Wiper Blades Should be Standardized for US Cars

[tony1963]

I'm amazed that auto manufacturers have been allowed to produce cars that take a vehicle-specific wiper blade since the wiper blade is somewhat of a safety item.

Last week I helped a woman get wiper blades on her XXX.  None of the wipers bought at traditional places fit despite the manufacturer claiming that they would.  So, I did some research.

It seems that the vehicle was engineered with a very specific connection at the wiper arm and no one was supplying the blade.  No one other than the dealer, of course.

I priced the blades with the dealer and even at wholesale cost, it was $58.  The dealer describes two wiper blades as a "kit".  

So, she didn't have the money to buy the wiper blades even at my cost which I offered.  

I should have pursued a legal career since I can see the prohibitive cost of the wiper blades a contributing factor in an accident.  I would argue that the manufacturer knew or should have known that the high cost to maintain a basic safety device would lead to poor vision in bad weather but didn't care.  They just wanted the extra profit and to hell with safety.

I want to see legislation that requries standardization of all parts that are basic DIY items that are safety issues.

[legitimate_bidder]

The solution to every problem isn't more legislation. In-fact, that is usually the cause of more problems. Look at how much of what goes into modern cars IS mandated by government fiat 9Even what goes into Fiats! -and they suck!]- A bazillion airbags; back-up cameras; vision-obstructing A-pillars; vision-obstructing high-back seats, yada, yada,....

At least [for the time being] people are still free to choose whether they want to buy vehicles with proprietary components, or ones which take more generic parts. I prefer the generic- just as I do with computers and their operating systems, which is why I avoid Windows and Apple, and opt for Free Open Source Software....but 97% of the population doesn't seem to care...so let 'em have what they want and are willing to pay for. What's the crime in that?   

I thought you were of Austrian descent? Didn't any Ludwig Von Mises rub off on you?

[divwido]

My wiper blades are rather specific and I bought new ones at Wal Mart.

[divwido]

And, if you need a platform, why not try the exorbitant cost of Epi Pens?

[tony1963]

The point is that if a basic safety feature has an economic barrier because of intentional design formats intended to increase profits, then there needs to be intervention.  We had standardization of vehicle diagnostic connections in 1996 known as OBD II so that a manufacturer couldn't intentionally make the vehicle difficult to diagnose.

A wiper blade that sells for $74 a pair is enough for most people to pause and not change.  That is just plain wrong.

[legitimate_bidder]

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@tony1963wrote:

A wiper blade that sells for $74 a pair is enough for most people to pause and not change.  That is just plain wrong.

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Yep. So don't buy the car which takes such wiper blades. Problem solved. I was in the market for a meat grinder for my mother a while back. I discovered that the otherwise good and reasonably priced grinder I was looking at, took proprietary blades which were virtually unobtainable. So what did I do? Did I write my Congressman and demand that he enact legislation requiring that all meat grinders accept standard blades, or post some kind of warning if they don't? Nope. I simply chose to buy a different grinder that accepts standard #8 grinder blades. (It was a good decision...as my mother just last week ended up losing the blade, and I've had to order a new one!)

There are also two sides to every coin. You could mandate uniformity...and then someone could come up with an idea which works better, or is cheaper, etc. but then is prevented from implementing it because of the legislation requiringf conformity to certain universal standards.

That is why in a free market there is plenty of room for both innovation and improvement, as well as tried-ansd-true generic keep-it-cheap stuff...and the consumer is free to choose. When one imposes artificial constraints on the free market, it never ends well.

[tony1963]

You miss the point completely.  Let me try again.

Since the wiper blade is a safety feature, it should be readily available and not have economic barriers preventing the owner from changing them when needed.  I have no problem with a better designed blade, but purposely changing the attaching point to create a proprietary connection which increases the cost is wrong.

Why not come up with unique light bulbs or, better yet, unique washer fluid with a sensor that determines the chemical composition of the fluid and will not work if the composition does not match?

Better yet, let's create a unique tire and wheel that are so expensive that the owner is forced back to the dealer to buy a replacement.

[jrinam]

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@legitimate_bidderwrote 

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Yep. So don't buy the car which takes such wiper blades. Problem solved.

