Wipers: blades or rubbers?

[Country Cousin]

Our rear and the passenger side front wiper rubbers need replacing @2.5 years old. The handbook shows replacement of the rubber inserts only and not the remaining blade.

Looking at wiper vendors online most seem to offer the whole unit as one package, not just the rubbers.

What is the received wisdom on this? Should I go ‘minimal’ and buy rubbers only (which looks potentially fiddly, so might need a visit to the dealer) or buy the units intact? And if the latter, which brand is considered the best buy?

Many thanks

[Kremmen]

In the past I've always replaced mine with Bosch AeroTwins and found them far better than OEM

[Henryge]

Hi There, Just in the process of replacing mine again, Had originals first then replaced with
              Bosch aero twins (good replacements). Kept the old blades to replace with refills
              But found out you need special end hook rubbers £10 each (rubber refill only),
              Or Bosch aero twin blades for about £20. If you have time and patience then get
              refills But in the long run get Bosch aero twins and refills for them.
                                           Hope that helps Henry

[Lord Voltermore]

The handbook  steps 1 and 2 is how to remove the blade from the arm. Job done if replacing the whole blade.  . You only need to continue to the fiddly  steps 3 -8 if replacing just the rubber. 

Even top brands such as Bosch and Valeo sometimes have their premium  blade and a slightly cheaper alternative.  Go  for their best.    They also sell 'universal'  blades that come with a selection of plastic fittings so the same product  can be converted to fit a variety of cars ,inc the mk4.  These may be a bit cheaper and more widely available  (No need to stock such a wide range)   but can be fiddly to fit.   Better to fit the blade models  specifically for the Jazz mk 4. (Someone may post the numbers ) 

 

[Mr Onion]

In the past I've always replaced mine with Bosch AeroTwins and found them far better than OEM

Agreed. The bast blades I have used

[ahavoja]

I was willing to buy the original replacement rubbers but my local Honda dealer was closed on the weekend, so I bought whole wiper blades (Bosch AR26U and AR15U) for the windscreen of my Jazz. They fit well to the J-hook type wiper attachment on the Jazz, and come without all those other unnecessary adapters. They also have similar length to the original blades, namely 26 inches and 15 inches, which can be seen on their product names. But I haven't replaced my rear wiper yet, so not sure which one to buy for the rear.

[Jazzfan49]

Bosch H306 £6.14 from Amazon, works perfectly and fits easily.

[Downsizer]

I’ve always bought just the rubbers. You have to cut them to length to match the old ones, but it’s quite an easy job, easier than removing the whole blade I think.

[embee]

I also recommend the Bosch Aerotwins. I fitted some Denso equivalents on my Yaris and they are also excellent.

[Nicksey]

I fitted Valeo to all, front and rear approx 2k ago. So far they have been excellent, and definitely better than the OEMs.

[Woodmannuk]

       fitted these Hella wiper blades as good if not better than original
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266588005179