Tom Mieczkowski

Friends,

A little while ago I posted a query on the availability of Bosch blades (and carriers, that is, not just the inserts) and their apparent non-availability for C4s. It does appear that is true, they are not "officially" made for C4s. However, I have done a little more digging and have been able to fit a pair of 19" carriers and blades to my car. I thought I would share this, since the blades - based on my experience with them - are very good and a much less costly alternative than ordering blades and carriers from a dealer.

Let me start by defining my terms so you aren't confused about what I am talking about, part-wise. The wiper arm I take as the hard steel part attached to the hub which actually drives the carrier and blade across the windscreen. The carrier is attached to the end of the wiper arm. The carrier "receives" the wiper blade, which is the thin rubber squeegee in contact with the glass.

I was able to fit a pair of 19" Bosch carriers and blades to my car (96 LT4) as follows:

The Bosch carrier, like many others, is designed to be used with different wiper arm attachments from different manufactuers, so it can be used in different configurations. The C4 uses a thru-pin, which is a simple and effect attachment system. The thru-pin simply slides thru the appropriate size receiving hole in the carrier, and is locked into place by a snaping mechanism, which itself is a plastic piece that sits on the carrier. The Bosch carrier has two such holes of different sizes. The larger of the two is the correct size for the C4 wiper arm pin.

In order to correctly "set up" the carrier to use the larger hole (the default when you buy the blade it that it is set up for the smaller pin hole) you must rotate the plastic receiver/retainer piece which is mounted on the carrier. There are instructions on the packet showing how to do this. Once rotated, the carrier slips very nicely over the pin on the arm and clicks as it locks into place.

The problem arises, however, when you close the hood. In their resting position the wipers have ample clearance. But, when you either re-seat or turn on the wipers, the left/driver's side wiper "bangs" the edge of the hood as it comes out of its resting position. It will function fine once it is in its active position. When you turn the wiper off, it again will bang the hood edge as it returns to its resting position. The reason it does this is because there is excess and superflous plastic sticking up from the plastic piece which sits on the carrier, because when you rotate the plastic fixture which functions as a lock (and which is designed to accomodate many different vehicles) the plastic unit is assymetric and needlessly sticks up beyond the carrier. Thus, all that is required to use the wiper is to trim this piece, which is easily done by snipping the excess plastic off with some diagonal cutters or other suitable tool. It has no effect on the functioning or integrity of the carrier and its atttachment to the wiper arm.

The piece is constructed such that you can cleanly snip four small platic arms, removing a small amount of material, and the result is a very clean and neat looking carrier which is absolutely secure and easily removable from the wiper arm. It clears the hood edge by a mile.

So, you can use the Bosch wiper blade/carrier on your C4 with a little modification.I just bought a set for about $14, and they work much better than the stock units which I had on the car. Anyone who has priced these as GM parts will appreciate the cost differential and I think you get a superior wiper. Considering that wiper chatter is one of the nit-picky issues with C4s, I would recommend you give this a try if your interested in using the Bosch blades. Although my description is long-winded, the procedure is really easy once you actually are doing it and looking at the pieces. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out the whole thing and replace both carriers and blades.

I do not work for Bosch or own any Bosch stock, so I'm not trying to sell their product. I just think it is a good product and this represents a nice and cost-effective way to get good carriers and blades on your Corvette.

If anyone has any questions about this procedure, please contact me and I'll help explain it more fully.

Thanks, Corvette folks.


[Modified by Tom Mieczkowski, 7:46 PM 9/20/2001]


[Modified by Tom Mieczkowski, 7:50 PM 9/20/2001]

HiRiser

kool, i'm gonna get some.

Fang S-289

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to try it tomorrow. Are you aware if Bosch makes more then one grade of wipers? If so, can you advise the grade you used successfully? Thanks!


[Modified by Fang S-289, 10:31 PM 9/20/2001]

Fang S-289

I just installed the Bosch wipers on my 95. Picked them up at Pep Brothers @ $9.99 ea. Per Tom's post, I had to rotate the retainer to access the larger of the two holes. After that, they just snapped on w/no problems. I found that there was no conflict between either wiper and the hood. Both wipers activate, and return to rest without any contact whatsoever. It is possible that I obtained a different model of Bosch wipers then Tom used. The ones I bought are Bosch "Micro Edge Excel" type. They appear to have much better quality blades then the factory replacement Delco wipers that I got from my Chevy dealer last time. The blades on those deteriorated in short order which caused a somewhat poor wipe that did not remove all the water from the glass. I would have returned them if I had kept the receipt. And the price charged by the dealer was something outragous. I don't remember exactly, but it was close to $40.00 for both wipers. Thanks again for the tip, Tom. :D


[Modified by Fang S-289, 3:11 PM 9/21/2001]


[Modified by Fang S-289, 3:13 PM 9/21/2001]

96VegasVette

I ran into this prob as well when i first got my 96. I had clearance problems with the hood and aftermarket blades. The dealer ended up getting me for almost $60.00 for wiper blades. :(

R23HTC

I'm glad it worked for you. If you could post some pics I'd be interested to see as these are my favorite blades/arms to use and I also couldn't get them to work. My problem wasn't the plastic piece though, it was the arc of the Bosch arm being to tall. Unless you've figured a way of attaching them from underneath, which sounds like what you might have done, I'm still not sure they'd work under all hoods.

Tom Mieczkowski

Well, the blades I used were Bosch Micro Edge 19" part #40719A. A few people who have responded have indicated that Bosch may make several grades or varieties, so the height of arc may vary. Also, I've got a 96 LT4, so I don't know if there is a different clearance between the 94's and 96's. I can say that one mine the clearance, once I trimmed the plastic, is very substantial, per 1/8" to 3/16". And on the passenger side, in any event, the blade never seats deeply enough for the problem to arise. I trimmed the passenger side only to make it look identical to the drivers side.

If I can get my hands on a digital camera, I'll take some pictures and post them.