PIAA wipers, worth the extra money

[Manicminer]

I generally change wiper blades once a year or so as they get juddery or smeary but saw these on eBay.

Are they worth the extra at about double the price of a normal Bosch set and would they last much longer?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-A4-01-to-08-PIAA-Si...

[belleair302]

No, just change them every year.

[Manicminer]

Is that a no because they wear just as quick?

[The Wookie]

As I said before on a recent thread on the topic:

The Wookie said:

Yep, had plenty of PIAA wipers. They're more expensive, they don't tend to last as long as regular wipers before they start squeaking and smearing (they seem to deteriorate quite quickly in the winter), and subjectively they don't seem to be as good in salty/dirty conditions. However they are very effective in regular rain and do lay on a good hydroscopic hydrophobic layer.

If your car has a poor wiper set up as standard then worth the effort, if you find your car acceptable with a fresh set of wipers then probably not worth bothering with.

[JonnyFive]

I'd personally, infact, have personally.. Bought Bosch Flat Blades from Euros. £6 or so on trade and lasted easily over a year.

[Manicminer]

Thanks all, shall trundle off for some normal ones tomorrow

[trickywoo]

Manicminer said:

Thanks all, shall trundle off for some normal ones tomorrow

Get them mail order from somewhere like carparts4less

Fraction of the price of Halfrauds.

I paid under £10 for a pair delivered recently.

[Debaser]

I generally find OE wipers to be best.

[Manicminer]

trickywoo said:

Get them mail order from somewhere like carparts4less

Fraction of the price of Halfrauds.

I paid under £10 for a pair delivered recently.

Done! Top man thanks, £10.80 inc free next day delivery.

[philmots]

Valeo XTRM are pretty good. Better than the Bosch I find.

[soad]

trickywoo said:

Get them mail order from somewhere like carparts4less

Fraction of the price of Halfrauds.

I paid under £10 for a pair delivered recently.

Yes, no point in paying inflated prices.

[Noesph]

Personally I found PIAA brilliant, spotless wipe and no streaking, had them on for just over a year. The Bosch aero flats I had before where ste, the whole middle third of the wiper missed the windscreen anytime it was cold. Plus personally I didn't think they looked right on a older car.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Noesph said:

Personally I found PIAA brilliant, spotless wipe and no streaking, had them on for just over a year. The Bosch aero flats I had before where ste, the whole middle third of the wiper missed the windscreen anytime it was cold. Plus personally I didn't think they looked right on a older car.

Agreed.

I used to do loads of commuting in cars, from around 2005 to 2008 - at one point, 800 miles a week (not as bad as it sounds - for night shifts, so always an easy, traffic-free journey, albeit quite a long one - but could easily do 100+ leptons each way).

Apart from the regular maintenance on the cars, oil changes and general fettling - one of my bugbears was the short life of wiper blades. I tried everything - Halfords, Bosch, Fister, Tescos own etc. - even trying the replacing the rubber blade in old frames method. Tried several different kinds of windscreen treatments, from Rain X to some mental 3-stage treatment I bought at huge expense at a car show.

All methods saw the same result - knackered blades squeaking, smearing and juddering after maybe 6 months at best, especially in winter. Annoying.

I didn't know about PIAA wipers until someone mentioned them on here - so I had a look. Expensive at nearly £50 a pair but I gave them a go.

That was back in 2010, they're still on the car, and still operate like new - no squeaks, smears or judders, even in the cold. Plus, as said, they coat the screen in silicone after a while, so you eventually get to a point where at motorway speeds, the rain just beads and runs off upwards - to the extent that often you don't need the wipers on at all.

So, I recommend.

[Blown2CV]

i bought some. Cost me £55 for a set for my XF. I am not sure there is a massive difference to be honest. They come with a little wipe to clean the windscreen before putting them on, but i think that just works like rainex.