XC70: General Volvo Brand Wiper Blades

[Tatsfield]

A Volvo wiper blade split and I went to my local Volvo dealer who has, to date, treated me well. I was shocked to learn that not only can't you buy from Volvo just the blade you need, you have to buy the pair, but that they are listed at £47.76 inc VAT! I needed the smaller blade immediately and after some remonstration about these two unpleasant facts, they discounted the blade set at £35.82 which is still no great bargain.

Looking on ebay I see blade sets for £7 -£8 and even Bosch blades for £18 a pair.

My question is, next time I need to change the blades, should I bend over and let Volvo do it to me again or are these cheap blades serviceable and not a waste of the small sums they cost?

[garethXC]

whenever I change the blades ( yearly-ish) I keep the 'old' set under the bootfloor as emergency backup...

The Valeo OEM ones come up on offer on eurocarparts every couple of months & a set is c £25.00 delivered.

[green van man]

I am running and have for the past year and a half Bosch blades from halfords. I have a trade card so get a decent discount but even so they have proven every bit as good as the volvo ones.

I usually change the wiper blades every 2 years. On current performance the Bosch will do 3 before any degradation is observed. I do however use volvo screenwash which may have bearing on their longtivity.
The volvo screenwash is by no means cheap, however I negotiate a price for 5 litres at a time which makes it better value and as a screenwash I've yet to find a better one.

Paul.

[ancient mariner]

I change mine every 2 years, and replace with Bosch, shopping between 'carparts4less' or 'wiperblades.co.uk' for the best price - usually cheaper than Halfords.

Currently running a 2006MY XC70, prior to that a 2005MY XC90.

Regards
John

[bobsy852]

Another vote for Bosch, in particular their aero wipers! Silent and last ages!

[Waynedance]

Bosch for me.

[RathbranD5]

Bosch aerotwin here. Perfect fit and easily last 2-3 years

[Tatsfield]

Well now I have a long term Bosch plan for when the new Volvo blades fail. I still am wincing at the insane price Volvo charged me, even with their "generous" discount, which just goes to show the horrific margins upon which they work.

[37 RUBY]

If you have a look on the Volvo blades you should find the Bosch emblem hidden away somewhere. The 'OEM' Volvo blades I removed in October and replaced with Bosch had the emblem on.

I buy my wipers online in summer when there is usually a heavy discount and store them ready for winter when most retailers whack the price up.

Another tip I have for you is get a small spray bottle of truck wash. Maintain your screen andwipers with this. They will last so much longer.

[Tannaton]

I use Volvo every time but I buy them from one of the many dealers selling at trade price on e-bay - less than half the retail price for wipers.

Although Bosch will make some Volvo wiper blades, the likelihood is the quality of the Volvo branded part will be higher than the Bosch brand sold in Halfords etc. and you know it will fit first time without having to mess about with fitting kits.