You can get non BOSCH replacements now, Valeo do one and so do Classic Fusion.
However, there no point replacing the whole blade, as they don't corrode or get loose joints like the old metal wipers.
You can just slide in a new rubber.
They take the same refills as conventional metal wipers.
You can get refills at any motorist shop, or on ebay for a few £££s
You need to remove the blade, and tug each end of the wiper rubber, to see which end is crimped (this end won't slide)
Prise the plastic end cap off.
Bend the crimped finger with a small screwdriver or knife blade, slide out the old rubber.
Cut new rubber to length, slide in, bend the crimp and pop the end cap back.
Good as new for £2.
You can even use Tripledge rubber.
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I just took a look at wiperblades.co.uk for my A4.
Thirty-Six quid, yes £36 + £2.50 p&p for two blades for mine. No, that doesn't include the windscreen and I don't think they'll be sending a qualified fitter by chauffeured limo either.
I'm waiting for the next Lidl special.
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I've just had a look at wiperblades.co.uk for the price of Bosch replacements for my Bora (it has a driver's side blade with a spoiler and the passenger side with a strange curve).
Prices can range from £12 to £20 for the two, depending on outlet.
Wiperblades quotes £17.25 for a TWIN pack, which seems eminently reasonable to me; the Champion version is £14.25, whilst the Bosch standalone driver's side blade with spoiler is £6.59, which makes the dual pack particuarly good value.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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£36 + VAT is probably around the average for main dealer wipers. Lots of good quality alternatives around though. Not sure I would go as far down the quality scale as Lidl for what is after all a safety related item, or recommend waiting - if they need replacing then do it.
As a side issue it never fails to amaze me that people will quibble over pices on safety items yet happily waste £1000 or more on alloys, sound systems etc.
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Like others on here I usually buy Bosch replacement wipers - "Superplus" I think they're called. However when my Vectra needed a new front pair I bought GM ones from my main dealer at £19 inc VAT - cheaper than the Bosch pair at Halfords. The blades work really well although some of the parts are plastic ie the blade ends.
Interestingly enough (for those that interested in wipers) my car (a 53 plate) came fitted with the usual solid, all metal Bosch items as OE but the replacements are now GM branded. I asked the parts guy about this and he said the Bosch parts were too expensive (presumably for the GM beancounters) hence the GM branded ones now being fitted as standard. Incidentally, new Vectras now have flat blades fitted as standard...not sure who makes them.
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Like others on here I usually buy Bosch replacement wipers - "Superplus" I think they're called.
Having fitted Bosch Super Plus blades (from Halfords) to my Focus last year I now wouldn't touch tnem with a barge pole. I've just fitted genuine Ford blades and (not unsurprisingly) they have none of the problems I had with the Bosch blades. And the Ford price was within a few pence of the Bosch. It's genuine replacements for me from now on.
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L\'escargot.
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Prices for wiper blades here seem very low; www.extremeautoaccessories.co.uk I've not used them. Shame about the spelling :-)
JH
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The OP states he needs the aero type blade, not the old fashioned jointed metal type.
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Replacement VW blades for my Golf MK 5 cost about £24 per pair IIRC and that was from a main dealer - I'd much rather have OEMs, personally speaking.
As someone has said, it is remarkable how many people will scrimp and save on car essentials and yet waste money on 'bling'.
There's nowt so queer as folk when it comes to their motor cars.
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Thank You ( and the other participants) for the interesting replies.
My Wiper are the "Aero" type, I have seen the plastic clips you describe on the ends
( that appear to hold the rubbers in place)
They seem so substantial and to throw them seems inproper. I have seen a pair of rubber blades AND replacement end clips for sale on e bay, however the price seems unreasltically high.
I am wondering have you refitted the wiper rubbers on your car using the method you describe ?
thanks
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tinyurl.com/yjeqx8
That's the rubber I used, was just standard off the roll at a motor factor, and was very easy to fit, the caps can be hard to get off, but they didn't get damaged. I used instructions off another website, can't remember where..
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Just replaced my flat blade Valeo X-TRMs as they weren't wiping as well I would expect, I have to say after using Valeo XTRM, Bosch Aerotwin and Classic fusion, the BOSCH Aerotwins are the best bang per buck over the full lifespan. The XTRMs are great for about two months only.
You can also refill the BOSCHS but not the others.
One last thing is don't buy them cheap from another country such as Germany, as they are LHD and so the spoiler is set to lift them off instead of press them down (I guess this goes for any spoiler wiper). Also check any you buy in case they are grey imports. I suspect that I have probably had the wrong ones last time I had BOSCH as they were from Germany and never noticed it the time.
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"One last thing is don't buy them cheap from another country such as Germany, as they are LHD and so the spoiler is set to lift them off instead of press them down"
Can you explain why the airflow onto the windscreen is different with a LHD car?
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Can you explain why the airflow onto the windscreen is different with a LHD car?
The airflow is the same !! Most manufacturers fit the wiper arms differently for lhd and rhd - if the fitting isn't reversible then an aero blade intended for a lhd car will be the wrong way up on a rhd car.
Most generic fittings are reversible, though.
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I am pretty fastidious about my windscreen wipers and change them annually. I bought Halford's 'purpose made' replacements for my Mondeo in October 06 (cost from memory about £17). During this last summer (?) they started to squeak annoyingly when there was anything less than heavy rain falling.
On the spur of the moment I invested the princely sum of £2.99 in a replacement set from Lidl about 6 weeks ago and they have so far been excellent.
I am not expecting them to last the full year but why should they be any less safe than a pair costing 6 times as much?
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On my last Astra, I used Wilko wiper blades £2.50 a pair and changed them as soon as they squeaked or streaked - they seemed to last about 8,000 miles so very cost effective.
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