# Windshield Wipers



## MStevens (Jul 17, 2012)

I went to go replace my windshield wipers for the first time on my 2011 LT and noticed that it has a substancial plastic part attached to the driver's side blade. My guess is that it is for using the wind to push the blade against the windshield. But, the part looks to large to just throw away. My new (high end) blades I purchased did not include this part. It looks like the part is attached to the oem blade by screws and there is no accommodation for this part on the non-oem blade.

Maybe it's just me being overly critical, but my car looks funny without the part attached to the blade. Does anyone one know if this is oem only? Or am I just overlooking how to remove it from the old blade and attach to the new? Is it even necessary? Does it really provide a function or is it just for looks?


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## Camcruse (Oct 4, 2011)

MStevens said:


> I went to go replace my windshield wipers for the first time on my 2011 LT and noticed that it has a substancial plastic part attached to the driver's side blade. My guess is that it is for using the wind to push the blade against the windshield. But, the part looks to large to just throw away. My new (high end) blades I purchased did not include this part. It looks like the part is attached to the oem blade by screws and there is no accommodation for this part on the non-oem blade.
> 
> Maybe it's just me being overly critical, but my car looks funny without the part attached to the blade. Does anyone one know if this is oem only? Or am I just overlooking how to remove it from the old blade and attach to the new? Is it even necessary? Does it really provide a function or is it just for looks?


It's OEM and it does have a purpose. You prob can get replacement blades from the dealer but I'm sure they're expensive.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

They might not be too expensive at the dealer. Some parts are cheaper at the dealer (depending on the dealer).


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## 72oly300 (Apr 9, 2011)

I have went with a beam wiper blade - there is no traditional spring and multiple pressure points - the entire blade is a spring putting pressure on the wiper blade. They are little more $$ but have worked great thru last winter in the midwest - icing is no longer a problem. Be advised - Cruze has 2 differing size blades.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

so along with the OP do i need to try and retro fit the piece onto the new blades. I have the rainx beam blades and they have no place for it... they work great so far without the piece


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Mstevens..I work at a chevrolet dealership in parts department, and you can get both blades (AcDelco, OEM) for about $8.00 each. And the driverside blade does come with the wiper deflector. It is actually an aerodynamic thing GM added for the wipers like what another person on here mentioned in this article of yours..so it does have its purpose. Check with your dealer for replacements. I hope i helped and could be of any assistance today.


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

But does he need to keep the plastic piece from the OEM wipers and put it on non dealership wipers that he buys?


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

plastic piece? my 2012 has a metal air foil attached to the drivers side blade. The blade removed weighs a couple pounds. I replaced with Bosch Icon(beam style) blades. That piece is not necessary at all, in fact the new blades have this air foil design molded into them. The new blade also sits 1/2 closer to the windshield(doesn't sit off the glass as far), so is more aerodynamic anyway.



EDIT: here is a link to an image of the Bosch icon blade, you can see it has the same exact air foil design, same angle & everything(but weights allot less than the stock attached piece). Love these blades in the winter. http://www.boschautoparts.com/wiperblades/pages/icon.aspx


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Starks8 said:


> But does he need to keep the plastic piece from the OEM wipers and put it on non dealership wipers that he buys?


No because the deflector wont mount to any aftermarket blades. I was gonna put rainx blades on mine but thought, well ill just keep acdelcos on it for now because of my warranties. I got the gmpp warranty also and they are kinda strict on doing mods on ur vehicle..mainly bec if something breaks from that aftermarket part and causes other damage to the vehicle, they cannot warranty it or fix it under warranty. So bottom line, if you wanna keep ur deflector/handle you will have to buy the OEM blades from acdelco. Honestly, ive used rainx blades alot...enough to notice and get used to their performance, and see no differenc in comparison to rainx and acdelco blades. Only thing different is the price and brand. Acdelco is a little cheaper. Im not discouraging anyone to buy aftermarket parts, but if it was me, id stay with the acdelcos. They wiped the same as the rainx do. Just be sure to clean them atleast once a week with a cotton ball or mf towel you dont use for paint polishing and put a little rubbing alcohol on it and run it across the sides of the actual blade and along the edge where it kisses the glass. This helps extend the life of the blades as well as wipe the glass better and prevents scratching.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Wiper blades won't void your warranty.

