Poll of the Day > Did you know they sell windshield wiper blades individually and not in pairs

(+) Yeah! (+)

I am a grown up and I have just learned this.

I thin the place I worked at had a bunch of single ones...
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Well I am the proud owner of one new windshield wiper blade

yes
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Yes

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You really only need one on the drivers side anyways

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Because not every vehicle has the same size blades for each wiper and some vehicles have only one or more than two.

Edit: sorry I thought I read a why in that sentence.

robbobmur posted...

Because not every vehicle has the same size blades for each wiper and some vehicles have only one or more than two.

Edit: sorry I thought I read a why in that sentence.

I mean, that makes sense and all

but you can picture my surprise when I opened the package and only one was in there

Why wouldn't you just replace both to begin with on principle?

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Yes but I forgot multiple times and only bought one until I finally started remembering

WhiskeyDisk posted...

Why wouldn't you just replace both to begin with on principle?

Sometimes, only one is bad. Like if one only got damaged because you moved it and it snapped off. But they were still somewhat new. Then you wouldnt have to replace both. That would be a waste. Or, if you were short on money, you might just replace one. Since you still need to get to places and back... Or because one is still really good while the other is bad...
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WhiskeyDisk posted...

Why wouldn't you just replace both to begin with on principle?

Well I had planned on it, but I didnt realize I was only buying one, because I am smarter than the average bear, but they dont know anything about cars either

Well all three for my car are different sizes and are always packaged as one when I buy wiper blades, sooo............. yes.

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LinkPizza posted...

Sometimes, only one is bad. Like if one only got damaged because you moved it and it snapped off. But they were still somewhat new. Then you wouldnt have to replace both. That would be a waste. Or, if you were short on money, you might just replace one. Since you still need to get to places and back... Or because one is still really good while the other is bad...

Yeah. I know seeing things clearly on the passenger's side is totally overrated in bad weather conditions. The only way they should be wearing unevenly in the first place is if they were half-assed the last time one went bad too.

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Yes because most cars do not have the same size on both sides. I know my car has VERY different sizes.

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WhiskeyDisk posted...

Yeah. I know seeing things clearly on the passenger's side is totally overrated in bad weather conditions. The only way they should be wearing unevenly in the first place is if they were half-assed the last time one went bad too.

That could be it. I mean, if you got it used, they could have changed one, so one in still in great condition, while the other is pretty bad. Or it something hits it while driving. Or possibly something (like a branch of something) falls while driving and gets stuck and ruins it. Normally, I would say to buy two. But it could be a waste it something unpredictable happens and only one is actually damaged. Or something...
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I've never seen wipers packaged in pairs. Is this an American thing?
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Yeah as rob said some times the driver vs passenger side are different. Also some vehicles have 3 or more wipers. They are normally suv's though. Two in front and one in back.

However we may not need wipers at all with hydrophobic films and treatment options. The anti static nature repels dust as well

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Yes, I've known this for 20+ years.

I just recently replaced all my wipers, actually. My car has different sized blades, though my truck has the same size on both sides. So I had to buy three in one size, and one that was a lot smaller.

Though if that comes as a surprise to you, I can only assume you'll be astonished if you ever realize that there are actually multiple connector types for wipers, so you could theoretically buy a non-universal connector type wiper blade that is the right size, but which won't actually fit on your car. Off the top of my head, I remember there being pin-type connectors, hook-type connectors, and a couple others.

(And here's a picture: http://hinessight.blogs.com/.a/6a00d83451c0aa69e201b7c92a2b84970b-600wi )

You also used to be able to just get a new rubber bit that you could slide into the old framework rather than buying an entire wiper, but I have no idea if you still can (it's almost not worth it in terms of cost vs effort).



ScritchOwl posted...

However we may not need wipers at all with hydrophobic films and treatment options. The anti static nature repels dust as well

Until it can repel bird shit and dead bugs, we'll still need wipers.
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@ParanoidObsessive the bird stuff isn't a problem. It rolls off like mercury. The bugs though and rocks are the problen. Ive seen junebugs chip windows and that film cant work if scrapped off but as a side no frost cannot develop and snow/ice slides off the top.

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MICHALECOLE posted...

I mean, that makes sense and all

but you can picture my surprise when I opened the package and only one was in there

You can see in the packaging...

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Sage_assassin20 posted...

You can see in the packaging...

I mean, yeah kinda. But I didnt even think to look. To me it was like buying a pair of gloves.

I know thats not right because of different sizes and odd numbers and all that, but thats just what I thought at the time