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wiper blade compatabilty is the first, and often the only thing i check when purchasing a new or used vehicle. isnt that normal? i dont see how anyone could ever buy a car without pricing replacement wiper blades first!

[legitimate_bidder]

@tony1963

I understand POIFECTLY what yer saying, Tony- and really, look, it has gotten to the point some bulbs (notably headlights) are both vehicle-specific AND very expensive; ditto some tire sizes these days, etc.  And I agree with you in principle- but all I'm saying is that manufacturers should be kept in line by their customers desires and choices, rather than bureacracy.

I mean, it's not like Johnny Hayforker is buying his first horseless carriage. Most people these days are aware of such caveats, reagrdless of what they are buying....and many simply don't care.

[legitimate_bidder]

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@jrinamwrote:

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@legitimate_bidderwrote 

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Yep. So don't buy the car which takes such wiper blades. Problem solved.

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wiper blade compatabilty is the first, and often the only thing i check when purchasing a new or used vehicle. isnt that normal? i dont see how anyone could ever buy a car without pricing replacement wiper blades first!

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Yeah, now that's what I would...... Oh.... sarcasm/satire! Yooou!

Hey, my problem with wiper blades these days, is that they don't last! I've never had to replace blades as often as I have had to in the last few years! I by a set (and not the real cheap-O ones!)...they're on the truck for a few months...get used maybe once...and then the next time I turn 'em on, they're flapping around, falling apart!

[jrinam]

it isnt from use either. my jag is hardly driven and wipers usually junk after a few times, they fall apart yearly! i have 3 vehicles i drive, only one sees daily use in all weather and gets abused more than it should. wipers last the same on all 3! you would think dragging wipers over the ice would wear them quickly but they fall apart long before they ever wear out.

[tony1963]

History tells us that auto manufacturers don't generally improve the product safety unless it is mandated or demanded by the consumer.

I seriously doubt that a consumer would price wiper blades before making a purhase.  That said, I will be writing our state's senator to recommend legislation requiring all wiper blades to be standardized at least at the connection point on the arm.  In this manner, the aftermarket can drive the price down without having 20 different possibilities.

[pingpong517]

wow ... you know you could name many parts that "should" be under this rule...but really you think that a congressman ...person....is going to jump up and think this is worth time and money and energy to make happen?... really?  

ya know if you buy a ford..or any,....why is it wrong to have to buy from a service center for that brand? When you buy a printer, don't you have to use the brand ink.... oh sure there is "off brands" but are the really good, as designed....or "good enough".... my point off brands and copies of parts are good enough, but many many times the parts made and designed for the item, do and are the best.

for a wiper blade... The companies that make them either must get the rights or decide that that model will sell enough to produce...lots of reasons...BUT you want govertment to demand ...and then someone else decide all rims on cars fit each other, brake pads are all the same, oil is all one grade , air filters , oil filters, name it...when would it stop?....

it aint possible and aint going to happen ----  safty...if they dont work, dont drive...you can afford the wiper for the car you own...don't drive it when it rains....

p.s. mind has a weirs connector and yeop some don't work...but duct tape fixes everything!

[legitimate_bidder]

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@jrinamwrote:

it isnt from use either. my jag is hardly driven and wipers usually junk after a few times, they fall apart yearly! i have 3 vehicles i drive, only one sees daily use in all weather and gets abused more than it should. wipers last the same on all 3! you would think dragging wipers over the ice would wear them quickly but they fall apart long before they ever wear out.

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Exactly! I drive maybe 3000 miles a year these days, split between two vehicles. Very rarely do I have to even turn the wipers on...but when I do...sure enough, it always seems that one of 'em is broken! :But I just bought them 9 months ago!".

In the past, sheesh, I hard ever bought wiper blades, even though I used to drive a LOT more and only had one vehicle. Seems like they'd last forever, until recently.

[legitimate_bidder]

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@tony1963wrote:

History tells us that auto manufacturers don't generally improve the product safety unless it is mandated or demanded by the consumer.

.

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So? If that indeed were the case, what gives others the right to dictate the level of safety one finds acceptable? -and if those who assume such a responsibility are the elected representatives of those to whom they are dictating what level of safety they practice, shouldn't that level of safety be that of the people being represented? In which case it does not need to be legislated.