I have Bosch's on mine. They're much better than the AC Delco's that left streaks everywhere since new.


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## DrVette (Dec 6, 2011)

This is Why replacement wipersNever work.as good as oem.
Dirty Glass.
Clean per below
G M ser. manual says to clean wiper blades with acetone & treat with silicone grease.
Permatex 22058 Dielectric Tune-Up Grease, 3 oz. Tube : Amazon.com : Automotive

1st clean windshield using AGS Clean & Prep kit pn wcp-1a from.Autozone.
AGS/Windshield clean and prep kit (WCP-1A) | Glass Cleaner | AutoZone.com

original thread
http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/63-detailing/6154-windshield-scratch-haze-etching-repair-1-99-a.html

edit to add, for "non-coated" glass with heavy haze/scratches
Pro Glass Polishing Kit


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

I like dirty glass it tastes better than cleaned glass with all of those solvents.
acetone will eat your poly blades . SOap and water tastes better .
sent from my disapearing no body knows how it will affect your day widget. Mobile applicationing off day practice field artillary designed thing a ma gig.....


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

No but alot of aftermarket parts will. According to what GMPP states under what it does not cover. I was also told from my dealer that partial of my warranty would be voided out if i changed my suspension because i wanted to lower it since i was wanting to convert my lt to the eco model. And im just going off by what they told me and what my gmpp says.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Mine are OEM and they taste great love that smell of napalm in the morning.
give him time he will need more food to regurgitate up this advice.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Wiper blades like tires will not void your warranty(if the correct size).

My car is never garaged all winter so there is no way I would use those stock blades which are prone to ice build up in the moving parts. The beam type hug the windshield nicer & have a much cleaner look on the car. Really nice I can see much less of the passenger wiper end sticking up in the wipers parked position. 

I just weighed the stock blades, the 24in drivers side with air foil is 9.2oz & the 18in passenger side is 4.2oz. The bosch icons I have installed on the car & its way to cold(-4) to check but I suspect they are less than 1/3 the weight of the stock blades. here is a good comparison of the two types. https://www.wipers123.com/beamblades.php


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Bosch does make a decent enough product .


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

You could always get the actual OE part number from the dealership and then check here for pricing ... RockAuto Parts Catalog


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I have Tricos on mine after a bad set of Ancos. I thought the same thing about the OEM blade fin but it does not matter one bit or another to have it or not. Most you guys don't remember the days when you could replace the wiper rubber inserts and not have to replace the entire blade. That was also in the day when the driver and passenger side were the same size. At the end of each blade there was a clip or something to hold the insert in. When it comes time to replace, remove the old insert and replace it with a new insert. Wiper manufacturers could not make any money on it so now it is a all or nothing deal. 

Just go to Advance or Autozone and buy a new Trico 24-1(driver) and 18-1 (passenger) and you are good to go.
[h=1][/h]


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## chrisholland03 (Oct 13, 2011)

I got a year and 13000 miles out of my factory blades before they started streaking. Replacements at the dealership were $10/ea, which was less than the cheapest blade at Autozone. I have nothing bad to say about the OEM blades.


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## DrVette (Dec 6, 2011)

Like I said, IF you will "properly" clean the glass, And the wipers, you can save the money And see more clearly.


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

chevycruze2012 said:


> No but alot of aftermarket parts will. According to what GMPP states under what it does not cover. I was also told from my dealer that partial of my warranty would be voided out if i changed my suspension because i wanted to lower it since i was wanting to convert my lt to the eco model. And im just going off by what they told me and what my gmpp says.


The key words there are "Aftermarket" ... So if you purchase OE GM parts, and have them installed by a GM technician, they SHOULD be covered by your GMPP warranty! I'm having a new cam installed in my "Silver Bullet" and the tech at the dealership said that since I'm purchasing a GM Performance Parts cam and having it installed at the dealership, it will be covered by the warranty. But again, peruse the Magnuson-Moss act if you're truly worried about voiding your warranty. I put aftermarket blades on my windshield, and they're not lasting as long as the OE blades did, but then again, I'm sure there are MANY more pits in the glass now at 50K miles than there were when it was new. I'll be looking at the links posted by DrVette to get that taken care of before purchasing another set.


