bfurth Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 Just as a public service announcement, be wary of the cheap rear wiper blades available for the Journey. They may not provide full coverage for clearing the rear window as the OEM blade does. I bought a Trico 12-A Exact Fit rear wiper blade (it is nearly identical in appearance to the OEM), and seriously disappointed in its inability to remain in contact with the glass for the entire stroke of the motor. When it reaches the top 3rd of the wiper path, the highest 3 inches of the blade lose contact with the glass. OEM is more expensive, but remains in contact for the full wiper blade pass. dhh3 and Spektyr 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 yes just had that happen to me on my 2014 I returned the first one and tried a different brand and its no better,havent made it down to the dealership to check on theirs...funny thing is on my 2011 I replaced it with a aftermarket one and didnt have no problem.... dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted April 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 The frame for the Trico and OEM are almost identical - the only difference I can find is the texture of the plastic on the top of the frame. The big difference I noticed between the OEM and the Trico is the metal piece of the wiper blade itself, or more accurately, how the rubber is molded around it. The Trico version just has two strips of metal, one on each side, that are the exact same length as the rubber. The OEM wiper has the rubber extend just beyond the length of the metal. As such, the metal sits perfectly inside the rubber and has no room to slip. I suspect that what is happening is that the metal pieces on the after market blade is slipping on the rubber (which will lead to eventually cutting through it) because there is too much play between them. The OEM blade has no room for movement, and as such the blade maintains contact the way it's supposed to. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 I was going to ask if anyone had changed the factory fronts to something else. The factory fronts have that big airfoil on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 dont think any other kind will fit...... dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 (edited) i was talking about the rears which i mistakenly thought he was talking about, and yes the front blades have many different options on blades i prefer using bosh beam blades as they last a long time with no problem but they are a little pricey... Edited June 22, 2016 by jkeaton dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) My rear blade is a cheapy from Walmart. Works just fine. Edited May 1, 2016 by jkeaton dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 I have had good luck with Michelin blades for the front. Peace. BrianS and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 I get Goodyear blades from Costco for mine. Last about 8 months and are 4.99 when they are on sale. Work great. As for the rear, I just went to AutoZone and got one there. Working fine for almost two years, no issue with lifting,etc. Dont have a clue what brand though. Obviously I dont use the rear wiper that much..... newrollo and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) Michelin blades go for $11 each no matter of size here at Costco , they last about 6 - 8 months depending on winter wx. By the way rear wiper on the Cherokee is exactly the same as the DJ. Edited May 1, 2016 by bigtsr dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankster Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 I have the Michelin blades from Cosco Canada as well. I have been using them on my Caravans and find they last about 2 years for me.. Hank dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 I purchased Michelin blades for my Caravan. Unfortunately, I sold it before 6m went by so no idea as to the longevity of them. However, I WAS pleased with them for the short time I had them. Cheapies I had on there before didn't last me 6m. Canadian Tire house brand... my fellow Canadians will understand. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankster Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 Crappy Tire lol dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 I like Bosch Icon wiper blades, but the factory must have wanted that big air foil on the front blades for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probak118 Posted May 2, 2016 Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 Bosch icons seem to work well for me on the front. Cost was $22 and $25 I believe from Canadian Tire. I too notice I need to replace the rear blade. Sounds like I may go with OEM then. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted May 2, 2016 Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 "I've noticed the newer Journeys have purple coolant whole the 2011 models had orange-red coolant. Continuous improvement" The new color denotes OAT (organic based) specifically designed for newer materials involved in the engine and associated parts construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankster Posted May 2, 2016 Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 I doubt that anything other than the coolant changed for 2013, Fca changed over the whole model lineup for the new coolant. The main reason is the change interval is now 10 years. Time will tell if it actually better. Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spektyr Posted January 15, 2017 Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) On 4/29/2016 at 2:18 PM, bfurth said: Just as a public service announcement, be wary of the cheap rear wiper blades available for the Journey. They may not provide full coverage for clearing the rear window as the OEM blade does. I bought a Trico 12-A Exact Fit rear wiper blade (it is nearly identical in appearance to the OEM), and seriously disappointed in its inability to remain in contact with the glass for the entire stroke of the motor. When it reaches the top 3rd of the wiper path, the highest 3 inches of the blade lose contact with the glass. OEM is more expensive, but remains in contact for the full wiper blade pass. DRAT! Once gain I should have checked here before i spent the money. I'm having the exact same problem with a Trico 12-A. All of my blades were so old they were starting to tear at the ends, and the rear was the worst, so I needed new ones badly. Most auto parts stores around here don't offer a lot of choices when it comes to rear blades so I took the chance. Have you found a brand that works well that I might find on Amazon? Thanks in advance. I'm wondering if I need a new wiper arm. It feels like the spring tension might be a little light. Update: I just tried an ACDelco 8-212A and the results are the same. I'm thinking the arm spring is not supplying enough pressure. Has anyone tried those Sure Wipe add-on springs? It's either that or a whole new wiper arm. Edited January 17, 2017 by Spektyr Update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted January 15, 2017 Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 Jeeze. I buy rear wiper blades at Walmart. Not sure what everyone's problem is. They are standard wipers. Nothing special. OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 15, 2017 Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 well i replaced mine two different brands just doesn't wipe in the center top real good about 2 inch gets missed never had a problem with the old one guess ill try a mopar one when this one goes bad no big deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probak118 Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Just bought the "Reflex" blade from CT $15.99, works great. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spektyr Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) I just put a brand new MOPAR wiper arm on it and it still does the same thing. I'm beginning to question whether that wiper ever worked right from day one being I never really paid attention to it and I haven't driven in the rain very often. On closer inspection I see that the blade frame doesn't allow the edge to bend enough to match the curvature of the window. It appears they are set up for a flatter window. I wish I hadn't thrown the old blade out so I could make a comparison. Edited January 20, 2017 by Spektyr Correction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 on one of the replacement blades i had that didnt wipe at the top ,i noticed all the blades are made of plastic so i tried heating it up with my heat gun so i could get the top 2 inches of it to bend a little but no luck all it did was break,if any of them were made out of metal you could proably bend it to wipe better but i try not to pay any attension to it. i always didnt like the way it only wipes 3/4 of a wipe, on the caravans their wipers wipes from one side to the other Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spektyr Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) I'm looking at a Michelin blade that has a rocker at each end. I'm thinking it may work better. Bosch makes one too. Edited January 20, 2017 by Spektyr Addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spektyr Posted January 21, 2017 Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 I'm going to try the Bosch H307 double rocker blade. It's just $10.02 at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-H307-3397011429-Equipment-Replacement/dp/B00ES5Q610/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 I'll post an update when I install it. I hope it works better than these single rocker blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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