Wiper Blades Revisited

chefwong · #1 12-27-2005, 11:36 AM

So awhile back, someone did mention about what wiper blades ya'll preferred.
Having had the X for a lil over 2 year & stock blades ....I would be somehwhat familiar with the blades...I've had them replaced at least 2-3X already.

Anyhow to be fair, I did have the dealer put on new blades.
Prior to this, I cleaned the windshield with Autoglym Glass Polish and then followed up with a coat of Aquapel. Aqualpel is PPG's version of RainX.

With the new blades, it still always left a haze on the windshield with each pass. The winter season is just around the corner, so $40 later, I've got a set of Bosch Ikon blades. These look similiar to the Valeo blades at around $22-24 per blade. The Bosch # for the Ikon series that you will need is 422A and 424A.

The passenger side does not follow the curve as a perfect match. About 1 inch does not sit on the windshield in the resting position. HOWEVER, the blades are truely a night & day difference between the OEM ones as far as haze/streaking in concerned. It looks nicer to boot also....

Sorry no pics fellas. Maybe this evening.

X5Ghost · #2 12-27-2005, 03:59 PM

It was me who posted the Q about the blades!! I'm still in search of the ultimate ones however, I'm probably going to get the OEM inserts since one member mentioned they cost $11 for the set. where did you get the Bosch ones from? what about the rear window?

detailersdomain · #3 12-27-2005, 07:36 PM

I got the Valeos and they did not work on my 2002 X5 at all. I got them for my ML and my M3 and they were amazing , the fitment on the drivers side was so off and it made one great pass but on the pass down it left water on the pass down. I returned them to tirerack.

I just got new inserts on the oem's for now, I will try piaa next.

chefwong · #4 12-27-2005, 07:52 PM

The wipers should be covered unless you're out of warranty ????

Anyhow, I picked them up from a local autoparts store - Autozone.
I do like the *looks* of it since it's a single piece. I did the test fit on the fronts first. They don't have a listed wiper in their book for the rear, so I plan to just buy a 18" and make just it fits....

laserneedle · #5 12-28-2005, 03:16 AM

"the fitment on the drivers side was so off and it made one great pass but on the pass down it left water on the pass down"

I had the same problem with both Valeos and Icons. In Germany some X5ers are installing Visioflex/Aerotwins and been reporting good results. I may try this in the spring. For now I'm staying with the SWF wipers.

detailersdomain · #6 12-28-2005, 03:21 AM

visioflex and aerotwins where do you get them and also SWF what's that stand for?

laserneedle · #7 12-28-2005, 10:42 PM

SWF stands for(not single white female) but Spezial Werkzeugfabrik Feuerback, aka Southwestern German Broadcasting Corporation. They are a subsidiary of Valeo and make the Visioflex wiper. Both the Visioflex and Aerotwin can be ordered from ebay: (Bosch)http://stores.ebay.ch/AUTOTEILE-DIREKT-DER-SHOP. (Visioflex)stores.ebay.de/newie922. The aerotwins for the X5 would be made up from two sets: A601S(Renault Scenic I) and A550S(Audi A6) The visioflex come as one set (#28) I have not used these myself so I cannot speak from personal experience as to how well they work but some other X5ers have tried this and say the wipers work well. Hope this helps.