Interior Exterior
Q:
I put on a Valeo wiper when I got my car because the original insert did not work. The aero wipers look good and work great but the ugly wiper arm off of a Range Rover or something did not look right. I tried bending it to follow the curve of the windshield but ended up with bumps where the original bends were. Hammering it between wood to protect the paint helped but not enough. It needed some flat black paint to touch it up once it was hammered into shape. I then replaced the Valeo with a 20" Bosch Ikon. The Valeo still worked great but was too short and the airfoil on the back was starting to look serrated. The Valeo is sleeker and lower profile than the Ikon.
A:
I opted for the 24" Bosch Icon. I love the look and functionality of the blade - highly recommend!
A:
I get a new wiper from Lotus parts when I need it.
$26
Works great.
A:
Interesting bike.
A:
I put on a Valeo wiper when I got my car because the original insert did not work.
Once again, I'll say that my original wiper works just fine. The problem with the original seems to be that they are often installed "backward". The retaining clip that holds the rubber blade in the arm is often at the outside of the arm. This allows the rubber to slide to the outside and "bunch up" as it's used. Removing the blade insert and re-installing it so that the clip is on the inside cures this problem. The forces that try to fling the insert to the outside now "stretch" the rubber instead of causing it to bunch up. When stretched, the blade conforms tightly to the window and wipes the water away just fine.
Staying with the OEM style blade has the added advantage of being cheap - most autopart stores (or even Wal-Mart) sell appropriate refills for less than $5 (often for a pair). When the simple original wiper blade works 100%, there is no advantage to "upgrading" to a more expensive blade.