I have a 2006 Civic with about 11,000 miles so far. The windshield was a little streaky, so I decided to change the blades. Here's the scoop.

First, the replacement wiper blades are NOT available at NAPA, Advance, or other auto parts stores. You must buy them at Honda - they can be purchased individually if you want - I paid $6 for a single blade here in Raleigh, NC.

Next, when I got to the dealer, no one had ever replaced the blades on a Civic, so I let them do it for me while I watched carefully. I later found instructions in the owner's manual on exactly how to do it, but who reads the manual?

Anyway, press the small lock button on the top of the wiper arm. This releases the cap, which you will have to remove. Don't lose it, as you will need to replace it at the end. Using a little hand pressure, unclip the wiper blade assembly from the arm because you will need to work on the wiper blade assembly without it being on the car.

Using your fingers, carefully pull out the old rubber blade along with the two metal strips from the wiper blade assembly. Make sure you don't bend the metal strips or lose them - you will need them for the new blade, and they are not supplied with the new rubber wiper blade.

Place each metal strip on the sides of the rubber blade (there's no right, left, top or bottom of the metal strips, so don't worry about any kind of order). Carefully re-insert the new wiper blade and metal strips into the wiper blade assembly, being careful to not bend the rubber strip or the metal strips.

Clip the wiper blade assembly back onto the wiper arm on the car, and replace the cap - you DID remember to save the cap, didn't you? It should fasten with a 'click'.

Finally, run the wipers a few times to make sure everything is OK.

On a seperate note, I routinely get 47 mpg making a 50 mile daily round trip on mostly interstate highway. Best I've done is from Raleigh to Baltimore on the interstates - 54 mpg. I LOVE my car!

 

Welcome to GH! Thanks for the info. Makes for a nice first post.

Glad to hear you LOVE your car. I think most of us echo that sentiment also!

 

How do you clean the rubbers to remove the gradual grease build-up, yet keep them soft and pliable? Any tips?

 

There are wiper-blade reconditioning wipes available at some auto parts stores.

What I do is after each car wash I get a bit of armor-all (or another water based protectant) on a rag and gently wipe the edge of the blades. That helps eliminate the streaking and extends the vitality of the rubber.

I also use some Rain-X on the windows (in addition to the yearly sealant coats) to cause the water to bead away. Its is actually fun to drive through heavy rain down pours without using the wiper blades at all.

By doing the above I usually get 4 to 5 years out of a set of wiper blades. By the way, this includes the abuse of 5-6 winter months/year as well.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

That's the first time I have heard of Armor All used for the wiper blades....

Good tip MSantos.

 

Msantos

There are so many "Armor All" products. Sorry to be so obtuse, but which one are you referring to?

 

I was referrring to the commonly used "dash and vinyl protectant" used in the vehicles interior (some people use it for tires too with good results).

At the moment I am using EagleOne protectant spray. Seems to be just as good as armorall so far.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

303 Protectant is a premium product (or at least is priced like one). Those who use it, swear by it. Personally, I have never tried it myself. Good old Armor All works fine for me...

 

What is the "small button on the top of the wiper arm?" My wiper arms do not seem to have buttons; if I lift up the arm underneath there is a small lever I can squeeze but that doesn't seem to release the wiper from the arm. Where the arm attaches to the wiper at the middle of the wiper, there are two grippy spots on either side that I have tried pulling or pushing, but nothing seems to budge.

 

I clean the gunk off of my wipers by wetting a paper towel with carburetor cleaner and wiping the blade. This method not only cleans the road residue off, but also cleans the dry and "dead" rubber off of the blade. It makes them like new.

One other trick is to coat the windshield with Rejex. This stuff makes your windshield so slippery that neither rain nor bug will stick to it.