Needed some replacement wiper blades badly for the 2001 Bonneville SSEi. I found myslef not being able to see anything during a ongoing winter storm driving from PA to KY.

I went to Advance Auto, AutoZone, and O'Reilly, all outside of FT Knox and looked at wiper blades. Most every blade was in a very fancy package and priced very high. I checked RockAuto and they had good prices, but I didn't want to wait four-five days for delivery.

I saw a Ollie'* discount outlet and recalled seeing blades for sale on a past visit. I went in there and they had four different brands; one was Rain-X. The Rain-X Horizon were a discontinued model, and sold for 5.99.

I purchased the Rain-X and after opening the package I discovered the windshield had to be treated with a Rain-X chemical, and the package had the chemical in it. I was not thrilled with it, but wiped the chemical on the windshield.

Next I installed the blades. The blades installed easily, but looked like a shield should of been provided to where the blade connects to the wiper arm. I tested the blades and they worked fine.

Last Friday I drove from KY to PA- and it stormed snow and freezing rain most of the 600+ miles. The Rain-X blades had no streaking- visibility was excellent in bad conditions.

I liked this blade for 5.99 better than the Michelin and Bosch blades I have previously used. But at the end of the day- Anco blades made in Mexico are the very best value IMHO.

BTW- in the attached picture you will also see a great price for on some GE halogen lights- wish I knew what vehicles these fit.

I am glad Guns you got new wipers again happening, especially on the winter hwy, good visibility is important.
I don't want to sound negative, but I'm not a big fan of that rain x windshield treatment. Some may say ya the water just beads off & I don't need to use the wipers..but..
My experience is, eventually it starts to wear off and then with heat applied to windshield, mega blade chatter starts to happen, with streaking.
IDK possibly they have improved the formula, but I personally would rather just not use it.
I prefer to just keep the windshield clean either using a foam glass spray cleaner or regular Windex, and replace the wiper blades once a year or whenever required.

I use to use RainX also. But after accidentally using Turtle Wax on the windshield, I find that it works better than RainX.

It would be nice to know the downside(*) if any of using Rain-X.

The downside? If not applied correctly,(think Karate Kid movie-wax on wax off) the RainX can leave halos or streaks. That'* all I can think of.

i use rain-x washer fluid. works great. washes the windows well, and when the windshield stops beading, just hit the washers for a second.


as for the blades. trico, trico, trico!

the last set of trico neoform blades i had lasted for a whopping 2 years! and when i had to replace them, its not because they were streaking. its because i forgot to slap them on the windshield and they tore when i turned on the wipers.

the next set i bought was trico instinct. they are a hybrid blade. traditional hinges covered by plastic, along with the spring steel of the new beam style blades. gets rid of the far passenger side of the windshield not touching problem. if you keep an eye out, every parts store has a buy one get one sale on one type of blade each month.

here is a link to the blades i have now.

TRICO Instinct? Wiper Blades | TRICO® Windshield Wipers

Yes, I think TRICO makes good stuff. I way to often get TRICO blades at a discount is to look where the blades are made. TRICO makes it blades in Mexico, and it is the only manufacturer making blades in Mexico. So one can buy a "generic" packaged blade, and if it was made in Mexico, you likely are getting a TRICO.

TRICO made blades in Buffalo, NY for decades but moved manufacturing to Mexico some years ago.

I miss Anco wiper blades. They had been my go-to brand for about 30 years. They were affordable, durable and performed well. For many years, I used to buy them at Walmart for about $5 or $6 each but I haven't seen them anywhere for at least a couple of years. These days, Walmart is selling Michelin blades at considerably higher prices.

I agree that Rock Auto often has good prices but their shipping charges--especially on small items--can often eat up the savings.

You have to be careful about what vehicles you use rain-x washer fluid on. Some new vehicles use electrodes (not floats) to detect low fluid level in the reservoir. Rain-x coats those electrodes with a pinky, icky goopy, glop type stuff (technical terms) and the level sensors don't work anymore.

The very best replacement blades I have found are made by Bosch...they might be pricey, but they are worth the money I spent.