Wiper Blades?

[TexasViper35]

What wiper blades are you folks using? I’ve been paying my dealership $100 a set for years. But I’m thinking of trying Rain X or Bosch (my parts store says they fit). The OEM ones just can’t handle the sun here in Texas for more than a year or so.

 

[MoparMap]

Does Bosch or Rain X actually make a Viper wiper blade? I thought the issue was more that the Viper used a very unique mounting method that isn't like any other car so you didn't have any other options. My backup plan one of these days was to see about frankensteining my own set. I've only ever put one new set on my car, but I kept the old ones (or at least I thought I did, would have to find them...). They are basically just a piece of spring steel with the actual rubber glued to them, and the rubber looks like your typical wiper. I was going to strip the rubber from the old set and see about gluing on my own from another wiper of similar size. It's awfully fiddly, but I've heard that it's been done before.

 

[ViperDad]

I have long used the method of glueing with cyanoacrylate. The originals use the same glue and any cheap blade you can find to cut off the segment that is held to the blade back. Again, plain old superglue! Take it from a guy with over 5 decades of research in superglue! Just buy some generics off of rock auto and keep a stock. Remember that where you put it is where it will stick. There is no working time for adjustment. Practice or you will have to rip it off. It is also convenient to warm up the old blade to about 250 F as that softens the glue and it easily peels off and then wipe it with acetone.

 

[ViperDad]

PS this will not work with silicone rubber. Nothing sticks to silicone

 

[Qtr Turn]

I don't see that anyone answered BYAIC back in April '22. If someone knows, hopefully, I would like the brand and part number of "aftermarket" windshield wiper blades for my 2003 Viper. Not just a part number from a catalog. A brand and number you have USED. BOY, I hope I can give some one a big thank you!

 

[MoparMap]

I don't know that any aftermarket companies actually make blades that are a direct fit. Rockauto lists Hella blades and Mopar, but the Hella picture at least is a conventional blade, so I don't think it will work. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think I've ever seen anything but Mopar in the style of the Viper, hence the workarounds people have had to find to reuse stuff. I have long wondered why Dodge picked such an oddball setup. I'm guessing it had something to do with aero, performance, or generally space claim issues, but it still feels very "custom" and not any kind of "off the shelf". For what it's worth I was thinking the wiper system in general was made by Trico. I might be thinking of the gen 1 though. I remember seeing a sticker for some manufacturer on the motor and frame assembly when working on either my mom's 94 or my 04, but can't recall off the top of my head. It was a brand I recognized though, so I would guess they were probably the ones that made the blades as well.

 

[Qtr Turn]

I just ordered the STOCK wipers from Rockauto. thanks for your suggestions.

 

[TexasViper35]

I have long used the method of glueing with cyanoacrylate. The originals use the same glue and any cheap blade you can find to cut off the segment that is held to the blade back. Again, plain old superglue! Take it from a guy with over 5 decades of research in superglue! Just buy some generics off of rock auto and keep a stock. Remember that where you put it is where it will stick. There is no working time for adjustment. Practice or you will have to rip it off. It is also convenient to warm up the old blade to about 250 F as that softens the glue and it easily peels off and then wipe it with acetone.

This is the best reply, unfortunately. I could not find a direct replacement anywhere. Just have to pay the dealer $89 + tax for both sides or do what this gentleman describes.

Our blades are pricey but the parts guy told me that all MOPAR blades are, it has nothing to do with the high speed capability of the car.

But if you follow his instructions it will cost next to nothing. My problem is I’m terrible when it comes to using Super Glue type products! But I guess with practice anything is possible. The 250° thing seems to be very important, I tried to rip one of the old ones off out of curiosity and it didn’t go well!

 

[MoparMap]

I bet you could probably make a little fixture to make gluing things on straight a little easier. I could see a simple channel the width of the metal blade back with a slot cut down the middle that would hold the rubber portion. Set the rubber in the slot, put glue on the back, then line the metal backing up with the sides of the channel and press down. I'm half tempted to try 3d printing something like that now that I think about it. I lucked into a new set of blades years ago, but kept my old ones for just this reason, assuming I can remember where I put them, lol.

 

[kcarlasc]

The RainX blades are a close fit. They will go on but are loose. A drop silicone or something would probably work to keep them on

 

[BoremViper97]

This whole thread has me confused- I checked out the wipers on my 97 RT/10 and they look perfectly normal to me. Same as a million other wipers I’ve seen in my life.
What am I missing?

 

[MoparMap]

The gen 3+ wipers are very different. They are basically a single strip of flat spring steel with a blade glued to them. They aren't the typical construction that has multiple arches stacked together to contour to a windshield. I believe the mounting system for them is slightly different than many others as well, so just one more thing that makes replacements harder to find.

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[DRionero]

I purchased factory wiper blade replacements but I understand it is possible to glue wiper blades to the existing wiper blade arm? the driver blade is 16", the passenger blade is 19". I have replacement blades that are the correct lengths. I would like to know if anyone has had any luck gluing new wiper elements to the existing Gen 3 wiper arms? Thanks for your support...David

 

[TexasViper35]

Read the thread, your question was answered early on.

 

[palmbaysteve]

I just tried replacing my blades as Viperdad states and it worked well . Thanks!

I didn't go exactly as planned so I figured I would post my experience.
I did heat the blades up to 250 degrees and the old rubber came of easy but I very fine strip of rubber/glue remained. I tried acetone but it didn't do the job.
So I took out my map has torch and a blade and it made easy work of it.

I bought blades from Amazon for around $6, I will post a picture.
I figured I would cut to length and only glue two inches at the middle so after it dried I would work each side.
What I found out is super glue on metal does not dry instantly so I had allot of working time. I used painters tape on the top of the blade so after I applied super glue I could fold it up and cradle it. Worked great. After an hour I did the other side. Some taping went well others I added a top piece of tape for positioning and tightness.

I installed them on the car and it's perfect.

 

[duqx]

Thanks for posting that info Palmbaysteve. Happen to have a link to the blades you purchased from Amazon?

 

[Gen5GTS]

i have a Gen 5 and from my experience, it’s just not worth the aggravation putting on wiper blades from Bosch or Rain X. They don’t fit well and have the very low profile the OEMs have. It’s not something you’re having to buy every month… just get the OEMs and stop wasting your time. There are several outlets on the internet that sell you the OEMs for a lot less than Mopar or others. I bought some recently for $115 each from the $299 list price. If I can remember the site I’ll post it.