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I know some of you will insist on waiting for Lexus to come up with a free fix, but I got tired of waiting and decided to try some third party wipers. I have replaced my OEM blades a few times in the past with PIAA and Rain-X Silicone wipers and have always been very happy with the results. So I checked the PIAA compatibility guide on their website and decided to go with their Si-Tech wipers. I decided to order off of Amazon to save a few bucks but that turned into a big mistake. When the wipers arrived they did not have an adapter to fit the 2016 RX350. So I called PIAA and they said they should fit with one of the 5 adapters they include in the packaging, but mine only had two adapters, so then the guy said, "oh you must have got one of the old ones before we updated the packaging to include 5 adapters". So I sent those back to the Amazon and ordered directly from the PIAA website to insure I got the latest packaging. Seems like the last time I replaced one of my older RX wipers it used the J-hook adapter, but this 2016 model uses a "22mm Push Button adapter". So if you want to consider any other third party wipers, make sure it has a: 22mm Push Button adapter!!!!
So here is what I ordered directly from the PIAA website (about $30 each):
21" (525Mm) Si-Tech Silicone Wiper Blade
Item #: 97053
You have to remove the adapter that comes on the blade, and then connect the "M" adapter directly to the blade, and then the "A" adapter, which is the 22mm Push Button connector, just snaps on top of the "M" adapter. It seems to be very well engineered. Everything fits together nicely and it is nothing loose or wobbly about it. It also comes with a Silicone cloth with some Rain-X type stuff that you are suppose to wipe the window with, but I have tested it in both warm and cold weather and the wiper is absolutely silent and streak free so I'm very happy with the result as is. Only took me about 15 minutes. I couldn't hardly see the instructions on the back of the wiper packaging so I took a picture and blew it up bigger on my phone and then it was easy to understand. Glorious silence at last!!!
buckse, I just installed PIAA wiper blades as per your advise. They seem to move very quite and smooth but I haven't been able to test them in the rain yet. I do have a couple of questions for you though:
1) Did you use the wet cloth they provide to apply some kind of coating to supposedly help the silicone wipers perform better? Do you know if it really needs to be applied or the wipers will work just fine without it?
2) When I slide the wiper blade into the wiper arm (after installing the M and A adapters), it clicks into place, however I can move the blade slightly along the windshield, i.e. there is some slack between the square "button" from the A adapter and the edges of the notch it fits into on the wiper arm. The OEM blades sit very tight - no movement at all. I am pretty sure I slid the blade all the way until I heard the click. I have this slight movement in both driver and passenger wiper blades. Did you notice the same? Is this something to be concerned about?
In answer to the question above...
1) I did not use the windshield cloth yet. I live in Texas and the temps have ranged from about 35 to 70 since I put these wipers on and these PIAA Si-Tech wipers are perfectly smooth and absolutely silent in this temperature range, so I did not use the Silicon/Rain-X cloth yet. I might go ahead and do it at some point if the weather is nice and I have some free time to properly clean the windshield and to wipe it down with the PIAA cloth.
2) I did not notice any play in the connectors when I initially put them on several weeks ago, but after reading your post I went back out and wiggled them a little bit and I do see a little bit of play in the connector. Maybe the temperature change or something, but its maybe 1/32 of an inch or less which is a pretty tight tolerance. I put pressure on the wiper blades from all different angles and they are not coming off unless you push the button to release them. Again, they are working great and I have run them for several hours in temps ranging from 35 to 70 and they are perfectly quiet and smooth.
I think someone else basically said they didn't believe me because of an earlier post on the forum that said a Lexus Tech told him there was a problem with the wiper arm and I think he also said that Silicone wipers make the problem worse. All I can say to that is that there are many different brands of wipers with many different proprietary blends of silicone and rubber, with different blade geometries, and with different wiper blade rigidity, and I'm not lying when I tell you that these wipers are working great for me. Its a quick and easy fix, but if don't believe me then please enjoy your squeaky wipers
In answer to the question above...
