of them.
Maybe you should pop into a Ford dealer tomorrow and have a "technician" fit some for you.
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blades are £1 each at my ford dealer,beat that
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blades are £1 each at my ford dealer,beat that
Is that just the rubber elements?
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L\'escargot.
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Is it possible that they were the wrong size to begin with? I cannot understand why you felt you had to cut them to fit.
The driver's side bespoilered 22" blade was nominally 22". and the passenger's side 19" blade was nominally 19". It's just that they were slightly too long for the blades to be able park level with one another ~ which is how my wipers are set. If the driver's blade was set a bit higher than the passenger's in the parked position then they wouldn't have clashed. But I knew from past experience that I wouldn't be able to get the driver's's off to reset it without having the special extractor tool that Ford dealers use. Don't ask me why the blades were that fraction too long, because I don't know. I don't think they were pirate copies as has been suggested, because of where I bought them. I won't say where I bought them in case that would be frowned upon, but Halfords own brand were on the adjacent display!
I've since fitted the rear Bosch blade that I had bought at the same time and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the design was markedly better. In fact I had no complaints about it at all.
As I said earlier, I suspect that recently manufactured blades have undergone some cost reductiions ~ the rear blade was probably made earlier.
I think that devotees of Bosch blades may be in for a rude awakening the next time they buy some!
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L\'escargot.
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Maybe you should pop into a Ford dealer tomorrow and have a "technician" fit some for you.
Sounds as if you think I don't know how to fit new wiper blades.
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L\'escargot.
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Get some PIAA Super Silicone wiper blades.
I live in the back of beyond and I would probably have to travel miles to find a PIAA retailer.
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L\'escargot.
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I bought some Gillette blades in plausible packaging, but they were counterfeit. Are you sure they are Bosch? Try sending them to their UK HQ for an opinion?
It would be cheaper to just bin them and buy some Halfords own brand. I'm not going to spend money to help Bosch put their house in order.
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L\'escargot.
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Must have cut yourself shaving this morning, by the tone(: Please yourself, but you might just get your money back. Whether it helps Bosch is surely beside the point?
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Must have cut yourself shaving this morning, by the tone(: Please yourself, but you might just get your money back. Whether it helps Bosch is surely beside the point?
I have e-mailed Bosch in Germany via a link on their website explaining the problem of the excess length of the rubber elements. I will let you know the outcome, if any.
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L\'escargot.
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Much obliged. esp. as I need some new ones. I have always used Bosch replacements, I'll have a gander at my local shops offerings.
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To be fair, I have noticed that some wipers aren't actually the EXACT size they say on the packet.
Next time you find yourself in a similar situation, you could buy them separately. Get a wiper for the passenger side an inch shorter, that will give you half an inch each end. They will cost more separately but you should be able to get the size you want and if you want a spoiler on each one you can have this, Bosch spoilers swap over anyway and you could CAREFULLLY remove it from your old Bosch wiper for the new wiper if it doesn't come with one. (push the two plastic clips inward from the underside of the wiper, beware, they are fragile)
I use a 23" on the drivers side of my Mondeo when it should be a 21", it just fits but you cannot get this size with a spoiler unless you buy a set for a BMW, so I just got a 23" without a spoiler and the passenger side with a spoiler and swapped the spoilers over, the next year I took the spoiler from the old passenger side and fitted it to the 23" wiper, so they both had them.
You could also try eBay, depsite some peoples snootiness about eBay and copies, if you buy from a reputable seller you won't have any probs.
I don't know about any tool for removing wipers. Are they on splined drives, if so I would expect a good tug would get them off, but wiggle the wiper from side to side (not around its axis of rotation) then pull.
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<< Bosch spoilers swap overanyway and you could CAREFULLLY remove it from your old Bosch wiper for the new wiper if it doesn't come with one. (push the two plastic clips inward from the underside of the wiper, beware, they are fragile)
The spoiler on my driver's blade assembly is an integral part of a much larger part, and could not be removed. Similarly there is no provision for fitting that spoiler to the passenger's blade assembly.
I don't know about any tool for removing wipers. Are they on splined drives, if so I would expect a good tug would get them off, but wiggle the wiper from side to side (not around its axis of rotation) then pull.
I'm not sure what type of drive they have, but once the arms are fitted they need a bit more than gentle persuasion to remove them. Pull too hard and the spindle feels as if it will be pulled out of the car. The spindle has a nut which retains the wiper arm. The extractor tool, which I've seen a Ford technician use, is basically a squared-off C-shaped main part with a bolt through the centre. After the wiper arm retaining nut has been removed the main part of the extractor is fitted around (and with the lower inward-facing legs underneath) the arm and the bolt is lined up with the centre of the spindle. The bolt is then screwed in and this forces the arm off the spindle.
I only bought Bosch blades this time because they appeared to come highly recommended in The Backroom. It may well turn out to be a case of "once bitten, twice shy", and that next time I will revert to my preferred well tried and tested Halfords own brand wipers.
