Sorry . . . but I find it un-freakin'-believable, that no one here is downright ANGRY after being forced to pay upwards of THIRTY DOLLARS for a set of wiper blades for an 08+ Malibu. Wiper blades for chrissake! GM should be ashamed of themselves. THIRTY DOLLARS for something that we paid $4.98 for at Walmart a couple years ago for an older Malibu. Frankly, it's just plain disgusting.
Those are the kinds of things that make it so hard to stay loyal to GM--that and the one hour + it takes to replace the air filter on my HHR. What BS.
I've gotten them for like $10, everyone knows that buying directly from the dealer is the most expensive route. Smart shoppers will always find the deals.
My OEM's have streaked low on the driver's side from the very beginning. I have no idea how to adjust them but it's on my list for the dealer. But honestly, there isn't enough serious stuff on the list yet to spend the time/trouble dealing with it. (Knock on wood)
Yeah factory wipers sucked. Mine were shot within a few months. Put on a set of Michelin or something I got at Walmart. I think they were about $30 a set. I could have gotten much cheaper, but that's about the going rate for the "beam" style... Which are needing replaced now... I'm just dreading having to replace a headlight.
As much as I really do love the Malibu there's been a little more serious talk around here of trading it in for a Ford Edge...
So I went to another Wal-Mart and they had the Latitudes in stock but they don't say if they're Latitude 1s or 2s. Do they still make the L1s? The guy restocking them said that he has never seen the number 2 written on them.
Spent $30 replacing the originals as well today but not the low quality wipers from the dealership got them at Autozone...they have a sale until November 15, 2010 if interested on the all season Rain-x Latitude the link hasn't rain yet but looking forward to using them.
I thought the OEM Valeo blades were very good. They lasted longer (18 months) than the Bosch Icons I had on my other cars and were one of the highest rated wipers in CR. After looking at the RainX and other blades I went to the dealer and got both wipers for $20 plus tax. So I got good blades and a good price. Not sure how they are more expensive than the older Anco and Trico blades that had to be changed every 6 months. I would have been through 3 sets of those so at $5 per blade would have spent 50% more for them.
I purchased the Rain X Latitudes this Saturday, but couldn't figure out how to attach them. The original push button off didn't seem to match the Rain X attachments. Can someone explain to me how to attach the Rain X blades...maybe I am missing something. Thanks.
I paid +/-$38 for Rain-X Lattitude wipers for my Mustang and my Altima from Walmart. Though a little expensive, that was the only time I had to buy them for both cars, and I owned both for about 2 yrs each.
I'm kind of upset to hear that they don't fit on Malibus? Or is it that there are two types, and only type two fits?
Figured it out. Rain X Latitude wipers have to be the version 2 models. The difference between version 1 and version 2 is that version 2 has more parts included in their package and includes the appropriate PTB (pinch tab button) arm connection, the correct connection for our Malibus. See general website regarding version 2: http://www.rainx.com/products/wiper_blades/Latitude.aspx
The package isn't very clear about which version it is, but the newer version lists at the back of the package that it is an 8 in 1 wiper blade and has much more plastic parts, such as the PTB connector that you will need to attach.
They were 30% off. The 24" blade was $16.79 and the 21" blade was $15.39. Walmart has old stock, and that was the stuff that was on sale. I found the 21" Latitudes, Version 2 at the Guelph Walmart for $18.97...still a good price.
I just replaced my wiper blades on 10/27/10. The closest looking to original and a perfect fit were Bosch ICON Blades. 21 inch for passenger and 24 inch for driver side. Total cost with nyc tax 46.00. The dealer wanted 52.00.
They look exactly like original equipment.
Bosch icon 424 for passenger
Bosch icon 426 for Driver.
So for they work great -- 2days of drain and a clear streak free wipe.
I don't understand why you would pay $50 for blades that work the exact same as the Rain-X set for $22? Yeah, they may look slightly different, but they fit and perform the exact same.