Wiper blade refills
 

Hi,

Anyone found an alternative to OEM Ford wiper blade refills? I replaced ours 4 weeks ago and its like they have gone hard or something. Very load and bounce all over the place. They were ok for about the first week.

Thanks.

There's a thread on here that suggests you can get them from SuperCheap auto and they are a Bosch blade, which is the same as OEM, but cheaper.

That sentence is long. Sorry.

Hi Dusty1,

I had trouble finding refills before I went to Ford and got some OEM Motorcraft ones. The problem I had with finding just the refills is that the driver side wiper on the Mondeo is very long, something like 28 inches and Repco and Supercheap only have 24 or 26 inch refills.

I did not replace the entire blade as the rubber refills are easy to remove and replace, but the OEM Motorcraft ones are rubbish. The ones that were on the car from new lasted 2 years and never made any noise.

I'll go to a bigger Supercheap and Repco this weekend see if I ca get the Bosch Aero Blades int he correct size.

Cheers

not sure if yours takes anything fancy but if youv got the extra money invest in the TRIDON flexblades

best wiper blade setup iv ever had on any of my falcons

I ended up getting some genuine blades from UK, as oem blades from Ford AU were $190, from uk was about $70 including postage.

There is actually no need to change the whole blade as you can just remove and replace the rubber refill inside the blade. The problem I have that none of my local auto stores sold refills long enough to suit the drivers side wiper.

OEM refills are $17 from Ford for both, but not the best as I have discovered.

Will hunt around again this weekend.

The Ford refills are rubbish. I've arranged to go back to my dealer to have the blade replaced, but hate to think what they will charge for them. Could be an intersting discussion...

I'm unsure if the Mondeo uses the same aero blade as the Focus, but Repco have their own branded aero blades that have a universal fitting. They are a little chunkier than oem but they weren't very expensive at all and so far they've been faultless.

Russ I run the Repco blades on my Falcon and they are great. Problem is they do not make them longh enough to replace the Mondeo driver side blade.

With what, I'm confused aren't they just going to put the same ones back on!

apstar

At the 40,000km service, they reckoned the rubbers were worn and fitted new refills. Ever since, the wipers have juddered and squeaked. I think they realise the refills are **** and will now replace the entire blade.

Well I went looking for refills today and no luck. Can not find anything locally in the auto stores.

No wonder no one buys these things. Can not even get a set of wiper refills for them unless they are OEM Ford cr@p. FFS! :mad:

The OEM Motorcraft refills are absolute rubbish. Ours were ok for a week before they started squeaking and jumping all over the place. The ones that were on the car when it was new must have been something other then the rubbish that Ford spare parts sell to us here in Australia. So replacing the entire blade might fix the problem as I would imagine they source the blade and rubber insert from Europe.

Oh ok but do you know the price of the blade & rubber from Ford!

apstar

Internet, global economy, credit cards/ Paypal, and a good exchange rate at the moment........Buy foreign !! probably still cheaper to your door.

Here's some from the UK on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FRONT-WINDSCR...item3caeece43d

Don't know what they are like but that was the result of a quick ebay search, so they are out there.

Here's some Bosch aerotwin for sale in Aus: http://cars2.ebay.com.au/BOSCH-AEROT...mZ170496535699

Here's the link to the original thread (http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...ndscreen+wiper). I don't know how much has changed in 12+ months, but it does seem strange that they can no longer be sourced from auto stores.

I bought from this ebay seller in uk. Got in a couple of weeks. You have to ask postage costs as he does not usually post outside UK. BUt is genuine oem ford europe. Local costs for same is around $190 from Ford AU.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genuine-Ford-M...item33596671ef

Still not the cheapest way but at least they work ok. Hopefully they will last a couple of years.

I bought some of the new Repco wiper blades but none of the adapters fit the Mondeo. So will have another go at tracking down some Bosch Aerotwins. Should have bought some genuine Ford wiper blades when I was in the UK last month!

I now have a set of new Ford wiper blades on my car. Wow, what an improvement compared to the refills. The parst guy reckoned that the refills were OK a couple of years ago, but the latest ones are rubbish. I managed to get the Ford blades for NZ$112.50.

I also checked out the Tridon blades at Supercheap. They were $40 each so I decided to pay the extra for the Ford blades.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

So it rained slightly on the weekend, and it reminded me that I need to change the wiper blades.

Yes, I'm digging up this old thread, but it seems to be the best match. Was going to post on the weekend, but only got around to K-mart just now. My local K-mart has shrunk, and the range of blades is less that a shadow of the former. There were only 24" blades on offer, so no go for me.

Has anyone changed theirs recently, and where did you buy them from? Half tempted to buy from e-bay, but would prefer local if I can.

Also, for those who did change the blade only, how did you get the end of the blade assembly off? Wiggling gently doesn't do it, and I am afraid of breaking it. Doesn't appear to be any clip to undo either.

Cheers.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I was quoted $170 or so from Ford, so I left mine on. Interested to see how you go.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I must admit wipers blades has caused me grief from the very first car I ever had when I try to replace blades they always seem to come off when it starts to rain :embarass here is a video for Bosch Aero blades and where to get them from in UK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE1ITsXohnM
apstar

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Hi all,

Just to give you an update on the wipers. Last year I tried two different sets of OEM Ford Motorcraft replacement inserts and both went hard after a few days use. I looked everywhere and could not find a different wiper insert that was long enough because the drives side blade is 26" long.

