Wiper blades
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Tegger (4)
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Yes, there are genuine Honda wiper parts, and they are far superior to any aftermarket alternative.
You can buy these parts:
1) The "refill".
This is the rubber part only (actually contacts the windshield), which is part of the "blade". On most Hondas you need to keep the steel strips that originally came with your factory refills. You transfer the strips to the new refill, then install the new refill into the existing blade. The refills are about $5-$7 each.
2) The "blade".
This is the part that clips onto the wiper arm which bolts to the car. These are on the order of $40-$50 each, and come with a rubber "refill" already installed.
If you have discarded your $40 factory wiper blades, OEM refills may not fit properly into whatever aftermarket item is currently installed. You may be able to find OEM blades at a wrecking yard. If not, bite the bullet and get new blades at the dealer.
Honda doesn't make their own blades (most car makers do not either), Valeo/SWF, Bosch, Anco, or Trico are the likely OEMs for them. Buying the OEM blade or refill is just plain expensive and unnecessary.
I have used Trico's Exact Fit line on most foreign cars from Mercedes to Honda, Toyota, and everything in between. They fit and look like the originals and you can get them at any auto parts chain for under $12 each depending on the blade size. They also work excellent. Anco has a similar line called Contour. I have them on my Pontiac G6 and they are nearly dead matches for the originals. They've been on there a year and still clean great.
The trick is to keep the wiper blades clean and wash/clean them when you wash the car. The ozone and dirt degrade the rubber.
On something that old, most times the blade is bent/weathered and a new set of blades with the refills already attached does the trick. The only time I buy refills alone are for my classic cars because I want the look of the OEM arm (they don't see the rain anyway
).Tegger says...
Believe it or not, I kept the original Honda blades. I could claim that's because I knew I would need them, but in truth I just never got around to throwing them away.
The old ones were still working fine, but the rubber was starting to come apart, and I was afraid I'd end up gouging the glass.
So I'll see about getting the refills.
Thanks very much.
Believe it or not, I kept the original Honda blades. I could claim that's because I knew I would need them, but in truth I just never got around to throwing them away.
The old ones were still working fine, but the rubber was starting to come apart, and I was afraid I'd end up gouging the glass.
So I'll see about getting the refills.
Thanks very much.
Tegger (4)
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No kidding.
Honda (like most automakers) makes precious few of their own parts, but replies on outside suppliers for most of them.
The point here is that the parts sold under the Honda brand at Honda (and Acura) dealers have been manufactured and tested to HONDA SPECS. That's the ONLY way for the suppliers to get Honda to put Honda's highly-respected brand-name on them. Honda, like most Japanese automakers, is /exceedingly/ exacting about the standards to which the parts are made that will carry their brand. Those automaker specs mean EVERYTHING! It's a big part of the reason OE is more expensive.
Just about all OE suppliers provide for the aftermarket as well, but there is no way of telling if the aftermarket parts are made to the same quality standards as parts from the same companies sold under the Honda brand. Often (but not always!) they are decidely not.
For a fact, suppliers are prohibited from using automaker "blueprints" and specs in designing their aftermarket parts. OEMs selling to the aftermarket must design their aftermarket parts as close as they can come to OE without actually using the official OE specs, tooling and jigs as provided by the manufacturer. OE specs are copyrighted and "Property of..." appears on all automaker-supplied tools and fitting-jigs.
I've been working on cars since 1981, using both OE and aftermarket parts. I can tell you with a high degree of confidence that OE is almost always best: It fits bets, works best, and lasts best.
You might get lucky with certain aftermarket (and some aftermarket is indeed of pretty good quality), but the operative term here is "get lucky". With OE Honda you are certain of top-quality: no "get lucky" needed.
Tegger (4)
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Tegger says...
Believe it or not, I kept the original Honda blades. I could claim that's because I knew I would need them, but in truth I just never got around to throwing them away.
The old ones were still working fine, but the rubber was starting to come apart, and I was afraid I'd end up gouging the glass.
So I'll see about getting the refills.
Thanks very much.
You've been very wise!
When you install the refills, make ABSOLUTELY certain that ALL of the little hooks catch the refill properly! Miss one and the glass may indeed get scratched.
Also, be aware that:
If the metal strips are FLAT, they can go on any-which-way. If they are CURVED, point them so the ends point UP (away from the windshield) for the driver's side, and DOWN (towards the windshield) for the passenger side.
One last point: Refills are supposed to be replaced every year...at LEAST. Replace them in the fall. And clean the glass before installing the new refills.
Why people seem to think refills are supposed to last forever is quite beyond me.
---Then why are you telling the poster to spend $40 on blades that are just reboxed from someone else?
----Some of those same suppliers supply everyone else in the industry too.
