[modo]

Having done an unreasonable amount of research into replacement wipers for my Volt I thought I would share the conclusions in case it helps anyone lacking the inclination to do the same.

To cut a long story (slightly) short(er) some wipers on eBay I ordered claiming to be true flat wipers for the Ampera turned out to be generic retrofit blades which thanks the bulky adapters (supplied to make them fit almost every wiper arm clip) the wiper arm sat a good cm or two higher than the stock wipers did. I expect this would lead to imperfect wiping action and increased wind resistance (noise) so I promptly sent them back.

I eventually came to the conclusion that even non-retrofit flat Bosch wipers (that is 'flat blades' for cars already fitted with flat blades from factory - or the Bosch AP range) are similarly not ideal as they too include adapters designed to fit the different typed of flat blade arm clips (of which there are a few types).

Turns out Bosch do make an OEM wiper pack that comes pre-fitted with the correct clip and no bulky adapter clips are included as they are not necessary. Why no retailer makes this clear is anyone's guess (too much effort I guess), but suffice it to say the Bosch twin sets suggested by many websites 'enter your reg tool' simply suggests the Bosch generic AP26U set which is NOT the OEM set.

Finally the correct Bosch set (2x wipers) is the Bosch A636S - and the good news is it's rather inexpensive - in fact about the same as a single Halford's blade! There may be other brands offering the same direct OEM clip but good luck finding out which one you need.

In the photo the wiper closest to the camera is the one with a 'generic' adapter, compare with OEM type below.

 

[donald]

FWIW I bought the cheapest aero-wipers I could find on ebay and they were exactly the same as the ones I took off which also fitted perfectly.

 

[modo]

FWIW I bought the cheapest aero-wipers I could find on ebay and they were exactly the same as the ones I took off which also fitted perfectly.

I once tried the cheapest wipers on eBay (non flat type) on a different vehicle and found the blade twisted at motorway speed from the air pressure, rubber didn't last long either, but I guess you could get lucky with a good quality one at a good price, but for £22 a set for Bosch - current AutoExpress test winner (whether bribery is involved or not :notworthy its got to be worth having the (probable) best.

 

[donald]

Yes, luck is all it is about. I had to replace the wipers for the Espace for the MoT, which has the water nozzles on the wiper itself, so a bit more specialist. They were expensive anyway so I bought a Bosch pair, the vendors telling me they'd not turn up for a week (I had to get the re-MoT in before that), so ordered a plain brand that said they could deliver the next day. Fitted those and then the Bosch when they arrived. Perfect back-to-back comparison.

Of the two wipers, the Bosch are terrible. They have hard rubber, scrape skip and judder across the window, and the nozzle block on one wasn't glued on properly and fell off.

Better to be lucky than clever...

 

[HughF]

I just got genuine bosch ampera/volt ones off ebay.. 20 ish quid delivered or something. Perfect fitment.

 

[Chris L]

I also had the thought about the universal clips changing the profile of the wiper, so I just changed the rubber in the stock blade. Bought a long roll of it from ebay and just cut it to size. Much cheaper @ £4 per 10m

 

[Richard Gledhill]

Just bought the Bosch real ones for about £22 from Wiper blades direct or similar? They're superb, piece of cake to fix (no silly adapters) and no squeak or drag. Great things.

 

[Barty]

One minor thing I've noticed about my Ampera is the wipers are so good.

As I mentioned in a charge port flap thread I've bought some 303 Aerospace Protectant. When researching it I saw a YouTube video extolling its virtues, one of which was to work some in on the wiper blades a few times a year, then they will work better and last much longer. It's going to take a while to see if it's true though!

 

[Garry TheBiz]

FWIW I bought the cheapest aero-wipers I could find on ebay and they were exactly the same as the ones I took off which also fitted perfectly.

I replaced these shortly after getting it with Bosch blades. They've worked perfectly ever since, and fitted in seconds. They were £20 if I recall correctly.

 

[donald]

Did you find them any better, Garry?

 

[EVinrude]

Modo says that he's found the real replacement for a Volt but it would be helpful if some of the other contributors could provide links to the solutions/options that they suggested. Thanks

 

[Interloper]

Why oh why oh why does the Ampera not have auto wipers? It's got everything else. Only car I've owned without since 2002 and I am annoyed at constantly having to change the intermittent interval.

 

[RunningStrong]

Why oh why oh why does the Ampera not have auto wipers? It's got everything else. Only car I've owned without since 2002 and I am annoyed at constantly having to change the intermittent interval.

A bit of rainX/GTechniq/DoDo juice and a heavy right foot will solve that.

 

[Interloper]

Nope.

 

[donald]

Personally I was very very happy they did not. I dislike auto wipers, generally. They are typically too fast or too slow for my liking.

I would be very content with having both auto and manual on a car, but if there was to be only one of those it would be manual.

 

[HughF]

Personally I was very very happy they did not. I dislike auto wipers, generally. They are typically too fast or too slow for my liking.

I would be very content with having both auto and manual on a car, but if there was to be only one of those it would be manual.

I had auto on the mk7 transit, just as you describe, either too fast or too slow... the heated front windscreen I do miss though, that was awesome.

 

[Garry TheBiz]

Did you find them any better, Garry?

It's impossible to say, I've got nothing to compare to. The ones you fitted were a little worn and not cleaning fully, so I replaced them. From past experience I've found aftermarket cheaper ones to be bad for wind noise, so I always opt for more expensive ones.

 

[Alun]

Anyone tried wiper trimmers, where you shave off the worn part of the edge of the blade to leave a new clean edge? Could save you having to find replacements if it works.

 

[An_Ampera_is_finally_mine]

Changed mine recently, Halfords had to use a separate left and right as they did not sell athem as a pair :/ looked like the poor guy had a mare fitting them to be fair, he did oh & ahh over the car a bit tho which is always nice and would far my windscreen is clean so they seem to be doing the job

 

[EVinrude]

Anyone willing to respond on a previous query I posted above? Thanks
Modo says that he's found the real replacement for a Volt but it would be helpful if some of the other contributors could provide links to the solutions/options that they suggested. Thanks