I got my car back, $1200 in repairs for the AC (compressor).

I need to fix two other things, drive belt? needs replacing soon and the wiper blades need to be replaced.

It seems as if every 10k miles I need new blades because they are falling apart. I was curious if anyone had any recommendation for something that works well and last a little bit longer than 10k.

PS, I have been using OEM Acura blades that honda has been recommending. So I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks

 

How many miles do you have? Drive belt replacement in our cars are about the same time as spark plug replacement, which is 110K miles. If you want to replace it early, there's no harm.

As for wiper blade replacement, those are inexpensive pars. Try the local auto chain stores. I too have used OEM blades, but have lasted much longer then 10K miles.

 

Thanks.

I have an 04 5AT with aprox 106k. You know how the dealership is, they make it sound like the world is collapsing if you don't fix it now. I inspected the belt and it shows some very minor wear (especially for that many miles) but I plan on changing it sometime next week when I get bored.

For some reason, on my tsx and my wifes crv the blades are a POS. I changed my blades once on my 626 and they lasted me about 80k before one of them had the rubber start to come off. Def not the case with these two honda vehicles.

 

the wipers on my 06 tsx were replaced by the dealer per the TSB. The car had around 90,000 miles-Never had problems with the blades. The dealer I go to for all service does not try to sell me unneeded service. The last time I was there, the car had about 118,000 miles and they told me the drive belt was still good along with the original brakes. I did have the spark plugs replaced at 110,000 miles. Car now has almost 124,000 miles-love it

 

I don't know what year your car is, but I've found that blades that work well on the 04-05 models don't perform as well on the 06-08 models and vice versa. Something to do with the repositioning of the wipers and/or the shape of the windshield (we have an 05 and an 07). I've had great luck with RainX blades on my 05. I buy the ones that Walmart sells (Weatherbeater I think) for like $8 or $9 a piece. I tend to drive pretty fast even in the rain, so I try to stay on top of it and replace them once a year (as a policy), but sometimes I'm as much as a year late and they're usually still good. The winter here (Northeast) really takes it's toll on the wiper blades (and the windshield too for that matter) with all the sand and salt on the roads. We've had good luck with Bosch Icon blades on the 07.

There's actually no service interval for the drive belt. Just a scheduled inspection every...... (I forget) so many miles. What you should be checking also is the tensioner. The owner's manual shows you what to look for in checking that. As long as the belt doesn't show any cracks on the edge, it should be OK. I replaced it in my 05 in the spring mainly because the car is over 6 years old and it had like 130K miles on it then (more now of course), and it's a pretty cheap job (to do it yourself anyway). If your car is old, you may want to replace it for the same reasons. But...... I don't think it's as easy a job as some here make it out to be (replacing the drive belt I mean). I was a mechanic in the bad old days (and have pretty much every tool known to man) and although it's a pretty straight forward replacement, it can be more tricky than it might seem going in. If you decide to do it, make sure you have the tools you'll need.

 

I use the Michelin ones from Costco - works great except that my area is dusty and often dry and I usually give it a wipe (with fluid) at the start of my drive and the grit wears the blade out faster than would be normal. They're dirt cheap compared to the Wal-mart stuff - about half the price of the Rain-X ones and just as good (I used them back to back).

 

I order replacement OEM inserts from Acura. From what I've read, no aftermarket blades fit properly on the TSX. One side's too long/too short, hits the weather stripping, etc.

OEM is the way to go for my money. $12 once a year from my local dealership is pretty hard to beat.

 

UPDATE: Was at the acura dealer yesterday to get the oil/filter changed and the tires rotated/balanced. They told me the rear brakes life is coming to the end but not immediately. They said probably with the next oil change but they would check to be sure.

 

I use the Bosch Icons, very good wipers i highly recommend them. They're kinda pricey but the construction is a nice solid, flexible single piece. They wipe well and make no noise.