adara said:
I don't think you'll find aftermarket blades, the fitting is unusual and all my attempts have failed. And the standard LR ones are useless in cold and snow...
My standard wipers work fine in the snow/slush/sleet/whatever - as do most modern wipers regardless of vehicle manufacturer. Test drive a new RR in bad weather...There are a few things that need to be done:
- don't buy supermarket wipers - even if they have 29 individual wiping edges.
- adjust the wipers properly (this is something even repair shops don't always do and with the longer wiper blades in use today, this is almost essential). The blade needs to be nearly perpendicular to the windshield. A very slight slant in the direction of wipe from rest is best (I believe LR calls for 88deg or similar). On older cars, this was done by bending the wiper blade/arm. The LM has adjusters. There is a section in RAVE on wiper attack angle adjustment.
- The wiper arm needs to be absolutely free to pivot (at the base, where it attaches to the spindle) so that there is sufficient spring pressure to press the blade on the windshield. Try lifting the blade on a new RR and then go back to your several year old RR. I guarantee you'll feel a difference. Usually this is not even the spring wearing out but the lower wiper arm and pivot rivet (steel) rusting or the spindle receptacle (aluminum) oxidizing. When I purchased my TD6, the rear wiper didn't work worth squat. When i lifted the blade, there was almost no pressure pulling the blade back to the window. Some rags, some penetrating oil, and working the arm back and forth for about 30 secs had the wiper working almost perfectly - even with the old blade. This is a PITA to do on our front wipers, BTW, as they only lift a couple of cm's and don't allow penetrating oil to be sprayed directly at the joint. This is something that almost no shop checks or repairs. The dealer's solution - when and if the check - is new wiper arms for $$$$$$ (need a smiley bent over a table getting taken from behind violently

)
- A money saving tip is to replace just the blade inserts (the rubber). Use a quality insert, tho, not a supermarket insert. There is no need to replace the entire wiper blade assy every time the rubber inserts wear.