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm going back to OEM with the air-deflector. I replaced the originals with Goodyear blades, but they don't work as good. The OEM is not any more expensive.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I actually like how the ac delcos wipe. I found out that if you clean them atleast twice a week with rubbing alcohol, that it improves their performance.Not by much..but it does help. I bought a new set for my cruze a month ago, which was when i bought my eco, and before i even put them on, i cleaned them with rubbing alcohol. This also prevents scratches in your glass from dirt and all that other stuff that gets on your blades.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

This is what I use Bosch Icon Love them.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I sell those bosch icons at my work. I work at carquest lol


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## tdc (Jan 24, 2014)

chevycruze2012 said:


> Mstevens..I work at a chevrolet dealership in parts department, and you can get both blades (AcDelco, OEM) for about $8.00 each. And the driverside blade does come with the wiper deflector. It is actually an aerodynamic thing GM added for the wipers like what another person on here mentioned in this article of yours..so it does have its purpose. Check with your dealer for replacements. I hope i helped and could be of any assistance today.


Thank you for your reply and for taking the time to tell us this. I too would like to replace my blade with the aero-spoiler included. I believe at higher speeds, it makes a difference. Thank you for your reply here and enlightening us. God Bless.

By the way, I use RainX on my winsdhield (year-round) and it does make a big difference. Most times, when it rains, I don't even need to use the wipers. The RainZ keeps the rain off, and also a lot of road grease from sticking to the windshield. tdc.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

tdc said:


> Thank you for your reply and for taking the time to tell us this. I too would like to replace my blade with the aero-spoiler included. I believe at higher speeds, it makes a difference. Thank you for your reply here and enlightening us. God Bless.
> 
> By the way, I use RainX on my winsdhield (year-round) and it does make a big difference. Most times, when it rains, I don't even need to use the wipers. The RainZ keeps the rain off, and also a lot of road grease from sticking to the windshield. tdc.


According to my dealer, the blade with the airfoil is no longer available.
Also noticed it is no longer used on the 2015 Cruze.

Rob


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Robby said:


> According to my dealer, the blade with the airfoil is no longer available.
> Also noticed it is no longer used on the 2015 Cruze.
> 
> Rob


Interesting, cost savings for GM would be my guess. Is it still a standard blade or beam type? 

I had replaced my stock blades with Bosch Icons at 11K, at 55K those were starting to be streaky so I put the stock blades back on, gonna see how many miles I get out of these. Already hating the the stock blades in ice conditions, those beam style blades have no movements to get loaded with ice/slush like the stock ones.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Still a standard blade and yep, they ice up nicely don't they?

Rob


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

I wonder what else got deleted. We gonna have a 2015 show up with the resonator bypass already done.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> Interesting, cost savings for GM would be my guess. Is it still a standard blade or beam type?
> 
> I had replaced my stock blades with Bosch Icons at 11K, at 55K those were starting to be streaky so I put the stock blades back on, gonna see how many miles I get out of these. Already hating the the stock blades in ice conditions, those beam style blades have no movements to get loaded with ice/slush like the stock ones.


Icons ftw! On my 2nd set now. 

The OEM blades were absolutely terrible on my Cruze. Ditched them a few months after i bought the car.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Over the years I've found that you may as well just replace blades annually......the sun just kills em over the summer.

I make it part of my fall, get ready for winter routine.

Rob


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

I haven't had any issues with my oem blades


Sent from the sexy electrician


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

jblackburn said:


> Icons ftw! On my 2nd set now.
> 
> The OEM blades were absolutely terrible on my Cruze. Ditched them a few months after i bought the car.


My blades are new. I drove home day one. Day 2 I was getting vinyl for the badges and wipers to replace the stockers.


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## jandree22 (Sep 19, 2011)

Got my blades replaced yesterday with OEM at the dealer and confirmed that they're now without the airfoil... just your basic, standard blades. Cleaned periodically, I've had no issues with OEM blades.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

Thanks for reminding me, I need to clean my wipers, they are streaking my windshield. 


Sent from the sexy electrician


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## rcclockman (Jan 16, 2012)

Really? you cant get the airfoil blades? I notices the airfoil is just screwed in..Does the new ac oem blades have the holes drilled still at least or could you just drill them yourself possibly?


