I was in dire need of some new windshield wipers... sooo... I took the plunge and bought some Bosch Icon windshield wipers. The price is a little steep... but... well, I'll give a small review.

Pros:
Integrated "spoiler" for chatterless operation at high speed
Uniform pressure along wiper blade
Sleek design
Good rubber compound
Very clean, quiet operation. Streak free


Cons (I can only think of one):
Does not come with universal clip adapter for older vehicles.

Chances are, if you haven't only used OEM wiper blade replacements, you already probably have the adapter installed. One thing to note... Though I already have the adapter, it is shaped sort of like a "z". So the blade actually mounts a centimeter or so above the arm (y axis... not z axis... ). Anywho, the Bosch Icons have a little hinged cover that covers where the arm attaches to the blade itself. Since my adapter has the weird shape, I was unable to close the cover securely. The blades are securely clipped in. I believe the cover was mostly cosmetic, though it probably served a valid purpose... just not a necessary one. I will continue to search for a piece that will fit and allow the use of the cover. I have only had them since mid-day today, but hopefully I'll be able to give a more in depth review after this. So far though, I REALLY like the way they're built, how they look, their performace for the short time I used them today... I hope this helps!!


- Kevin
For more info visit:
http://www.boschautoparts.com/Products/WiperBlades/Icon

 

bosch made something that works cool wheres the pics

 

I'll get some pics tomorrow. They're are really cool. There are a couple other companies that make similar designs.

 

the most ive ever spent on wipers was 8 bucks for two

 

Yeah, the pair before these came to a grand total of $6 after tax... they were horrible... and after these, I realize how horrible the pairs before them were as well...

 

I got these recently as well! I have had them on there for about a week.

Stuff:

- I couldn't find the 16" set for my 3rd gen so I got 17".
- Turns out, 17" Icons were completely equal in size to my 16" PIAA Silicones.
- They work perfect for now, but which wipers don't at the beginning?
- The way the 3rd gen windshield is shaped, the right blade cannot curve enough to cover the last 2" of windshield when it goes toward it's parked position. It's an annoyance more than anything. Getting the 16" varient might alliviate that.
- The left blade always leaves a line of water at the tip of it, so if you use your windshield washing fluid, it might leave a line there. Solution: Do extra dry wipe cycles to get rid of it.


Bottom Line:

They better stay good for a real long time. My PIAA's lasted me 10-12 months with a comparable cost (a little less). Other wipers I've had (cheapos) lasted me 2-4 months so price does "sometimes" matter. I still have to try out the ICON's in high speed, because I hope thats where they will shine the most.

 

I made the mistake of buying bosch wipers once. They lasted about 3 months. I'm convinced that bosch is incapable of making a decent product.

 

I like the Bosch wipers. The only problem I usually have is getting the right REAR wiper for my ''86. The one I have now only wipes half the rear window. Of course, the 35" tire in the rear doesn't help either!! LOL!

 

I broke down and bought a pair of these, Bosch Icons
they are pricey, but I got tired of my old wipers always freezing up, seemed like every 5 minutes, these so far are awesome, IMO well worth it, we will se how long they last. if they last me throught the winter, Ill be happy, no more slapping my wipers to clear them ice.

 

dealer all the way. i used anco,trico, bosch what have you. aftermarket cant seem to get a handle on wiper blades. i work at a used car dealership and we have problems with aftermarket blades for all kinds of cars not just yota. leave it to the dealer....

 

You all have to keep in mind that Bosch is a European brand made for European cars. Just like our trucks run like crap on anything but NGK or Denso stuff, you try to run anything other than Bosch on a BMW, Merc., VW, Audi, etc, you will have problems. I think they make a terrific product when used on the vehicle it was intended (I grew up wrenching on those brands I mentioned, particularly VWs and BMWs).

That really doesn't pertain to wiper blades since a Euro windshield is not much different than a Jap windshield. I currently have the cheapie silicone triple edge ones from walmart right now and they work ok. I've never had a problem with Bosch blades but I'm not committed to them either. My windshields are normally old and scratched and it really doesn't make much difference what you have at that point.

Oh, and if someone finds a rear wiper that works well on a 1st gen 4Runner then post it up. I have a 13" Bosch right now and it helps but doesn't contact the glass through the whole swoop. My last one worked well but it got rolled up in the rear window in a rush in a downpour and I couldn't figure out what brand it was.

 

graham go to the dealer for the rear. should be cheap and it will make full contact with the glass. if it doesnt yell at the parts guy...

 

its not the (rubber) blade that Im concerned about, its the metal brackets, they keep freezing up, not allowing the blade to make a good contact with the windshield, these dont have the metal brackets exposed to the cold, they havent froze up yet, had them about 2 weeks, in all these blizzards we are having, so for me, Ill stick with them.
here more reading if anyone is bored.
http://www.autohausaz.com/html/wiper_blades_icon.html

 

I agree... through some of the torrential rain we've been getting, these have worked superbly. Very clean sweep, no chattering... very good blades. I finally got some adapters from a local Kragen that a customer didn't need out of a couple Bosch MicroEdge Excel packages. They work perfectly and allowed me to use the plastic cover that clips over the attachment. VERY good blades.

 

I've had the icons for about 2 weeks, and I love them. Great blades, and so far, seem like they were worth the money!

 

I'm good at yelling at parts guys I'll get one next time I'm by there and try it out.

 

The stock rears will always be the best I think. I have a horrible aftermarket one where I had to take the little guide off to use the adapter... and it makes like a Ram horn shape... heh heh... best way to describe it. It starts of with very little contact, but by the end of forward sweep it makes full contact. Then on the return sweep... it's the same but reverse...

 

I have been pretty impressed with the icon blades I have been running since summer 'till today. I went out at 6am to move my car, turned on my wipers and to my surprise the blades were frozen (not covered in snow or ice) and continued to arc across my windshield in the same shape as where they were parked. They have seemed to get a little stiff and jump across the glass when cold before but never this bad. I think it may be time to switch back to the piaa blades soon.

 

mine also froze up a bit with this cold weather we had, one slap, and its fine. but IMO still wayyyyyyy better than any other wioper. Ill still buy hem again. very well worth the money.

 

Dont yell at all parts guys...