TriCo Wiper Blade Refills
 

So my blades were chattering and making an awful noise so I decided to change the blades. Go to the store and look and say WTF??? The new style flex blades for 24" was $28 for the Bosch Icon and $22 for the 22". $50 for a set of blades? I start asking the store guy if there was a deal or anything and he said no not at the moment.

So I start looking for refills for the original blades that I kept. I bought a set of TriCo refills for $5.99. So I go home and take the old ones out and start fitting the new ones. Now they fit. The Driver side went on ok, the pass side was a little bit of a bear. If you want to get technical... TriCo gives 3 options for the inserts. 6,7,and 8 MM. 7mm is for the driver side and the 6mm is for the Pass and rear blades.

I didn't bother using the new metal retainers that came with it, just used the old ones. Slapped them in and good as new. I also found out that the flex type inserts can also be serviced. I had a set of Bosch Icons and found the 7mm fit just fine.

Just incase anyone was curious. So instead of paying $30, $40, $50 for a new set, you can buy the 6mm and 7mm for $12 and have extra left for the next go around.

Good tip!

Another tip for the toolbox is if the wipers chatter and don't appear to be worn out as yours were, clean the blades with Windex and Rain-x the windshield--all better.

Haha, yeah... I actually havent used the rain X but i'll try that tip next time. Actually I use the stoner Invisible glass stuff on a microfiber. Works good, a lot of junk comes off... Except this time I think I put too much pressure... on the final wipe, ripped the damn rubber right off. I got excited to buy new things for the X, until I saw the stupid price of $50 for a set of blades.

I normally replace my blades every 2 months or so because the chatter bugs the heck out of me and im OCD, so when I see the wipe just isnt as clean as it could be... I get a new set. Looking at my receipts... I normally spend $25 and there is usually a deal like a BOGO, today, NOTHING.

I got new Bosch blades for my X at Autozone for 11 bucks each last week.

you guys are lucky. Bosch Icons are $50 here for both all the time, and never a sale. I'd never go with them again tho. I was not impressed with wiping. I replaced them with a set of Michelin wipers

Replace the blades every 2 months?

Does it rain steel wool in NJ?

Aye... yeah 2 months before I start getting chatter. I normally wash the X every week, Saturday mornings before the sun gets high and then in the winter, it goes to the car wash. The blades get wiped down once a week with the Invisible glass and then after a month, I'll start to see the wipe is not perfect. It may skip a bit or a permanent line of water that the blade is missing. Then it just goes downhill from there. Finally I'll get a rain and I will have to hear the "Brrrriiipppp" or "Bababababababababababa" or "Screeeeecchhhhhh and then bababababababababa" And that just drives me nuts. I've tried everything under the sun to clean the blades, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, ammonia, hell I even tried Armor all... lol It was good for the first few wipes and then back to the annoying sound.

It was actually difficult to find inserts... I remember back in the day, retailers would have a section for the wipers and then a different section for the inserts. I guess as the flex types started coming in and also noticing people replace the blades more often than just refilling them, they just started to phase them out. I called the dealer for a hail mary to see if they had any inserts left and they didn't Pep boys didn't have any either. The selection at AAP was only those 3 and Napa didn't have the size for 24" So I say for $6, that's a pretty good deal.

Hey Young, your methods may vary, but I have 2 years on my Bosch Icon wiper blade replacements that I bought when I bought my X, and they still wipe clean as can be.

They probably can make it through the winter then get replaced in the spring, just for my own maintenance schedule. All I do is wipe them down with glass cleaner/soap when washing the car, and when dry I give the rubber a wipe with 303 Aerospace protectant.

Been running Icons for 8 years now and always impressed with their longevity.

2 years!!! Hell I wish! I know the original ones were on the 4.8 for 2 years because the service paperwork said the last time they were changed as part of service. When I got the X it was all ok, and then maybe a month in, it started to skip in a section. Then I got the Icons and it has been a 2 month change every time. I actually didn't know those type blades could be serviced... If I did, I would have bought the refills for them and not the regular blades. But maybe next time, I will buy the refills for the Icons because I still have the blades.

I think I should have clarified, sorry man, I have 2 years on the same set of Bosch Icons (I bought them when I first bought the X), so I am perplexed at how you need refills every couple months. I never heard of refills for the Icons, never needed them. I always get a few years out of each set so they are worth it to me.

Is your glass clayed and clean of contaminants? if it is, is your winshield extremely pitted? Are the springs on your wiper arms tight or loose? Any of those could lead to decreased wiper life.