View Full Version : Rain-X Latitude Install?
lodidodi
10-01-2009, 03:23 PM
Do these even work on our cars, I have been trying for the last 20 mins to remove the stock ones and I can't even do that.
Help would be greatly appreciated. [:)]
KraZ4Riding
10-01-2009, 03:27 PM
The angled cap on the tip of the wiper arm pulls straight off, then the blade falls right off. If the wiper is against the glass you would pull the cap towards the passenger fender, almost like pulling a cap off of a pen.
Not sure about the Rain-X blades though.
lodidodi
10-01-2009, 03:36 PM
The angled cap on the tip of the wiper arm pulls straight off, then the blade falls right off. If the wiper is against the glass you would pull the cap towards the passenger fender, almost like pulling a cap off of a pen.
Not sure about the Rain-X blades though.
Is this the peice that swivels and moves back and fourth?
KraZ4Riding
10-01-2009, 03:55 PM
Is this the peice that swivels and moves back and fourth?
Yep, the "Arm" if you will that presses the blade against the window and is attached about in the middle of the wiper blade.. The end of that arm is actually a plastic cap, if you pull away from the windshield and towards the passenger side it should come off.
Hard to explain :) I am referring to a 2008, just in case it looks different on another model.
John1.8T
10-01-2009, 10:06 PM
Not sure if these will fit... the wiper design is quite different on our cars.
Regardless, the Rain-X Latitudes have A LOT of attachments included to fit just about every application. Let us know if they will work! I work at Advance Auto Parts and when I looked up wipers for a B7 A4 the only options out system had was the OEM wipers that had to be ordered in. Usually our system is pretty good with parts and stuff, but can be a little sketchy with european cars.
QuadRings
10-02-2009, 12:30 AM
If you get it to work, enlighten me, because I have a set under my bed that's been there for 6 months because I didn't think they fit.
lodidodi
10-02-2009, 01:18 AM
If you get it to work, enlighten me, because I have a set under my bed that's been there for 6 months because I didn't think they fit.
Is not looking good fellas [:)]
The end is completley different as someone has already posted. I am going to however make them work. so stay tuned for a DIY write up
threehouse
10-02-2009, 06:36 AM
I can't speak to the rain-x wippers but can to 2 other types.
PIAA Super silicon:
http://www.piaa.com/WiperBlades/WiperBlades.html
I LOVE these wipers, they are a bit pricey but worth every penny. I have had both the curved and regular ones. I liked the curved ones better as they fit the windshield better I felt but at high speeds, 90+ in the rain they would "bounce" because they lacked the spoiler on the blade. The regular super silicones have the blade. When you get them follow the install instructions as you need to run them dry for like 10 min to lay a layer of silicon down on the window. Basically it’s like rain-x but you never need to re apply and I think rain-x leaves some glares on the window at night. The silicon lets the water bead off the window in like rains so you don't even need to use the wipers.
I bought mine on tirerack, seemed to be best price.
Bosch Icon
These wipers are ok, not as good as the piaa's but I got them for my truck and I leave that outside in the winter so I wanted ones that didn't have an exposed blade assembly so it is less likely to freeze up. These are like winder blades but better and are good for use all year round.
CBRmatt600
10-02-2009, 06:43 AM
They don't make those for B7's, it is a specially designed blade. Go OEM because there is not anything else I know of that will fit.
Rich_F
12-16-2009, 11:23 PM
I am sorry to say I bought a pair of Rain-X Lattitude wiper blades today. They were the most expensive blades I saw at the store. The clerk highly recommended them. I asked if they were compatible with my 1989 BMW 735iL and I was told that they were. There was no Rain-x chart in the store so I used an Anco chart. It suggested 24 inches for both the passenger and the driver side. So I proceeded to ATTEMPT to put on the passenger side first. The instructions were pitiful. There are maybe eight combinations of adapter mounting and no real way to tell which one I needed, I could rule out the pin bayonett and P&H styles, but I didn't know if I needed the samll hook, large hook or the I&L/PBT style. So I guessed I needed the small hook installation. When I tried to put on the passenger side, the blade was still loose and the blade extended over the windshield by at least an inch. So I guessed I must need the large hook installation. I attempted to remove the preinstalled connector and the instructions for doing this were vague at best. But I managed to click it out. I saw that there were no real instructions for installing the Universal adapter and after a half an hour of trial and error I was able to get it mounted. But when I tried to mount the blade with the universal adapter I realized it would never fit and that I must really have had the small hook. So after some more trial and error, I was able to replace the pre-installed small adapter. I was then unable to get the blade to work because it remained very loose on the arm and too long for the window. So then I went to this Rain-x site and saw that unlike Anco (which fits BTW) you reccomend a 24 inch blade on the passenger side and a 22 inch blade on the driver side. Well I had not even tried the driver side, but the driver side will likely not fit either if I follow the website reccomendations. And there is another issue! The arm on the BMW has a U shaped flange. The Rain-x blade does not clear this flange. So even though the website specifies certain sizes, thhe Lattitude blade just never will work. Tomorrow, if it doesn't rain, I will return the Rain-x blades and get something that does work. This has been a horrible customer experience. So here are the issues in summary:
1. The instructions stink. They are unclear. They lack any details and they are confusing.
2. There is no way to know what adpater is needed and no chart of way to figure this out even with pictures.
3. The picures really stink, both the printed ones and the website ones. One cannot tell where the clips are supposed to be oriented and where the levers are supposed to be. Images are grainy, lack detail and are totally useless.
4. The posted size information on the website is different than the competitors and the competitors information is correct for their products.
5. The Rain-x size information is dead wrong for the Rain-x products.
6. The Rain-x application chart says the blade will fit on a 1989 BMW 735iL wiper arm and it can never fit because of an interference issue with the flange mounted on that factory arm.
7. When a customer calls the support number, they get Shell and not Rain-x and so it is confusing. I actually dialed twice because I thought I must have dialed wrong the first time.
8. If a cusotmer calls the hotline for help, he/she finds out that the support line is closed after 5 PM so no help is available. Also, the help number printed on the instructions is different than the number listed on the website and Option 2 on the printed instructions does not work when you call the number.
I am compeltely disgusted with Rain-x as a company and the amatuerish way the product is presented and the amatuerish way they present themselves to customers.
Rain-x should really be embarrassed.
shinbumee
12-17-2009, 12:12 AM
Return those craps and buy bosch from amazon dot com