---That is not 100% correct. Delco supplied Honda's batteries for years. Delco of course being part of GM. Same battery brand you could buy in the aftermarket. In fact, the replacements were better---they had higher CCA ratings and reserve capacity ratings over the originals that came in the car.
If you buy only dealer parts and believe, 'well it's OEM, it's better', you're very ignorant of the automotive industry and the market in general. You do realize that when a vehicle ages, the OEM often changes suppliers. What that means is that you may very well get an aftermarket part in that OEM box. For instance, the Honda OEM oil filter may eventually be the same Fram (to the same specs) that you buy in your local auto parts store. Or, it's the same Purolator (who whoever the supplier of choice is).
I worked in the auto industry for 10 years, so I know your theory is flawed
.--Sure there is. Just ask them. I do it all the time. You have to realize that they're not going to reinvent their oil filter for Honda or for anyone else, because they normally don't have to. You're not getting better motor oil from the Honda dealer as you are from your local auto parts store, because Mobil Clean 5000 that GM put in the car from the factory is in fact the same stuff you buy on your parts store shelf. If you want proof, visit your local GM dealer and ask them what Goodwrench motor oil is.
Honda does the same thing---from one of the major oil companies. And, the newsflash is that they do it with virtually everything on the car.
So do most automakers.
----That is also incorrect, as tooling is often jointly shared between the OEM supplier and the automaker. Ford TPS sensors from CTS Corporation (who also supply vritually everyone else) is a good example. Ford tells CTS what they need in a TPS, and it's made for them.
AC Delco is considered an aftermarket, and that same PF61 oil filter you buy in Walmart is the same as the dealer is selling you for $7.00 over the counter. Oftentimes, the aftermarket part even has the same stamping and ID #s as the dealer part.
You also do realize that most of the aftermarket guys aren't making those parts in their own facilities, they are reboxing parts from suppliers---in most cases, especially on newer technology, the only source IS the OEM supplier. And yes, they do sell to the aftermarket.
---You've obviously never been on the inside in the manufacturer/ supplier end as I have. Then you'd know that statement is incorrect.
--Until they change their supplier to an aftermarket supplier and put it in their box. At that point, you're paying double for an aftermarket part that's no better than the one at your local auto parts store.
Tegger (4)
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So did I.
so I know your theory is flawed
What "theory"? What I say is based on personal experience.
Honda doesn't make their own blades (most car makers do not either), Valeo/SWF, Bosch, Anco, or Trico are the likely OEMs for them. Buying the OEM blade or refill is just plain expensive and unnecessary.
I have used Trico's Exact Fit line on most foreign cars from Mercedes to Honda, Toyota, and everything in between. They fit and look like the originals and you can get them at any auto parts chain for under $12 each depending on the blade size. They also work excellent. Anco has a similar line called Contour. I have them on my Pontiac G6 and they are nearly dead matches for the originals. They've been on there a year and still clean great.
Why bother with $12 after-market solution when you can get an OEM refill for about half that price? Frankly, I've been replacing my refills about twice a year and find the cost of those OEM parts pretty insignificant compared to other parts.
This whole conversation has educated me a lot, for which I thank everybody. I just joined this group when we bought a 2010 Honda Pilot Touring, so don't need new wipers soon, but I have a question.
What about using Rain-X?
I've used it on other cars and it seems to work well, following their lengthy application process. I think that it has extended the life of blades, but I was told that it builds up, and I should be completely cleaning the glass and re-applying every so often. I have no connection to the company, so this is not some hidden spam message, just curious about it.
----You worked for a supplier/manufacturer or as a technician? As a parts person?
---The theory that you have to buy dealer parts to get quality parts. As well as the theory that there's no gamble when you buy OEM parts.
That's completely incorrect.
What happens is that the original tooling eventually wears out. The original correct style parts inventory is sold out. The manufacturer (Honda in this case) has a couple of choices:
1) Buy more from that original supplier. Assuming there is a demand for that 15+ year old part that same way, they may choose to have the manufacturer (SWF, Bosch, etc) make more the same way.
2) They may change suppliers to someone else, which is often the case. It may not be exact as the original, but it will work just fine. And it happens to be the same part sitting at your local auto parts store for 1/2 the price....
3) Discontinue the part. Oftentimes, this is done on trim parts that were only used for a year or two. They may not have Eagle Ottowa or GST make that one year leather seat cover used on something (say like an Anniversary edition Accord). Or, they may supply yardage leather and an auto upholsterer has to make it up out of that material.
Either way, your theory is incorrect no matter how you slice it. Based on what you've stated, it doesn't appear to be from the manufacturer's/ supplier's side either.
You worked for a supplier/manufacturer or as a technician?
Here's the bottom line: The poster has many choices to go with. I was just giving him another alternative.
If you think that Honda OEM parts are something magical, then that's fine. That's your choice. I just choose to fix things the right way using that same part for a lot less money.
