Wiper blades - only need rubber not the entire unit

Myosin

:doh: no aldi for about 30 miles hope Lidl get them in I've got two near m'house

Hope they're good quality though

melancholly

i used replacement blades because otherwise i would have needed to get the whoel arm replaced by toyota (no-one else stocks the right bit - apparently!). the spare blades are a similar price - but you do get quite a few in there so it is actually quite cheap when they average out over a few replacements.

Myosin

Ordered some off ebay £8.99 + £2.95 postage for 21spoiler and 19 Bosch super plus :T now to pay...

Oh btw none in Lidl or anywhere else so got fed up and bought these which are still cheaper than halfords are selling them for :A

Jorgan_2

I find Halfords very expensive for wiper blades. They have relieved me of £26 in the past for a pair of blades, my local motor factor sells them for £12. Well worth shopping around.

Wig

I imagine the point is the OP was making, and if not it's going to be my point.

There is no need to replace the whole unit, rubbers are all that is needed. Don't tell me they won't be the same....If Bosch sold "Bosch" rubbers for a quarter of the price of the full unit the rubber would be exactly the same. the only difference is that you have threaded it onto your frame yourself instead of some machine in a factory.

The Halfords price for rubbers only is outrageous. The waste of energy and materials involved in selling complete units to everyone is outrageous.

Finding just rubbers is next to impossible because unless the shops/manufacturers price them outrageously (like Halfords do) they are not going to make money out of us hand over fist.

My usual solution to problems like this is to ask government to put an energy tax on the complete units, it would have to be a large tax like 5 pounds per blade to make it work to force the companies to offer just rubbers. I don't understand why some entrepreneur doesn't start selling wiper rubber in a 2 metre roll which you can cut to length.

I also say you don't need the fancy spoiler blades they work just aswell without.

I'd like to ask "mookfish" who "wilkinson" is?

It seems there are some available online but as usual the postage kills them. I found google wiper refils or wiper refills gave the best results. I'm still looking.

Altarf

Wig wrote:

I'd like to ask "mookfish" who "wilkinson" is?

Wilkinsons - http://www.wilko.co.uk/index.htm

I use their £1.25 wipers and they are fine. OK they may not last as long as Bosch, but at £2.50 a set who cares.

melancholly

melancholly wrote:

i used replacement blades because otherwise i would have needed to get the whoel arm replaced by toyota (no-one else stocks the right bit - apparently!). the spare blades are a similar price - but you do get quite a few in there so it is actually quite cheap when they average out over a few replacements.

cancel that comment completely - the rubber has fallen out somewhere on the road so now i don't have anything useable (and i even got OH to fit it so it isn't just me being pathetically bad at doing it myself ). going to have to go to a toyota garage and get it done properly :mad: . how annoying!

Bertville

Problem with only changing the rubber is that the springs of the wiper loose strength over time giving a poor contact with the screen. Might as well invest in the full replacements.

peter999

The idea that replacing windscreen rubbers could lead to the end of the world is ludicrous !!
-I think you've all lost your marbles !!

The problem with the modern world is the throw away economy.
If you know how to repair things & have the right part, they can be repaired perfectly ok.

Many things are thrown away for the sake of an absolutlely tiny repair.

People have lost contact with the items they consume/use & don't know how to make do.
People in poorer countries don't have this problem

peter999

tsteve_2

From tomorrow Lidl will be selling loads of winter type car products includinng a pair of windscreen wipers for £1.99.
remember though you might need 2 pairs if your wipers are diffent sizes my wipers are 14inches and 11inches .so forunder £4 you'll have 2 pairs of wipers.
http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20061030.index.ar3