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

rcclockman said:


> Really? you cant get the airfoil blades? I notices the airfoil is just screwed in..Does the new ac oem blades have the holes drilled still at least or could you just drill them yourself possibly?


The airfloil blade is heavy compared to a newer beam style blade. Besides the beam style sitting much lower against the windshield, I would say I even notice slightly less wind noise at highway speeds without that blade sitting 2+ inches off the glass. 

The beam style has the airfloil design right into the leading edge of the blade anyway so no need for that attachment. Had Bosch Icons for 35K miles or so, actually like my new RainX beam style blades even more. They were slightly cheaper besides there being a manufacturing defect on the Bosch icon I bought this time and it would not lock onto the cruze wiper arm. Took it back and got the cheaper rainX ones instead. The rainX blades are quieter with less streaking, we will see how they hold up. 

OEM blades might need replacing every fall or so, not sure what compound of rubber the newer beams style use because in the same environment they don't seem to fail for at least a few years. Beside beam style blades being far superior it you live in a snowy area, no mechanical movements all over the blade to ice up.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I should also add the cruze is the only GM car to not have beam style blades I have noticed, though the sonic and spark might also get these cheap factory blades. The Equinox/terrain, Malibu, impala and Silverado all have beam style from the factory. Seems GM cheaped out on the cruze.


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## ace2123 (Jan 17, 2015)

spacedout said:


> Took it back and got the cheaper rainX ones instead. The rainX blades are quieter with less streaking, we will see how they hold up.


Which RainX model did you get? I'm using the Bosch Clear Advantage and they suck on this car. The passenger side doesn't make full contact and the driver side streaks like a mother with only a couple thousand miles on them... They are great on my Focus, but not this car.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

ace2123 said:


> Which RainX model did you get? I'm using the Bosch Clear Advantage and they suck on this car. The passenger side doesn't make full contact and the driver side streaks like a mother with only a couple thousand miles on them... They are great on my Focus, but not this car.


I went with the RainX latitude, no streaks and completely silent. Remember the cruze takes an 24in and 18in blade. https://www.rainx.com/product/wiper-blades/rain-x-latitude/


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

I found after one winter that the rainx latitudes stopped working and had to be replaced. Crazy enough it's been 14 months with my ctd and still running the OEM blades. Work like new too


Sent from the sexy electrician


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I normally buy Trico 24-1 and 18-1. Always seemed to like Trico even from the 80s/90s when I used to sell auto parts and they made the blades stronger and refillable.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

money_man said:


> I found after one winter that the rainx latitudes stopped working and had to be replaced. Crazy enough it's been 14 months with my ctd and still running the OEM blades. Work like new too


I got 12K on my OEM blades and switched to Bosch Icons for the first winter + 40K. At 52K the Bosch were junk, so put the OEM blades back on, only got another 10K out of them before they were showing their age. I also used the OEM in the winter and HATED how much ice they would accumulate vs a beam style blade, would rather trade beam style yearly than ever go back to the old style OEM blades the cruze uses. 

I probably got 24K miles and 12 months out of the OEM blades, 40K miles and 24 months out of the Bosch icons. Will see now long the rainX latitudes last me, so far they have been great.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

I wonder what the OEM blade is? The price doesn't look crazy.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

I use the oem blades. I've replaced the a few times. The drivers side wind deflector, keeps them from getting air under them at high speed and slapping against the windshield, which sometimes may happen in a cross wind. I've just been replacing the refills on mine and still have the same factory blade holders.


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## Ger8mm (Mar 13, 2014)

Bought the Trico blades today 26 and 18 inch for my diesel. way better than rain-x or the Bosh ones and I am a massive fan of Bosh wipers........I tossed that piece on the wiper, completely useless if you buy decent blades.


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## rcclockman (Jan 16, 2012)

OK, Was at the Dealer Today and bought a set of Oem Blades, they are the same as the stock blades, just missing the two holes for the airfoil..Just drill two 1/8 inch holes 7 1/4inch apart, super easy...BTW they are made Korea...


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## rcclockman (Jan 16, 2012)

Good thing I got them, as soon as I left the dealer, we got 1/10th of an inch of rain here in Los Angeles! Don't care about snow or rain here, just as long as I can clean my windshield!!


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## CruzeDan (May 17, 2015)

Bought my car, put the Rain-x Latitude wipers on immediately. Look better, work better.


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