Wiper Blades and Unrelated funny sound

**kaizr** · 06-10-2008 02:39 PM

I drive a 2003 Audi a4 1.8 T Quattro 5 Speed Manual. My wiper blades are beat to snot. I went to replace them with Rain-X Latitudes. According to the Rain-X site I needed the 21 inch model. I went to put them on my car and for at first thought I was retarded until I realized it was impossible to fit these blades onto the Awkward Audi latch. I looked all over and found out the only place I could get blades was the dealer, and 22 bucks a pop plus tax, it would cost me nearly 50 bucks for some second rate blades. They also sold the "European" style blades (single pressure point like the Latitudes) for a little more but they would not fit my arm.

Is my only option here to fork over 50 bucks for a joke of a set of blades or replace the entire arm set if I want a decent set of blades? Or am I just looking in the wrong place? My latch is not a j-hook or any of the standard latch types you see in regular cars, it looks like some proprietary crap so you have to buy their sharty blades.

Also, whenever I turn off my car, I hear what sounds like grinding coming from the glove box area. What is this? It's not the CD player, that's in the trunk. This is unrelated to the blades by the way.

**SlappyB6** · 06-10-2008 03:27 PM

The wiper issue has been discussed several times before, run a search, you'll get the info you need.

As for the sound, I get the same thing. Actually, sometimes I think my car is a Transformer because it makes so many noises when I first turn it on, and after I shut it off. Hmmm, cars really are females...

**redline_redline** · 06-10-2008 03:38 PM

rain-x doesnt fit no matter what size, i wasted 20 bucks on them too unfortunately... =/

**doublezero30** · 06-10-2008 04:26 PM

$130 at ecs tuning for the wiper arms/blades to convert to the aero wipers. im planning on doing it in the near future.

**EBG 18T** · 06-10-2008 05:46 PM

convert to the euro/aero blades and call it a day. I was in the same position last year and glad i switched. the aero blades seem to work much better than the standard blades.

**kaizr** · 06-11-2008 07:16 AM

I saw one of those two sites I was told to look at mentions the package no longer includes 2 bolts? Is this detrimental to installation or does the package come with everything I need to set it up except tools and tape and know-how?

**doublezero30** · 06-11-2008 09:44 AM

^those two bolts are already on your car anyway. how do you think your current wiper arms are held on?

and im not sure what you need tape for?? you just pop the cap off the end of the wiper arms, undo the bolt, and yank it off. sometimes it takes a good amount of effort to get them off.

**kaizr** · 06-11-2008 09:58 AM

Tape is so that I can outline my current alignment so my new ones match.

**alexza4** · 06-11-2008 10:04 AM

just get the filler replacements from Autozone/Advance. Did it last year, they fit and work beatifuly. don't know why everyone is spending all this money on aeros....

**doublezero30** · 06-11-2008 12:14 PM

you dont need tape. just make sure the blade is on the window right above the plastic part and youll be fine. i mean, if you want to use tape feel free. but its not really needed.