I have been quoted between $107 and $130 for a new set of front blade replacements, not just the inserts but the actual Aero blade too. But because I have no confidence that the Ford replacements will be any good, I went and ordered some genuine Bosch replacements from the UK.

Here is the link to the ones I bough and they were about $49 including postage. I ordered them on Monday so do not expect to see them until after the long weekend.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BOSCH-AERO-FL...#ht_1154wt_905

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Thanks why are they so complex to replace! strange they don't have the rear

apstar

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I bought a set of blades last year in NZ for $100 after negotiating a discount with the parts guy.

Just order them from the UK. Anyone want to start a business reselling them on eBay?

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Thanks for the link, just ordered a set for mine.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

asper, I have a sedan so did not order a rear wiper. But when I was searching on ebay I did find another seller from the UK that was selling the rear wiper on its own.

Or you can message the seller that I bought from and see if they can sell you the rear at the same time. They were very fast to get back to me and posted the item the same day.

Cheers

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I tried to ring my local AutoOne to see if they stocked the correct size, but alas, it was going directly to the fax machine. Given this happened last time, and I went there to be met by a grumpy fella, I've decided that they don't want my business and don't deserve my support.

I rang SuperCheap, and although I had to wait a while on hold, the guys checked the shelf and told me they have the Tridon assembly in stock. Normally $35 each, but they are on special at 2 for $50. I might go for a drive tomorrow if I feel better - got the flu, and SuperCheap are about 30mins drive away.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Thanks please let us know how the fitting goes once you get them

apstar

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

replaced mine of both cars not long ago with ones from repco. I think they were actually Repco brand and are a silicone type blade. Best I've had, so we'll see how long they last.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Will do. they are very easy to replace as they are identical to the OEM item.


I also have the Repco blades on my BA, they are not bad but I do not like how chunky the elbow is where the blade connects to the wiper arm. The Mondeo is a different kettle of fish though and the Repco blades to come come in the correct size unfortunately.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I had mine replaced by Ford on my lease car at the 45k service since they were smearing rather than wiping. Had nothing but trouble since - been back twice to have them adjusted but still not OK.
Ford said they have a lot of trouble with replacment blades due to the 'sensitivity' of how the blades sit on the windscreen :doh

If Ford can't get it right who can?

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Did they replace the blades or the inserts?

I changed them myself, the most difficult part of the job was remembering how to put the wiper arms in the service position! Must have taken all of 2 minutes to do the job and the blades worked perfectly. Sounds like typical Ford service dept. BS to me.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

There is a service position for the wiper arms?

All I did was lift the blade of the windscreen and remove it from the arm while they were in their normal rest position.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Yep. You have 3 seconds to hold the wiper stalk down after you turn off the car. The blades will stop in a vertical position.

In other news - got 2 Tridon Flexblade arms from SuperCheap. TFB26TLP and TFB19TLP cost $50 for the pair (or $35 for one).

They are quite a bit smaller than the standard Ford arms (there is no aero moulding/fin on the top of the arm, its the bare arm itself). Given the lousy weather in Sydney, should get a chance to test them out in the next few days.

I then decided to have a go at taking apart the original Ford arms. You should be able to take the end caps off by sliding a small screwdriver under cap, but coming from the top side of the assembly - there are 2 tabs inside these end caps that hold them in place (one on each side of the fin). One end of the wiper blade is held in place with a 2 teeth on a metal tab pressing down. Looks like a simple 6mm refill, but the challenge will be to get the right size. Will probably do this next time around.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Good question Zippy.
In fact it started raining this morning in Melbourne on the way to work. The wipers made so much noise I couldn't hear the radio!
Took the car to Ford (opposite my work) for the umpteenth time and asked for a FIX!!!!
Low and behold they said they only replaced the insert before.

After replacing the whole blade they are now beautifully SILENT and EFFECTIVE :notworthy

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I looked at the Flexblades when I replaced mine, but they were only $20 cheaper than the Ford set. $50 a pair is a much better price.

Repco has their own brand that look OK but they don't fit the Mondeo.

The standard blades are great - very smooth and quiet and they stay on the screen really well under all conditions. You can tell they're German - designed for stupid speeds on a wet Autobahn!

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Ford replaced my originals wipers on my Focus which were fantastic at the
30k service and they are the crappiest blades ever. I read on the Fiesta forum to try and wipe the blades with metho which helped a little but they are still crap. I bought some Bosch Aerotwins which are great. No squeaks or judders and really effective in the downpour we had last night.:raisedeye

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Maybe I didn't try hard enough, but I couldn't find any Bosch Aerotwins in Melbourne when I was looking for them a few months ago.

On the Bosch Aus website, but not in Autobarn or Supercheap.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Bought mine from Bursons in Thomastown, heaps of stock. Only thing was I bought the next size up blade as to what they had recommended in the catalogue for the drivers side as it was shorter than the original:doh . The next size up was the correct size!

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

Thanks, Marlboro.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I can confirm the Tridon replacement set works nicely.
There was plenty of rain and drizzle up in Katoomba over this Easter break, and it let me test out the new blades. Quite happy with the results - obviously, will do it cheaper next time.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

I replaced these on my wifes car, they were Trico:
Driver TB560
Passenger TB500
They are the complete BLADE ASSEMBLY, AND DO A BETTER JOB THAN AN INSERT.

Re: Wiper blade refills
 

i used trico a couple of years ago, worked fine, but were rather pricy about $100 for a pair. Cheaper to get genuine oem frorm UK