I cannot see how to remove the wiper on my '04 LS 430. Cant find it in the owners manual either. Anyone have any idea. Its flat stock wiper no aftermarket.

 

Very dumb design...you have to turn on the wiper and quickly shut off the car when they are in the middle of the wipe, then you'll have the clearance to change them.

 

I got that far. But I dont see how the blade disconnects from the arm?

 

Ah, got it. On mine, there is a little tab, near where the arm connects to the wiper and you pinch that while pushing the wiper away from the end of the arm, if that makes sense. Mine are usually very tight, so some slight wiggling may be necessary.

 

It's still a traditional J-Hook design, but has a finishing cover on it, like what @biosurfer1 mentioned.

 

that video was what i needed. the secret flip up cover was what i was missing

 

The hook design for attaching to the blades is almost a universally accepted design. That is good as it reduces design and manufacturing costs. After market suppliers are plenty, as they don't have to produce different inserts for different cars. The biggest disadvantage, as I see it, is that most people overlook that you can just replace the rubber itself and not have to buy the attaching arm.. Consequently, they pay more than just buying OEM inserts and end up with inferior wiping. Too bad for them.

 

had my wipers replaced in May 2019 and Lexus uses new design, I do not think these have the inserts, but only $19.95 each and they happily put them on. I saw inserts for sale recently so they are still available, but my dealer no longer has them. new ones are more like all the name brand ones for sale at auto part stores.

 

I have the inserts in hand, but need to remove the entire blade to do the replacement.

 

For any future readers- You CAN replace the Toyota inserts with the blade still attached to the car. I did it in the rain recently under a gas station canopy across the street from a Toyota dealer.

 

Yes you can. But I preferred not to. However a warning. I purchased the rubber ONLY, no stainless rails, from China for $1.50 delivered. Cheap and not worth the price because they dont have the rubber stops at the end so you have to crimp the ends in such a way that the next time I will have to buy the entire blade. Live and learn.

 

The above video states that RainX comes with a prefitted adapter. Exactly which model RainX is it?

 

Do not replace the blades, just replace the rubbers. You can get them from most Toyota dealers. The Toyota rubbers are much superior to other rubbers. The OEM blades are much better also.

 

You may find it interesting that Honda/Acura LH rubber blade insert part # 76622-S0K-A01 is a direct replacement for the 2001-2003 LS430 LH rubber blade insert.

I happened to have one lying around for years, and noticed visually it was very close to the one I needed to replace. Lined it up, and it fit perfectly, including the 2 metal shims that go inside the rubber. This cannot be a coincidence.

 

It seems like a silly thread, but seriously I have experienced it and it is true. Just order the dealer rubber. It may have a high silicone content or something but it is better. For the penny-pinchers on here, I think the last prices I got were $30 for both at the dealer or about $24 + shipping for the discount sites....is that REALLY too much?!