Does wiper blade housing wear down such that it needs to be replaced? Or can I pretty much go the life of the car with the original housing and just change the rubber blade itself?

 

Is this a real question?

 

Not in the recommended service intervals.

So ask yourself, does it need to be replaced? How does it look? It is broken?

If the answer is no, then dont replace it.

If you think it looks like crap, repaint it.

Cant think of anything else.

 

Valid question. My car turned 11 years old this year, and the arms were basically silver, so I just bought new OEM ones instead of messing with repainting them. I was really surprised at how much better the blades wipe now. I think the springs go weak after so long. Definitely worth it on a 2001 if they're originals.

 

Mine is a 96', all three wiper arms still work, they just need repainting.

 

Yes.

First time car owner. Talked to a guy at Autozone, he was saying that generic inserts aren't a great idea because if anything goes wrong with those, a moving blade housing will scratch the windshield, so he always recommends new housing. Of course, this is more profitable for his company. I don't think I'd replace on this basis.

But the blade housing looks like it's the original, so that's a decade old at this point.

 

I got a good deal on some Bosch Icons, so I'll give those a shot and then just get inserts as needed going forward.