The wipers that were on the vehicle when I purchased it were finally starting to give up the fight, so I replaced them with the Rain-X Latitude this past weekend. I was originally going to get Bosch ICON, but Auto-Zone wanted $25 each, and the RX wipers were buy one get one 50% off, at $19 each...

So far, they seem to work great but appear a bit longer than the OEM. Can't tell yet whether or not there is contact being made with the windshield trim. My major complaint is with the way the wiper arm is now resting 1" higher than it used to. Since the RX wipers are the 1-piece airfoil, the wiper doesn't hide the hook, and the brackets for the RX wipers are massive.

Standing outside the vehicle, they do look much cleaner than the ones I took off.

It's enough of a difference that my eyes are constantly drawn to them, as they're now in my line of sight when looking down the hood.

Haven't tried them in the rain at highway speeds yet. Although, after thinking about it this weekend, I've never had the old wipers lift on me at speed while raining, even at 80mph. Which makes me wonder, at what speeds would the standard wipers start to lift? And finally, should I be going that fast (in the rain) in the first place?

At any rate, it's an improvement as my old ones were chattering. I do like the fact that the RX wipers have the RX solution built into them, so your windshield gets treatment as you use the wipers. At least, that's how is was with the set I had on my Danger-Ranger.

 

The original wipers blades are low profile. I replaced the blades only with low profile ones, That way I kept the original holders and saved money. The blades were about $10 for a pair and you have to cut them to length.
Throwing away good holders seems like a waste.
You have to cut the old blades a bit to release them but the replacements just snap into place.

 

I picked up a pair of them for my truck at Pep Boys when they had them buy one, get one free (mail-in rebate) over Thanksgiving. They work very smooth in the rain. I can't answer your lift question because my truck doesn't go that fast.

Be sure to install the rain-x on the windshield per the instructions.

 

I only wish I had the "true" OEM ones...

The lady that owned the car before me had simply replaced them with cheap Aanco blades and threw away the OEM assemblies with the aero blade.

They performed surprisingly well for over a year though...

 

I'm finding it harder and harder to find just the blade refills. It seams all the manufacturers all have a racket to make you buy the blade and holder which is such a waste.

 

The last time I went, the Chrysler dealer still sold them. You have to specify the MB blades and not the POS Mopar blades.

The next best thing to the OEM look are these PIAA's: PIAA Super Sporza Silicone Wipers (20b, 21b)

 

I read here somewhere that Audi or BMW sold blade refills. Remember that you want the low profile ones.
I think there are three sizes, about 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" wide.

 

Saved the link, thanks man! You rock.

I'll see if the RX wipers are contacting the trim... if they are, I'll 86 them in favor of the above. I didn't think the height would bug me, but apparently it does.

IIRC, the area near the cowl is a dead area so it won't create much drag either way... I just prefer them being out of my line of sight while they aren't being used. I'll see if I can take a photo this afternoon and show you all what I'm referring to...

 

John,

I had Icon's on my last car, and it came with them as well. Apparently that was the previous owners 'upgrade' and I mistakenly thought they all came with this type of high end bosche blade.

Having never seen the RX version, are they similar in size and design to the Icon's?

I ask because those Icon's, while they were pricey, were the best wipers I have ever used and am about to buy another set, but if the RX ones are comperable, maybe I will look there instead....

 

They're direct competitors to each other, so the designs are borderline identical. All except for the mounting point... there, the RX wipers lose IMO. The mechanism is just.... awkard/gangly.

But, they're 25% cheaper so I took the gamble. I kept my receipt tho

 

I have my Rx for about two years, time to get some new ones, they seem to hold good at 130 mph ok

 

Well thanks for the write up, I am leaning towards the Icon's again, but will wait to see your pictures with this akward mounting point.

I LOVE the way the Icon's look and perform, not to mention almost every high end car has them OEM

 

Okay guys, so the longevity of the Rain-X wipers will remain a mystery. Why? I TRADED THEM.

When I first bought the Rain-X, I only went with them because they were buy one, get one 50% off. The Bosch, on the other hand, were full retail @ $26 each.

This week, the sale reversed. Rain-X was full MSRP and the Bosch got the BOGOHO deal. So, being a good steward of the receipt, I swapped them.

Quite simply, the fit & finish of the Rain-X was not what I would tolerate on a vehicle of this class. And yes, even though we can buy our cars all day long for <$10K, I still consider them to be classy. The attach point was never as secure as I thought it should be. Combine that with the gangly mechanism right in the sight-line, and... eww.

Another issue I encountered was the fitment of the passenger side. There was roughly 2" on the end that failed to fully rest on the windshield. The blades did a good job, but only where they made solid contact.

After doing some searching, I followed Squirrel Crusher's advice and went with the Bosch ICON.

As he said, make sure you get 19A and 21B, as the airfoils are direction-specific.

I am TOTALLY pleased with these. They securely snap into place, and the finisher cap clicks over the attach point, leaving a very clean design that is not only twice as secure, but it looks as well-engineered as the rest of the car. Even though they still perch slightly higher than standard frame-style blades, I don't mind looking at these.

Heavy rains this morning on the way to work were a great test.

90mph and not a skip, smear, or streak.

Bosch ICON is win.

 

For those interested in the PIAA's, I've attached the PDF application guide.

 

As reported earlier, wiper blade refills are getting harder to find at local auto part houses. But I found this site with several types listed & available:

Wiper Blade Refills

Later,

 

lol i did the same thing and also think the wipers sit too high and look goofy now.

 

all you need really is the wiper blade length and you will find it very easy to find refills anywhere.

 

Try rain -x liquid you don't need wiper blade's it is truly awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I've found that getting the proper blade length can be an issue. Some wiper manufacturers won't make the blade you need. I've looked at several sites and the PS wiper listed for the Crossfire might be 21" or 22" depending on the site. So if you're not familiar with what was the original spec from Daimler-Chrysler, then you could get a blade that isn't ideally matched for the car.

And the Crossfire isn't the only vehicle with this issue. My 95 Jeep Wrangler has 11", 12" or 13" blades listed depending on where I buy them.

 

I'm a believer in the Rain-X product also. It's ability to keep the surface lubricated so water slides off, even in a major shower, is remarkable.