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L\'escargot.
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I've just compared the blade assemblies with the partial photographs on their respective boxes. Whereas the rear blade matches the photograph, the front blades look nothing like the photograph. I think this supports my contention that they have recently undergone significant (and presumably cost-reducing) design changes.
It's not just the excess length of the rubber elements that I'm unhappy about, it's also the iffy method of retention of the elements and the general poor quality of finish of the whole things.
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In defence of Bosch I got a pair off e-bay for a tenner for my Mondeo, size 21S/20 and they are superb, totally silent in operation.
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In defence of Bosch I got a pair off e-bay for a tenner for my Mondeo, size 21S/20 and they are superb, totally silent in operation.
You may have been lucky to have obtained items made prior to the apparently detrimental design changes that I am convinced have recently taken place.
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RF's guide to wiper blades.
All the new cars I have had, the wipers were perfect when new.
therefore I replace wipers with manufacturers genuine spares, blade and carrier assembly complete.
I never have problems with wipers.
In my experience and my opinion all other super duper blades you buy down your motor factor are carp. Bin there, done that, and they ended up as landfill.
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RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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RF's guide to wiper blades. In my experience and my opinion all other super duper blades you buy down your motor factor are carp.
I'm rapidly coming to the same conclusion, with the exception of Halfords own brand which currently appear to be passable.
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L\'escargot.
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I BUY my oem blades from the bmw dealership and they are actually cheaper than buying from halfords...and i know they will fit...
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www.storme.co.uk
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I was about to make the same point, OEM Ford wipers may well work out as cheap as, if not cheaper than other available makes. You may even get a bit of discount if you're cheeky enough to ask.....
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I've bought Bosch replacement wiper blades for years. Their build quality and performance has always been better than the competition so I am surprised to hear your comments L'escargot.
I once bought a Halfords blade and its construction and performance was dire, I wrote to Halfords HQ and got a refund.
I also thought that Bosch was OEM for some car makes so am surprised to hear about you having to cut the ends of the blades - surely this can't have improved their performance! Have you measured them up against the Ford/Motorcraft originals and if so was there a difference?
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An independant garage we used to use would only fit Bosch, as they were fed up with complaints from customers when they fitted cheaper stuff. I concur.
I won't touch cheaper stuff now, even though I've tried out most of the competition as I'm always in search of a 'more reasonable but equally effective' alternative with most things....
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I also thought that Bosch was OEM for some car makes so am surprised to hear about you having to cut the ends of the blades - surely this can't have improved their performance! Have you measured them up against the Ford/Motorcraft originals
I had to cut 5 mm off the rubber element of each blade so it hasn't significantly affected the wiped area. The 5 mm I cut off was entirely unsupported (the inner "tensioner" finished 5 mm short of the end of the rubber element) so I don't supppose that 5 mm would have done much anyway. I couldn't check the originals because they had been binned at the last change, but the Bosch were longer than the Halfords I took off, and I had no problems with the Halfords. I would have bought Halfords again had it not been for the glowing testimonials given to Bosch in the Backroom. I have now put it down to experience and have learned from my mistake of buying Bosch.
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RF's guide to wiper blades.
In my experience and my opinion all other super duper blades you buy down your motor factor are carp.
I disagree RF
Ford genuine wiper blades = Valeo
Motaquip wiper blades = err guess what... Valeo
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Was Charles {P} but someone c o p i e d my name with spaces.
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I once bought some wiper blades from Nettos of all places. 99p a blade. Didn't think they'd be up to much (not at that price), just to tide me over until I got round to finding some reasonably priced Bosch ones.
Closer inspection revealed...Valeo, stamped everywhere. The best value car parts I've ever had. They lasted a year or so, so no complaints there.
Unfortunately, I?ve been scarred by the consistently appalling quality of Wilkinson?s wiper blades, so wont fit anything else apart from Bosch now. (At £3.50 a go, its hardly worth using any other make)
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Unfortunately, I?ve been scarred by the consistently appalling quality of Wilkinson?s wiper blades, so wont fit anything else apart from Bosch now. (At £3.50 a go, its hardly worth using any other make)
I assume that at that price you just buy the rubber elements.
I thought that the only blades Wilkinsons made were razor blades! ;-)
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I assume that at that price you just buy the rubber elements.
You couldn't do that with the latest Bosch because the rubber elements are change-proof ~ the carrier is crimped around the rubber element.
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L\'escargot.
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Good blades in Tesco £3 50 pair as good as Bosch or Valeo
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Good blades in Tesco £3 50 pair as good as Bosch or Valeo
I would agree the Tesco blades are excellent, however the mounting supplied are very poor. I had to get the sandpaper out to get a good fit.
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>>I've always been very satisfied with Halfords own brand wipers.>>
My Bora uses two different types of wiper blades and the set is at least £20 normally; however, I tried the Halfords offering and it has proved just as good as the VW OEM version, along with an £8 saving.
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