[mujibyepi]

Hi. I have a 2019 Kia Niro PHEV and the original blades are starting to streak and have poor performance. I want to replace both the front and rear blades.

I'm wondering about other owners' experiences with finding good replacement blades (both front and rear) and source for buying these? I'd also appreciate views on whether it's better to get an OEM replacement or if you've found a better alternative brand. I have an oil change coming up at the dealer, but I know they will charge a huge markup to replace, so I want to buy and install myself. (I presume installation is fairly easy and straight-forward?). Thank you.

 

[Griswald]

Doesn't matter...they all suck.

 

[FlNiro]

I guess I'm all thumbs because I have a hard time replacing the blades and even the parts guy had a hard time replacing the rear blade on my Sedona. I either get them at a parts place that gives you free installation or when I get an oil change at the dealer when they have a coupon you can print out. Our dealer is the same price as Autozone or one of those places if you have a coupon.

 

[Techy]

Hi. I have a 2019 Kia Niro PHEV and the original blades are starting to streak and have poor performance. I want to replace both the front and rear blades.

I'm wondering about other owners' experiences with finding good replacement blades (both front and rear) and source for buying these? I'd also appreciate views on whether it's better to get an OEM replacement or if you've found a better alternative brand. I have an oil change coming up at the dealer, but I know they will charge a huge markup to replace, so I want to buy and install myself. (I presume installation is fairly easy and straight-forward?). Thank you.

I like the single beam (squeegee) type and the fronts are very easy to replace. Rear blade is a little more of a challenge but if nothing else, YouTube is helpful.

 

[Steve in Denver]

Hi. I have a 2019 Kia Niro PHEV and the original blades are starting to streak and have poor performance. I want to replace both the front and rear blades.

I'm wondering about other owners' experiences with finding good replacement blades (both front and rear) and source for buying these? I'd also appreciate views on whether it's better to get an OEM replacement or if you've found a better alternative brand. I have an oil change coming up at the dealer, but I know they will charge a huge markup to replace, so I want to buy and install myself. (I presume installation is fairly easy and straight-forward?). Thank you.

You are just now (May 2022) replacing the original wiper blades on a 2019 model year car. If they worked well until recently, I think you have a winner. The question is whether or not you will be able to find true factory wiper blades (aside from stealing them off of new cars). I have found the original blades on new cars to be very good in many cases, but I’m not sure that the replacements I get at the dealer are equal quality. The performance seems to be less, but it could be related to a worn windshield or similar other factor.

I have found that trying to get aftermarket blades that work well and last long is a difficult task. I recently replaced blades on two cars (and I research things extensively before buying) and both were sub-optimal:

2013 CRV: they installed easily and wipe well, but about the size/geometry of the blades results in the driver side blade hitting the windshield trim when on high speed.

2020 Telluride: the blades would sometimes streak or leave micro-beads of water. I had read excellent reviews but should have paid attention to one review that said “these work well on flatter windshields, but will leave streaks on curved windshield” (or something like that).

So my most recent re-entry into aftermarket wiper blades has re-affirmed my previous findings: it’s a crapshoot at best. Or as a wise man once said:

Doesn't matter...they all suck.

For my Niro I plan on running the factory blades and deciding what to do based on how well they work. Unless they truly suck I’ll probably replace them with dealer blades when the time comes. Why? Because at least I know they will fit, and if they are mediocre performance, I’m still ahead of the game compared to the likely outcome with aftermarket blades. And no wasted time trying to research the aftermarket options.

 

[hawke]

Our 2018 Niro PHEV will be four years old in July and I haven't replaced the wipers yet. I believe it may help wiper longevity by living in a temperate Washington coastal climate. I did purchase a set of Michelin front wipers inexpensively at Costco for when the time comes. Since I apparently have to purchase the rear wiper from Kia, I'll probably run that blade down to the metal before having to buy a wiper from the dealer. 😊

 

[Beth]

Someone posted a link to a rear blade in the past month or two. I just replaced my 2019 front blades with single beam blades and am happy, but I can't remember what brand I got.

 

[chuckhawley]

I just bought some Trico premium blades (online) for my BMW i3 (my OTHER car is the Niro) and they work great but they are not nearly as aesthetic as the OEM blades, which looked like they were crafted out of a single piece of plastic. I suspect they were Bosch originally. This is largely due to the universality of their mounting options on the Trico blades so they have less SKU proliferation. The Niro uses very ordinary "J Hook" blades, so there should be a ton of choices.

 

[Peter Jay]

Most cars now have that J Hook type blade. Most replacements will last at least a few months. My '22 Niro has that type in the front. The Bosch A300H fits the rear.

WORD TO THE WISE: When changing blades, put a rag, blanket, coat, or ANYTHING SOFT on the windshield (or rear window) under the blade arm before removing the blade.

If the arm without blade attached happens to snap back onto the window, it can crack the window. It's happened to me (years ago) and I was lucky to get a new replacement on an old Camry for about $100.00. But that was still, of course, lots more than just the blades cost (still had to buy the blades), and naturally it was a hassle.

And new windshields can cost hundreds or thousands, plus the potential need for sensor re-calibration.

 

[Signet7]

Our 2019 Niro HEV has the original wipers as well. Heavy rain today, light rain this evening, and they still work great.