Customer Reviews

Bosch 416A ICON Wiper Blade - 16"

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've always been a fan of Bosch. This is my first ICON product and so far it works really well. No streaks and cleans perfectly. After installing it, it does look a little weird because unlike conventional blades it doesn't have the supporting arms anymore. It's just like a thick piece of rubber that hugs your windshield. As advised it definitely fits very snuggly. I just installed it about a week ago so hopefully it will last as long as my other ones did (2 years).

For more than 30 years, I've searched high and low for the perfect wiper blade. Being a little tiny bit obsessive about my car, one of the things I can NOT tolerate is a chattering, noisy, smeary, streaky wiper blade. Driving in the rain is hard enough without feeling like you're trying to look through a wax-paper windshield.

In the past, I'd put new wiper blades on my car two or three times a year and sometimes more, just to make sure I never had to deal with wiper smear or worse, wiper chatter. That sound is like fingernails on a blackboard to me!!

I'd also clean the rubber edge several times between blade changes, to keep the leading edge clean and free from debris and gooey tree gunk and junk. Due to my desire to keep the finest quality blades on the car, I'd only buy authentic Toyota blades for my 2003 Camry and then one day...

An associate at the local Toyota dealer talked me into buying the rubber inserts for the blades, rather than the whole blade assembly. For 20 minutes, I waited and watched as she fiddled around trying desperately to get the inserts into the arm assembly. Two days later (and 10 minutes of use later), while driving in a light rain storm, the whole thing came apart in pieces, scratching my windshield in the process. It was a Sunday afternoon (dealer was closed), so I drove directly to the auto parts store and told them I wanted the most expensive wiper-blade they sold. They took me to the Bosch Icon and said, "these are the best, but they're pricey."

I couldn't be more pleased with the quality and performance of this product. The two blades I bought for Cammie cost less than $50 which isn't THAT much contrasted against the frustration of not being able to see clearly through the windshield when it rains.

April 2008 UPDATE: I am on my second pair of Bosch Icons and I'm saddened to say that I am no longer "raving" about these things. While they're just swell for the first 60 days, they deteriorate quickly after that and become streaky and smeary. When I was buying wiper blades for my daughter's car, I asked the auto parts guy about the Bosch Icon. He replied, "I'm not that impressed with them either. They don't last long."

These are the best wiper blades i have ever owned. I currently use them on my 05 Subaru Forester and the difference from the stock wiper blades is night and day. The way the rubber hugs your windshield makes it so that there are no streaks and you can see a lot better when its raining. I have owned them for over a year now and they are still going strong. I like to use the rain-x window washer too which just adds to the clarity of my windshield when it rains. I really could not believe the difference these wipers made and they actually made me feel a lot safer on the road in both rain and snow. Definitely worth the little extra cash over the standard blades.

TWO WORDS:

BUY THEM!

Great looking single blade design
Quiet!!! Can barely hear them even on full speed
Crystal clear wiping!

Used on my 1996 Toyota 4-Runner.

The corresponding front wiper fits and seems to be of better quality than what I had lately. I will edit my review later. My immediate goal is to let Acura owners know that despite Amazon's claim, it doesn't fit Acura RDX. I should have double checked the info elsewhere.

Theses blades replaced the original blades I had on my 08 TSX when I bought the car new. Although they are a bit pricy, they blow away the OEM blades in terms of performance. The blades are a perfect fit on the windshield. They easily glides across the glass without leaving streaks. Installation isn't too bad once you figure out how to work the TSX's unlocking mechanism.

Bought these recently for my Ford Ranger. One blade, on the passenger side, only touches the windshield in the center of the blade. The other, on the driver's side, only touches the glass on the outermost edges of the blade, making it TOTALLY useless. It wipes an inch or two on either end, and leaves everything else untouched. I put my old crappy blades back on for the recent storm and will be returning the Bosch immediately.

Bought my '07 TSX from a dealer and noticed the wipers were really bad, but they looked brand new. I finally had time to go to an auto parts store and found that the size the dealer put was way off. I bought the BOSCH ICON 26" but they didn't have the 16". I ordered the 16" from Amazon and it came within the week. Easy install and now my wipers work like a champ. I just need to scrub the huge water stain the wrong ones left. By far the best blades I've ever had.

I bought these wipers to replace my Rain-X Latitudes and it was a mistake. I was happy with my Rain-X, but I thought I'll try Bosch based on some positive reviews. I was wrong. It started streaking a month after installing it. After a couple months, streaks were all over my windshield making it a driving hazard. It was raining really hard one night and I literrally could not see. I just recently purchased some Rain-X wipers and will be sticking with them from now on.

Don't be skimpy with your money on wiper blades. These were so easy to install, unlike some other cheap blades, and they last longer and clear the windshield better. I love them.