The OEM NWB blade is a very good piece (better than aftermarket which do not have to meet Lexus very rigid quality standards). I recommend going with inserts from the dealer and retaining the high quality NWB blade portion.

After looking at all available aftermarket offering, I ended up going with OEM inserts too! :thumbup:

Especially on a very high quality car like the LS430, not many aftermarket parts are better then what came on the car.

If it is a Yaris or something like that, some OEM parts can be improve upon.

Hey, to each their own. If OEM makes people feel better, and that they are better... then the personal owner's experience is all that matters. Guess that's why there are Levis jeans for $40 and Juicy Couture jeans for $120... all buyer's preference.

Anyway, from a price point, it seems the OEMs relative to cheapies are about the same when factoring in the number of times you'll have to change the cheapies as opposed to OEM. Therefore, if you want a high quality pair without having to change too often, then go OEM.

I make my living in the aftermarket wiper blade business and have an in-depth knowledge of this particular subject. I know what I'm talking about on this one. :)

one thing i found interesting is that bosch does not make an icon for the ls430. i dont know if they had before but if you check the replacement guide at the store or the website it doesnt mention an icon blade for the ls430. i think thats why everyone was having problems with it. i bought myself the bosch Excel+. so far its a very good wiper. i had it for a few weeks but has yet to go through heavy testing. hope they will last well beyond winter.

That is because the LS430's driver side wiper arm has an unusual hook for the blade, making it not comparible to most generic aftermarket wiper blade. I really looked into this as the ICON is my favorite blade. Bosch is not going to spend money to make a blade just to fit the LS430.

The Michelin beam blade (Radius, Symphony, Optimum, Weatherwise) will fit the LS. I'm not sure about Anco Contour or Rain-X Latitude.

Wiper blade insert installation
 

How do you replace the wiper blade insert? Do you turn on wipers and turn it off when the blades are in the mid-position to have easy access/removal of the old inserts?

I actually just put a set of the Bosch Icons on my Avalon and they're great. Extremely quiet. I just can't speak how long they will stay quiet or last, since I'm not fond of Bosch's engineering for longevity. I've used ANCO and it didn't last through 1yr without sounding squeaky again. So I ended up using the cheap $2.50 Walmart for a while.

Turn the ignition key on, turn the wipers on until they are up about half way on the windshield. Turn the key off so the wipers will stop in the up position. Remove the wiper blade from the arm (there's a little latch you lift, then slide the arm down off of the J-hook). CAREFULLY PLACE THE ARM AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD -- DO NOT LEAVE IT IN THE UP POSITION LEST IT ACCIDENTALLY SLAP DOWN AND BREAK THE WINDSHIELD. If you buy the Toyota inserts you can follow the instructions on the package, but basically you do the following.

Note: Disassemble one arm at a time so you can use the other as an example if you need. Slide the inserts and flexors out of the blade claws. The flexors are the thin stainless strips that support the rubber insert. There is a "rubber lock" (industry term) on one end of the rubber insert that engages the last claw in order to hold the insert in place and prevent it from sliding out of the arm claws. It will take a good bit of pressure to pull the insert out of the rubber lock. Slide the insert out toward the other end of the arm. It'll take a bit of pressure to pull the rubber out of the rubber lock (the rubber lock is just two deep indentions in the rubber where the claw fits snugly). Remove the flexors from the old insert and transfer them to the new insert. Be sure to put them in the correct groove as there are two similar grooves in the insert, but one is just there to allow proper blade flex, not for the flexor to be inserted into. Be sure that the arc of the flexor is oriented correctly -- should droop down a little bit toward each end of the arm. When you have assembled the insert and flexors, slide the end without the rubber lock into the blade claw closest to the arm piviot shaft (you can tell which end is which from the orientation of the connector on the blade). Feed the insert/flexor assembly through all the claws until the last claw reaches the rubber lock. Pull the insert/flexor snugly until the last claw snaps into the rubber lock (the two little indentions on each side of the insert). Check to make sure the blade will flex freely, the claws are all in the right channel on the insert, and nothing is binding. Reinstall the blade on the arm.

Thanks for your info. I'll try to change the inserts this weekend. Regards.

I recently bought a set of the Icons for my LS430. I have had the other aftermarket brands and none have compared to the Icons. I had to easily modify the cosmetic locking cap on the drivers-side but no big deal and it looks great!

i went to lexus and got OEM refills. i dont have any comparisons but they do the job. the dealership even installed them for me, probably because my son was screaming his head off.

I learned the hard way that non OEM wipers are usually a non ideal fit on cars like Lexus and Acura. Especially don't ever try to replace the actual wiper assembly itself with non OEM part - it will not be a precise fit and will never work as well as OEM.

Stick with Lexus OEM wiper insert blades. They are excellent quality, don't actually cost that much and you know for sure they fit exactly right.