1) I did not use the windshield cloth yet. I live in Texas and the temps have ranged from about 35 to 70 since I put these wipers on and these PIAA Si-Tech wipers are perfectly smooth and absolutely silent in this temperature range, so I did not use the Silicon/Rain-X cloth yet. I might go ahead and do it at some point if the weather is nice and I have some free time to properly clean the windshield and to wipe it down with the PIAA cloth.
2) I did not notice any play in the connectors when I initially put them on several weeks ago, but after reading your post I went back out and wiggled them a little bit and I do see a little bit of play in the connector. Maybe the temperature change or something, but its maybe 1/32 of an inch or less which is a pretty tight tolerance. I put pressure on the wiper blades from all different angles and they are not coming off unless you push the button to release them. Again, they are working great and I have run them for several hours in temps ranging from 35 to 70 and they are perfectly quiet and smooth.
I think someone else basically said they didn't believe me because of an earlier post on the forum that said a Lexus Tech told him there was a problem with the wiper arm and I think he also said that Silicone wipers make the problem worse. All I can say to that is that there are many different brands of wipers with many different proprietary blends of silicone and rubber, with different blade geometries, and with different wiper blade rigidity, and I'm not lying when I tell you that these wipers are working great for me. Its a quick and easy fix, but if don't believe me then please enjoy your squeaky wipers
Thank you for the reply. I tested mine during some pretty heavy rains and wet snow here in NYC and they worked perfectly - quiet and smooth. I did use the windshield cloth provided with the wipers though. I guess a bit of a play between the connector and wiper arm we both noticed is not an issue. In any case, I recommend these PIAA wipers to everyone who is fed up with squeaky Lexus OEM wipers.
I know some of you will insist on waiting for Lexus to come up with a free fix, but I got tired of waiting and decided to try some third party wipers. I have replaced my OEM blades a few times in the past with PIAA and Rain-X Silicone wipers and have always been very happy with the results. So I checked the PIAA compatibility guide on their website and decided to go with their Si-Tech wipers. I decided to order off of Amazon to save a few bucks but that turned into a big mistake. When the wipers arrived they did not have an adapter to fit the 2016 RX350. So I called PIAA and they said they should fit with one of the 5 adapters they include in the packaging, but mine only had two adapters, so then the guy said, "oh you must have got one of the old ones before we updated the packaging to include 5 adapters". So I sent those back to the Amazon and ordered directly from the PIAA website to insure I got the latest packaging. Seems like the last time I replaced one of my older RX wipers it used the J-hook adapter, but this 2016 model uses a "22mm Push Button adapter". So if you want to consider any other third party wipers, make sure it has a: 22mm Push Button adapter!!!!
So here is what I ordered directly from the PIAA website (about $30 each):
21" (525Mm) Si-Tech Silicone Wiper Blade
Item #: 97053
You have to remove the adapter that comes on the blade, and then connect the "M" adapter directly to the blade, and then the "A" adapter, which is the 22mm Push Button connector, just snaps on top of the "M" adapter. It seems to be very well engineered. Everything fits together nicely and it is nothing loose or wobbly about it. It also comes with a Silicone cloth with some Rain-X type stuff that you are suppose to wipe the window with, but I have tested it in both warm and cold weather and the wiper is absolutely silent and streak free so I'm very happy with the result as is. Only took me about 15 minutes. I couldn't hardly see the instructions on the back of the wiper packaging so I took a picture and blew it up bigger on my phone and then it was easy to understand. Glorious silence at last!!!
Easy to install. Stay away from the Costco wipers!
Bit of a thread revival but can anyone confirm that these are the OEM blades:
Denso 161-0526
Denso 161-0521
Im in the UK and finding blades for the 4RX is very difficult - they appear to be available only from Lexus/Toyota
P.S - probably time I change my profile pic
I complained one day while I was at the dealer and they replaced the rubber blade part for free. They were only $7-10 anyway, but that fixed the squeak. The original "wiper" stays in place, just the rubber slides out...
