Valeo wiper blades let me down ,,,

umbertob · Dec 1, 2014

I used Bosch Icon on my 2006 RRS for several years and loved them as well. However, the last set I purchased a couple of years back were "jumpy" and became noisy almost right away. I am sure the fact it almost never rains here in SoCal doesn't help. But the Bosch Icons used to be made in Germany. Now they are made in China. That can't be a coincidence.

No more Bosch for me. I was also going to give the Valeo Ultimates a shot next, but having second thoughts now... My OEM blades are nearly 2 years old and have performed very well considering their age. The front ones are still OK. The one in the back is in poor shape. I know how to remove the front ones from the J hook, but haven't been able to figure out the mount of the rear 16" blade yet. Any tips to get that one off?

cperez · Dec 1, 2014

umbertob said:
But the Bosch Icons used to be made in Germany. Now they are made in China. That can't be a coincidence.

The one in the back is in poor shape. I know how to remove the front ones from the J hook, but haven't been able to figure out the mount of the rear 16" blade yet. Any tips to get that one off?

I recall you making that same observation in another thread and it was almost enough to keep me from the Bosch wipers. I may also try something else next time after this experience. May sound crazy but I would *almost* rather put up with streaky wipers than noisy ones...

My rear wiper also needs to be replaced but I haven't tried removing it yet. I do recall someone saying that it was tricky.

Surfrider77 · Dec 1, 2014

I replaced the rear just a week or two ago. Already forgot how I did it, but it wasn't anything difficult. I believe there was a black plastic push tab you need to press while sliding to get it to release.

umbertob · Dec 11, 2014

Just to complete this thread, the rear 16" wiper blade uses the same J-hook as the front ones, it's just a bit trickier to open up the hook and release the old blade due to the limited clearance and access inside the covered wiper arm on the rear window. But, as mentioned above it's no big deal.

I've also decided to completely ignore PeterA's warning at the beginning of this thread and purchased a set of Valeo Ultimate 900-22-1B for the front and a single Valeo 600-16 blade for the rear. :biggrin:

We don't get snow around here, so I hope I won't have the same experience he had. Supposed to rain again in SoCal tonight, so testing them soon.

Biagetti · Dec 11, 2014

I put on the Valeo wiper blades towards the end of January and have no complaints with the performance. Prior to the Valeo's I was highly disappointed with the Bosche Icons that were noisy and started jumping too early.

I am due to order another set of the Valeos now. They have held up well against the Florida sun and heavy storms nearly every afternoon in the summer.

aj22 · Dec 12, 2014

So given that the stock wiper blades were streaking within a couple of weeks, I decided to try Rain-X. It's been a couple of weeks, but so far so good. It's a couple of bucks, takes a few minutes to apply, and I'm using the wipers less, and when I do, no streaking.
Haven't applied to my other vehicles yet, but I will when it warms up a bit(they say to apply over 40 deg. F).

TLB · Dec 12, 2014

Did you guys consider Rain X Latitude?
I never tried them but they are getting good revies.
It is time for me to get new set of wipers too. I thought about going with Bosch icon but after reading this thread I have changed my mind.

cperez · Dec 12, 2014

TLB said:
Did you guys consider Rain X Latitude?
I never tried them but they are getting good revies.
It is time for me to get new set of wipers too. I thought about going with Bosch icon but after reading this thread I have changed my mind.

Based on member comments here, I have the impression that the RainX and the Bosch wipers are a tossup; neither seems to dominate at least anecdotally.

I may try the RainX or the Valeo's next time just for grins. But for now the Bosch Icons are performing adequately. There, that should clear things up for you. :biggrin:

PeterA · Dec 12, 2014

PeterA said:
In July I posted that I switched from the OEM blades to the Valeo All Season and was very pleased. As I drove from NY to Stowe, VT, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (with my wife, two kids and two siberian husky pups on board) and was walloped with a foot of blinding snow, the plastic casing on the Valeo cracked and later flew off. The wiper stayed in place but this cheap plastic is a design flaw. I replaced them with Trico Chill Winter Blades. Besides having a metal casing they come with a protective sleeve that covers the blade. So far they are performing great. Will update if they don't.

I have to say in the last few hours driving north on 91, we saw about 30 cars that had spun off the road; plenty of SUV's and even a pickup that was flipped over. The LR4 performed brilliantly. I stayed in low range and used the snow mode and it was my first time experiencing snow with the Nokian WRG2's. We were prepared to pull off the road and stay in a motel if I felt it was too dangerous but despite blinding snow and unplowed highways there were only two occasions where I felt traction loss. It was stressful, but we made it safe, thanks in large part to an amazing piece of machinery.
__________________

Update: Lots of rain, some sleet and snow here in the Northeast. The Trico blades (front and rear) have performed as I hoped, as good as the Valeo All Season (both run silent, no streaking). Because of the metal casing - you hear the click as they engage the arm and lock into place - I recommend them over the Valeo.

TLB · Dec 12, 2014

umbertob said:
Just to complete this thread, the rear 16" wiper blade uses the same J-hook as the front ones, it's just a bit trickier to open up the hook and release the old blade due to the limited clearance and access inside the covered wiper arm on the rear window. But, as mentioned above it's no big deal.

I've also decided to completely ignore PeterA's warning at the beginning of this thread and purchased a set of Valeo Ultimate 900-22-1B for the front and a single Valeo 600-16 blade for the rear. We don't get snow around here, so I hope I won't have the same experience he had. Supposed to rain again in SoCal tonight, so testing them soon.

Umberto,
How are Valeo ultimate wipers performing so far in the rain you guys got recently?

Valeo wiper blades let me down ,,,

umbertob

Full Access Member

cperez

Full Access Member

Surfrider77

Full Access Member

umbertob

Full Access Member

Biagetti

Full Access Member

aj22

Well-Known Member

TLB

Full Access Member

cperez

Full Access Member

PeterA

Full Access Member

TLB

Full Access Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Share this page