I remember back in the 1980's when the power steering accumulator balls for BMW were $300 from the dealer. You could buy those and charge the customer, or buy the $60 German OEM supplier "aftermarket" made item (complete with the BMW part #s on it) and charge the customer less on his bill, AND give him/her the same part as the dealership would give them. The shop made money, the customer saved and got a quality repair.
Made for some happy customers!
Again, your choice....just providing another angle.
Tegger (4)
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I did work for the vendors themselves, the companies that supplied automakers with the parts that ended up on the cars. I was on the floor with the engineers and project managers, so I got to see (and get told)
a lot.
There are certain parts that are indeed often off-the-shelf. Bearings, spark plugs, alternators, that sort of thing. Even the components used on printed circuit boards are normally off-the-shelf. In those cases, you can definitely find the exact same part at jobbers.
There are indeed aftermarket parts that are easily of equal quality as OEM at a fraction of the cost of OEM. Radiators and windshields are good examples. My Integra sports a Visteon rad right now.
Sometimes even items like clutches may be off-the-shelf, and the only difference between aftermarket and OEM is the name on the box. The trick? That you need to guess which one is which. Unless you're in the trade, you're unlikely to know for sure which parts are the same between OEM and aftermarket.
It does not matter who made the part, or if the automaker gave a contract to one supplier or another at different times. In the end, all suppliers are the same: they MUST produce according to the automaker's precise specs. That, as I said, makes ALL the difference. Sometimes the supplier will have an off-the-shelf part that will work for the intended use, but is designed slightly differently. In those cases, Honda will approve the variance if the finished product meets their specs and is compatible with the rest of the assembly. You'll then find two different part numbers for what appears to be the same part, and the parts catalog will list the maker of the part as well as the part number.
For most parts, especially important stuff like brakes, ignition, exhaust, wipers, cooling system, suspension, charging, and, in the case of some of Honda's fluids, OEM is superior to aftermarket by a large margin.
In the end, for most parts, automaker-branded parts are the best and the safest.
Tegger (4)
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s many choices to go with. I was
Not "magical", just the best and the safest.
Not "magical", just the best and the safest.
billzz said:
Completely cleaning the glass makes sense if the new wiper gets used right away after installation. But what if you install it on a dry day and get to use it first time perhaps a week later? The glass gets dirty by then, won't it?
All glass except the windshield. If you have Rain X on your WS in a light rain, at slow speeds or sitting still, the wipers wipe the WS so dry that there is no lubrication for the wipers on their return path. Which can cause them to make that horrible noise (in some cases even jumping off of the WS) that you hear when using wipers on a dry WS Not good for the glass or the blades.
---Well, I was a product manager, so while you "got told" the information, I was the guy that would have been telling it to you if we worked for the same people. In other words, I was the missing piece for your information.
---Which is what I was getting to
.
---And some are better quality.
----Incorrect. With the advent of the internet, you can find out things like that in a snap. Case in point. My grandfather's older Kenmore washing machine. The timer went bad. I could try to find an OEM WLP part and pay through the nose (because it's NLA), try to buy it from Sears (who is just reboxing it, getting it from WLP anyway and overcharging you), or buy the MTS part.
Of course, since MTS (Midwest Timer Services) makes the OEM Whirlpool part, it's the same exact thing. Within five minutes, I found an MTS replacement on Ebay for $23 brand new. The part was $100+ when available from WLP. Anyone could have figured this out by looking at the part they were replacing.
---You bet it matters who made the part. Some companies parts aren't good, even if they are in an OEM's box. Some are great aftermarkets. All depends. I'm very much aware of what you're talking about, as I introduced new products as a product manager for 10 years, including finding the sources for the parts.
I don't think anyone would argue that if you buy a Bosch part for a German car, that you're buying the OEM part without the markup. If you buy an NTK oxygen sensor, and it's the "OEM" (not universal version), you're buying the same part as the dealer has for 1/2 the price. These parts are just as good as dealer parts---because they ARE dealer parts. In fact, sometimes the parts departments reference the Bosch # as well as the OEM #.
Now, if Honda switches and now buys that same O2 sensor from a different vendor and changes the numbers (or even keeps the number the same), and slips you an aftermarket part that "meets spec" but isn't from the same vendor, you might be pleasantly surprised at its quality.
Most OEM's figure that they are not going to see an 15 year old car in their service bay, so to keep parts from that original supplier (which is expensive if you have to make a short run of them) for the 20 you're going to sell a year doesn't make economic sense.
---This is also incorrect. A stainless steel exhaust is better than its OEM aluminized counterpart,. Delco's Durastop line is Raybestos PG Plus reboxed for example. Honda's fluids were Mobil in some cases. .
---Again, if that's what you believe, your perogative. It's far from the truth. It's OK to differ on opinions.