Terrible OEM Wipers - Will PIAA Super Silicone blades work?

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pjwr2004

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Messages
11
I got my red 2014 Leaf SV about 3 weeks ago and loving it so far! I came across an issue with the OE wipers last night. It was raining moderately and I was having a very hard time seeing through the windshield. Everything was hazy and the wipers just didn't seem to be clearing the water off the windshield very well. Also, there was a grating sound almost like there was grit on the windshield which I found out there is not. Even after cleaning the Windshield twice, I'm still having trouble which is a serious safety concern.

On my other car, I've been using PIAA Super Silicone Wiper Blades Refills (just the rubber blade) and have had an excellent experience with those. From what I understand, the silicone blades coat the windshield with a film of silicone that repels rain drops. In fact, there are times when I don't even turn the wipers on since the drops roll right off.

I've done a lot of searching and have not been able to come up a an answer. Will these blade inserts (refills) work on the Leaf? If this brand/model does not work, can you guys advise me some some good refills? I do NOT want to replace the wiper assembly, just the blades.

Here is a link of the ones I'm looking at:

http://www.tirerack.com/wipers/detail.jsp?ID=1052&autoMake=Nissan&autoModel=Leaf&autoYear=2012&autoModClar=SV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks in advance,
Paul
 
On a new car, there can be contaminants on the glass. Try a deep-cleaning before giving up on the OEM blades. There are products for this, but in the past I've simply used a paste of baking soda, water and a touch of dish soap. Also clean the blade rubber itself with a cloth and some window cleaner. I've also seen people recommend Bon Ami to deep-clean the glass, but I haven't tried it.
 
Nubo said:
On a new car, there can be contaminants on the glass. Try a deep-cleaning before giving up on the OEM blades. There are products for this, but in the past I've simply used a paste of baking soda, water and a touch of dish soap. Also clean the blade rubber itself with a cloth and some window cleaner. I've also seen people recommend Bon Ami to deep-clean the glass, but I haven't tried it.

Thanks! I'll give it a shot and see if it improves any.
 
I have Bosch something or other from Autozone. Graphite impregnated. Quiet and smooth and work well. Around $16 each IIRC.

The other product I use is the Rain-X with Bug remover (I'm in Texas ya'll) in place of the blue crap most cars are filled with for the washers. This works as expected but DON'T blend it with regular stuff. Run a tank of water through completely, then add the Rain-X.

I think Rain-X has at least two, the other is for icy weather IIRC but again, I'm in Texas. :)
 
PIAA blades work fine with LEAF arms, but PIAA 'Super Silicone' refills don't fit LEAF original blades. I'm hoping the rubber in the PIAAs outperforms the lame, streak-prone Nissan product. We refilled the Nissan originals twice on our 2012 SL, with only short-term benefit. Love the car -- wipers, not so much.
 
just installed bosch icon 26" on driver side and 16" on passenger side, world of difference......i know the part finders don't show them to be compatible but they are on my 2013 sv....
 
Just wanted to post that the wiper blades on the 2015 still suck. I guess I may need to invest in some nicer ones... the streaking and loud squeal of them drives me a little nuts. I will be trying to clean the blades and my windshield tonight...
 
pjwr2004 said:
I've done a lot of searching and have not been able to come up a an answer. Will these blade inserts (refills) work on the Leaf? If this brand/model does not work, can you guys advise me some some good refills? I do NOT want to replace the wiper assembly, just the blades.

sibelman said:
PIAA blades work fine with LEAF arms, but PIAA 'Super Silicone' refills don't fit LEAF original blades. I'm hoping the rubber in the PIAAs outperforms the lame, streak-prone Nissan product. We refilled the Nissan originals twice on our 2012 SL, with only short-term benefit. Love the car -- wipers, not so much.

Sibelman, how were your results with PIAA? Paul, what did you end up doing?

I'm amazed at how poor the OEM wipers are on my new-to-me '13 and am normally a refill guy, but figure I'm not exactly giving up a perfect fit if I toss the OEM assemblies. I'd like to get PIAA assemblies and then use their refills as needed (which is hopefully less often than rubber).

Thanks!
 
The only Only secret to good wipers, providing the new ones are half decent, is changing them yearly. $7 each from Costco:)
 
The Nissan OEM wiper blades are horrible. I've gone through three or four sets now and am absolutely not buying them again. The don't even work well for a season.

For the 2011 there are Honda inserts that I'm going to try this next winter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFDFHWC/?coliid=IQ1NAEIYI9TB6&colid=23D7EHS71MCZF&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFDG118/?coliid=I2SQSWJ21GFFU2&colid=23D7EHS71MCZF&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
 
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