Had the RX in the shop today for routine service and state inspection at 45K miles. I'd been needing to visit the parts department to pick up a set of wiper refills, and casually asked what they would charge to put them in for me. I wasn't too anxious to do battle with those sharp stainless blades that hold the rubber in place again. I sliced myself pretty good on my RX 300 a few years ago, in our last engagement.

I had earlier priced some good wiper blades, and found the driver's side alone was about $24. The service manager said they'd install all three for free, meaning I paid about $27 for the parts, installed. That's not a bad deal.

If your wipers are not properly clearing the windshield, you might check this out at your dealer. The rubber parts are cheap enough and the OEM blades are a little tricky to refill without practice. and I decided by the time I added the requisite bottle of H2O2 and band-aids to the cost, it was a LOT cheaper - by some $40 bucks - to let someone who knew what he was doing handle the work.

I didn't escape the mechanic work altogether though - when I got home I found my wife had been to Auto Zone and picked up a set of wipers for HER van - and a pint of brake fluid. At least I made her watch while I installed the wipers and topped off the fluids. My intent is that she do it next time.

 

I have yet to find a dealer here on the west coast of FL who will install wiper blades for free, when going through the parts or service department. Auto Zone or Advanced Auto -- yes. But not a Lexus dealer.

As for the price of the parts, you will find that you can get the rubber inserts, all three, for just under $20 from Sewell -- perhaps a few dollars less with the discount code. So, the price you are getting from your dealer was not all that bad especially when you figure in the 5 minutes of labor it probably took for the person to change out all three. No complaints there if you can get the dealer to do it gratis.

I went one further and purchased not only the inserts but also an extra set of blades -- meaning I have two sets of blades. Every 7500, or about 6 months, I swap the blades and refit the pulled set with new inserts for the next time.

When you next go to Auto Zone for blades for the wife's van, ask them to install for you. Or better yet, let the wife ask.

Oh, and you might consider investing in a set of mechanics gloves. In a pinch you can use a thin set of gardening gloves if only to work with the wiper inserts.

 

Even better, let the wife DO it . . .

Good idea - I carry a set if golf gloves (perhaps the only person to buy TWO, one for each hand) for shooting video in cold weather. I nearly got frostbite up in Utah a few years ago when a snowstorm rolled in and I had to work barehanded in order to operate the small controls on the camera. Golf gloves are very thin leather, provide excellent sensitivity, and keep the cold wind off the back of my hands. I could wear them when doing light mechanical work with sharp objects too. Thanks!

 

I have replaced my inserts, tricky but with practice, doable. There is a trick to it, though. It can give you misery. I have replaced my insert for the rear wiper, too. I bought the inserts from irontoad.com (or Sewell, I forgot).

 

I have done both the front and rear. Pretty easy and quick.

 

I have no clue how the replace the rear wiper... can anyone explain please?

 

Instructions for Rear Insert replacement.

 

DENSO wiper blades are the best you can buy. I put some on my RX and are great. No streaking, no noise. You can order them online at densoproducts.com.