I complained one day while I was at the dealer and they replaced the rubber blade part for free. They were only $7-10 anyway, but that fixed the squeak. The original "wiper" stays in place, just the rubber slides out...
Funny you should mention this as I tried to change out the inserts this past weekend on my '16. It's a little more than just the rubber part. The replacement comes with a new end cap too. Inside is a metal piece clamped on the insert to hold it in place. The first set of OE inserts I received didn't have either. Picked up the correct inserts from the dealer today. BTW, they were replaced because of age, not squeaking. OE works fine for me.
The guys just replaced the rubber piece and re-used the old caps. The technician did it and yes it's not just as easy as slide it out and slide it in. He did it in 20 seconds but I don't think it would be that easy for a first timer!
Funny you should mention this as I tried to change out the inserts this past weekend on my '16. It's a little more than just the rubber part. The replacement comes with a new end cap too. Inside is a metal piece clamped on the insert to hold it in place. The first set of OE inserts I received didn't have either. Picked up the correct inserts from the dealer today. BTW, they were replaced because of age, not squeaking. OE works fine for me.
I don't really like the OEM wipers - they don't wipe very well compared to the Denso Hybrid blades on the 3RX.
I think Im going to change to Bosch Aerotwins - appear to be available for the RX here in 26" and 21" size with the push button cap, same as German vehicles. They're about £20 for both whereas Lexus wants £30 for just refills changing out
Bosch and Michelin recommend 20" wipers for the passenger side so they dont repeatedly hit the cowl cover. All i can say is, its stopped the squeaking and they clean the screen better too so I am impressed. They are much better quality than the OEM blades too
They also cost me half the price of Lexus OEM refills.
I also have has this squeaking wiper issue for years. Tonight I removed the cover to the passenger side arm to reveal the two bushings. I oiled up the bushings and no more squeak. Its very cold up here these days, so I used my hot air gun to loosen up the two spots of adhesive under the cover. Also be aware there are 6 connecting tabs which hold the cover onto the arm. Be patient and it will come off without breaking.
Im 99% sure mines was caused by the dealer using detailing "acid" to prep the car. A reliable source also confirmed that they do in fact use it on all of the cars. My Infiniti also had this problem so I'm guessing that this was also that case. I don't remember if the Infiniti had any etching anywhere, but the RX definitely has some stains on some of the windows and etching in a lot of places that water would sit after a wash(door jamb rubber, flat places on paint, etc.). But good luck trying to get the dealer to admit to any of this! When the lighting is perfect, I can actually see where, what looks to be the factory coating, is missing on the winshield. I just use Chemical Guys V7 sealant on the windshield and it seems to last about 2 weeks in constant rainy weather. Not a permanent fix, but good enough for me.
Alright So I'm digging this thread out of its grave for a bit.
And the reason is - I had the wipers issue fixed by Lexus, and everything was fine since then (what was it?… two years ago?…).
BUT - the driver's seat wiper (it's on the right side in Japan), started to squeak again just a couple of week ago. And last weekend I finally brought it to Lexus, yet again.
So what they did this time (after checking with their internal database of whatever Lexus knowledge they have) was to replace the wiper arm (only one was squeaking), with a new one. There was pretty much no hesitation on what should be done on their side. Talked to the technician, and he said that he arm's shape doesn't seem to have changed in any way, BUT he does believe that the spring inside the wiper actually got stronger (Lexus doesn't tell much even to tech staff… or the staff doesn't tell me ), for a better push against the windshield, resulting in less - or likely just lack-of - "jumping" as the wiper moves across the glass
They tested, could reproduce the issue with the old wiper, and could confirm that the new one doesn't make such any noises anymore. They also have replaced the wiper blades - just Lexus being Lexus (and that's why I love the brand's service). But the issue eventually seems to have been with not enough pushing force of the wiper arm against the window.
So, for what it's worth…
Here's the picture of my old wiper, with the seemingly weaker spring I'm talking about.
So I'm digging this thread out of its grave for a bit.
