Bimmer Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Why not have the dealer ship it to you? Have you got a dealer who will do that? Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TambourineMan Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I just got my first Subaru (an '08 Outback LL Bean) in October. We have only been to the dealer to buy it, but are going for our first 3,750 service next week, so I don't really know. Except I can't imagine any dealer not ordering the wiper for you with a credit card over the phone and then sending it to you. If a dealer didn't do that I would complain to Subaru. But I really think they will all do it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simple Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 The wiper blade issue would only be a PITA if the dealership is far away in my mind. Otherwise, coming from owning a VW Passat, I am pretty excited to have a car that is this low of maintenance. Subaru parts are a lot cheaper as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I can't imagine any dealer not ordering the wiper for you with a credit card over the phone and then sending it to you. I meant, is there a dealer that would send the rear wiper blade as a warranty part... of course it would be easy enough to pay for it, and there are lots of dealers pushing internet sales and happily sending parts through the mail. Now, who is going to figure out how to put a regular wiper arm on? Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TambourineMan Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Are you kidding? How much is the wiper? I replaced my (front) wipers with Bosch Icons as we have been having an snowy, icy winter and the Subie ones caked up and the windshield heater only seems to work on the rubber, not the metal part of the wiper. I may put the old ones back on for the summer as they have only had two months of use but I think even the Icons were only about $20 a piece. It seems like your time and inconvenience is worth that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iyalla Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Actually http://www.tirerack.com have Valeos (same as Icons but no Bosch name) for $20 a pair. Buy one get one free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TambourineMan Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Funny story: I would have ordered the Valeos but we were planning to take a trip in the Outback and the weather report said a bad snow storm was coming. My wife drives the Outback so I went out to check it. I pulled the wiper stalk toward me and nothing. I said d@mn she's been using a lot of wiper fluid. So I put some more in. Tried it again. Nothing. So I went to my local store to buy some Icons and some Rainx as we did not have time to take it into a dealer. So we start off and I run the wipers and complain to my wife that our brand new Outback's window washers weren't working. She said they had been working for her and procedes to push the button on the end of the stalk. Duh! (I had read (some of) the manual and thought it said to mist the windshield, pull the stalk toward you (which is how all my other cars work.)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyDog Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 will the piaa super graphite 14" fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimGinCentralNJ Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 The rear wiper blade on my 05 OBXT split in half (the long way). Went to buy a replacement at Pepboys and Autozone. They told me it was a dealer only part. Problem is that the dealer parts dept is only open during "banking hours" when most people are at work. I don't see the logic in making a wiper blade that is exclusive to subaru only. Next thing you know, they'll make a headlight bulb that you can only buy at the dealership. This is my first Subaru and so far it's been a bad luck car for me. 1. Both headlight bulbs burn out in less than a year (fixed by disabling DRL). Ended up paying out of pocket for bulbs because it's not worth it for me to take a day off work to get some headlight bulbs replaced under warranty. 2. Front and rear Brake pads and rotors were gone after 33K miles. Had it fixed at independent shop (had no idea that it was covered under warranty as brakes are usually a wear and tear item). Mistake was my fault but still a negative experience with brakes wearing out at 33K miles. 3. I have to go to the dealer to get a friggin wiper blade??? I have owned japanese cars my whole life and this is the first one that I have had to address this many issues in the first 3 years of ownership. I almost feel like I should have bought a BMW instead. On #1, my dealer used to change the bulbs while I wait. They also have service hours until 7pm every night. It is definitely annoying how fast the bulbs burn out, but hopefully disabling the DRL's resolved it. On #2, I'm thinking you must be pretty tough on your brakes 'cause my '05 XT has 53k miles on it, and I'm changing the orig pads tomorrow. I think there's still some meat left on them, but I'm not willing to risk grooving my rotors by waiting. I'm with ya' on #3....and I'm glad you posted this 'cause I've been trying the local Autozone type places to find one....with no success. As for the BMW comment, I'm a long-time BMW owner and as passionate as I am about them (primarily the pre-Bangle eras) don't kid yourself about their reliability as compared to some of the long-standing Japanese brands out there like Subie. I still believe they're wonderful cars, but their reliability isn't what it once was. Cheaper materials, more electronic "doo-dads" to go sour and if you think you won't need to replace most of the cooling system componants by 50k miles on any new BMW.....guess again. Any by the way, stock BMW pads are about the softest made...which is why every BMW you see has its front wheels pitch-black with brake dust. If you tore thru a set on your Subie in 33k miles, I'd give you 12k max on a BMW. Just sayin'.... Cheers, Tim G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I just got my first Subaru (an '08 Outback LL Bean) in October. We have only been to the dealer to buy it, but are going for our first 3,750 service next week, so I don't really know. Except I can't imagine any dealer not ordering the wiper for you with a credit card over the phone and then sending it to you. If a dealer didn't do that I would complain to Subaru. But I really think they will all do it for you. It's covered under the 3 year 36,000 warranty, so stop by before it expires and get a new one for free. Mine was replaced at 35,300 miles. Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TambourineMan Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 You get what you pay for and sometimes you pay more than you should. One of the motto's that I highly rate is TANSTAAFL (there ain't no such thing as a free lunch). Now in the case of the wipers blades I and the Opie probably paid for it already. I could have left the original blades on the windshield and had them replaced as or if needed. I would rather be able to see well even in icy, snowy rainy conditions. The design of the OEM blades is not as good as the Icons or the Valeos. Being better able to avoid an accident is worth much more to me than a free blade versus paying 20 bucks. And as the Opie points out sometimes your time and inconvenience is worth more than the cost ofa blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfdal Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Same situation on the Foresters, since the 04 MY. IIRC, a lot folks just replaced the entire arm with one that took a standard refill. An especially good idea if you liked to run a covered winter blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Same situation on the Foresters, since the 04 MY. IIRC, a lot folks just replaced the entire arm with one that took a standard refill. An especially good idea if you liked to run a covered winter blade. I'd be willing to do this. Can you tell us which wiper arm people transplanted? Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff618 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 There's an alternative to going to the dealer for a new rear wiper blade and/or messing around with refill inserts on the 05-10 Subaru Outbacks. The "Trico Exact Fit Rear Integral Blade" snaps right onto the special factory rear arm and looks just like the factory original. You can get them online. They come with removal and replacement instructions - very easy install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff618 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I guess while I'm at it, I'll share another story... Last fall I went on mission to find an upgraded rear wiper blade for my 2002 Outback and I ended-up finding a great wiper blade for all around... If you want to upgrade to the newer-style frameless wipers, I could only find one aftermarket choice that had the 14" size for the rear. They also come in the required sizes for the front. I found the "Trico NeoForm Beam Blades" online and they're fairly priced, wipe super well, are super quiet, and look really good. They perform well in rain, mist, snow and ice and put up with the abuse of a Wisconsin winter. Anyway, I just got an email from wipers123.com where I got mine and there's currently a $15 rebate on NeoForms through 5/15/10 and a additional $5 instant coupon "springreturningcustomer" not sure when it expires... I'm not ready to replace mine yet so take it if you want it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeNH Posted April 27, 2010 Share Posted April 27, 2010 I know this is an older thread but I picked up a replacement rear at an Advanced Auto Parts for the 08 OB my company has. Just as described above- direct replacement. Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them -Ronald Reagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff618 Posted April 27, 2010 Share Posted April 27, 2010 You can get some or all of the rear wipers (and front) for new and old Subarus at Wipers123.com. You just punch your vehicle m/m/y into the screen and it will tell you if they have them. No dealer headaches or prices. No need to even think about changing wiper arms - LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titoedge Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 Just buy the correct length blade from whoever, and then change out the rubber blade. I've done it that way a few times now. twice now, i go to advanced auto and ask for the replacement blade only, not the prepackaged wiper and assembly. then trim the .5" to fit the 13.5" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff618 Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 twice now, i go to advanced auto and ask for the replacement blade only, not the prepackaged wiper and assembly. then trim the .5" to fit the 13.5" Yeah, I personally hate messing around with wiper refill inserts...I'm not mechanical nor patient enough!! LOL Besides that, our Wisconsin winters are very brutal on the wiper blades so I figure replacing the whole wiper blade assembly is just a good precaution - its good to have a good, new strong frame on there occasionally... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipi135 Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 i found a replacement wiper that fits at pepboys. i was looking for a 14" blade to cut and was pleasantly surprised to find a compatible wiper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC5.2 Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 It's covered under the 3 year 36,000 warranty, so stop by before it expires and get a new one for free. Mine was replaced at 35,300 miles. Really? Awesome! I have a 7 year, 100k warranty! My rear wiper has been streaking lately, after only 18k miles. Looks like i'll add this to the dealer trip when I go to get my steering wheel replaced. [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/proper-flip-key-interesti-159894.html"]Flip Key Development Thread[/URL] "Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." - E. Hubbard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongemonster Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I actually picked up an exact replacement for the wiper (not just the blade insert) at Canadian Tire, aka there should be a shop in the US that also carries rear direct replacement wipers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff618 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Here's the install video for the rear wiper: Rock Loc 3 xx-B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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