Passat Aero Wipers

[Bef]

There was a thread awhile ago that mentioned using the Passat Aero Wipers on the New Beetle. It involved swapping the left and right sides, but there were really no other specifics, and nobody that posted had actually done it for themselves...

Has anyone actually done this? Would it really work? I don't want to go buy the Passat Aero Wiper kit and waste all that money just to have it not work... That would make me a sad panda...

Thanks!!

[Toad]

Here's the link.
It seems to be that you need to buy 2 passat driver's side wiper arms and blades. And you'll be all set.

And don't be a saaad panda, here's a free panda avatar!

[Deserion]

You could also save yourself the $120 and just get Bosch Icon blades instead. Aeros that fit on the stock arms, look good too!

-Des

[Bef]

Thanks for the link and the idea!

I had purchased the Valeo Ultimate Wiper Blades last month, and they're just not all they are cracked up to be. I'll have a look at the Bosch ones, though. I <3 saving money, while looking cool!!

The Passat Aero Wipers do look sweet, though...

Hmmm... Tax time is soon...

[warren]

just my 2 cents...

the bosch aero wipers were standard on my '04 Passat.

nice looking blades, but absolute junk IMO...

rattled/skidded across the windscreen like nobody's business, and adjusting the arms and/or changing the blades didn't solve the problem.

bought the old-style wiper arms and blades...problem solved.

[Pelican18TQA4]

That was my original thread and I can say that I've gone from the Passat wipers to the Valeos to now using the Bosch ICONs. The only problem I ran into with the Passat wipers was that the blades only lasted about 2 months or so before they started chattering/streaking. The wiper arms put so much pressure on the blades that I think they prematurely wore out the rubber blades. I switched to the Valeos because they seemed a more simple solution with the same basic design. I never had any problems with them and have used them for the last 14 months or so without complaint. Since Autozone just started carrying the Bosch ICONs I decided to give them a shot to see how they compare. I've been using them for about 1.5 months now and again, absolutely no complaints, they function flawlessly. Cheaper too, than the Valeos and more readily available since you just have to swing by your local Autozone.

Also, on a side note, my Mom has the aero wipers on her Passat (as does one of my Aunts) and neither has had any issues with them. Some people report problems with this type of wiper, some don't. Leads me to think that the soap that's being used to wash the car or the windshield washer fluid being used is causing this. I say this because I used the Mr. Clean Autodry on my NBC just once and for about a month or so afterwards the windshield wiper chattered like crazy. A few washes and months later the wiper were back to normal and the water had stopped beading up on the windshield.

Anyway, I highly recommend both the Valeo Ultimate Wiper Blades and the Bosch ICONs, HUGE improvement over the standard wiper blades.

[NBTurboFreak]

About how low do the wipers sit from the plastic covering? I just put on my hood cowl and I am wanting to find a solution to hide the wipers from the front view.
I dont even use my wipers that much, gotta love rain-x. As far as chattering I had problems with it on my first 01 NB but not my current one, not sure what is going on there.

[SMG]

Needing help from anyone who're done this mod.

I got my wiper arms off (what a PITA), but now the aero's don't seem to fit the posts. The holes on the Aero's don't seem to fit the car's wiper posts. The holes are straight up and down, while the post on the car seems to taper (bigger on the bottom, smaller on top).

Anyone have any input?

SMG

[SMG]

I'm running a no-wiper setup right now, someone please throw me a bone here

[Pelican18TQA4]

Honestly, I'm not sure what you're talking about. The Passat wipers that I had on my car fit just fine. Did you pick up a set from a '06 Passat?

[SMG]

Actually, I was doing these last night in the dark and they just didnt look the same, went to VW and apparently they will go on without a hitch

Going to go down and try soon.

SMG

[A. Onassis]

Hi,

anyone know where I can by the Valeos or Bosch Icons offline aka in a store? I am currently in Denver, CO and would prefer to just walk in some building instead of waiting for the mail guy.

Thanks!
AO

[NYBugman]

I just bought a set of the Valeo Ultimate wiper blades from Tire Rack. Much nicer than the Bosch Icons IMO. The Icons are just a rubber strip while the Valeo's have a sprung metal spine so it curves to the windshield and holds tension against the glass.

Valeo's are

[Pelican18TQA4]

The ICONs and the Valeos have the same basic design and are built almost exactly the same. The main difference is in their look as the ICONs have a rubber coating over the metal spine, whereas the Valeos have the spine exposed with the spoiler attached to it.

[TODDREY]

Anyone have the part numbers to order the Passat aero wipers?

[Pelican18TQA4]

Originally Posted by TODDREY

Anyone have the part numbers to order the Passat aero wipers?

To be honest, the Passat wipers are a waste of money because the Valeo or Bosch blades mentioned in this thread are MUCH cheaper and work exactly the same. With the Passat wipers, you need new wiper arms as well which will run you over $100 for arms and blades. The Valeo or Bosch blades will cost you $40 at most.

[bugley]

Yup, I've got the passat ones and I love em.

[Billsbug]

Originally Posted by TODDREY

Anyone have the part numbers to order the Passat aero wipers?

TODDREY, u have an '04 NBC and I've got an '04 NBC, so all u need to do is go to your local auto parts store, pick up a set of 20" Bosch Icon blades that r designated for the Passat.

$40 and a few minutes later, ur all set to go.

[Billsbug]

Soooo easy!

[Pelican18TQA4]

Yep, easy as pie. I would stick with the factory 21" blade length though for both sides so you maximize the wiping area. In fact, I went to a 22" blade on the driver's side.