Woman Goes To AutoZone To Replace Her Wipers. Then A Worker Recommends Something Wild

"It likely isn’t worth the trouble."

Woman Goes To AutoZone To Replace Her Wipers. Then A Worker Recommends The Wrong Part

Photo by: eesameesabeesa & michael

Nina Hernandez

By: Nina Hernandez

Mar 16, at 6:00pm ET

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A woman needed to replace her windshield wipers and called AutoZone for an estimate. After hearing the price tag on a new pair, she decided to save money with a DIY fix. But is this an option for every vehicle owner?

TikTok creator @eesameesabeesa posted a video with her windshield wiper discovery.

"Hey so when you replace your windshield wiper blades, you don’t have to replace the whole thing," she says to start the video. "You can just get these rubbers."

She says, "I called AutoZone and they said that [new windshield wipers] were going to be $60. No, they’re not."

That’s because the TikToker got windshield wiper refills online. "I got these for like $6," she says. "I don’t know if this is on all cars, but you should be able to push this in and it comes out."

She demonstrates taking the old rubber part out and replacing it with the refill. "You’ll just find the groove and run it through," she says. "And then you just put it back on somehow. Boom."

What Are Windshield Wiper Refills?

It’s true that on some windshield wipers, drivers can opt for refill inserts rather than a full replacement. If the wipers have a square-shaped claw at the blade stop, drivers can generally do this job themselves without purchasing an entirely new set of wipers.

The TikToker’s comment that she isn’t sure if it works on every set of wipers is key here. She’s not the first person to wonder about that. A person posted to Reddit’s r/MechanicAdvice three years ago asking if they could just replace the rubber in their windshield wipers instead of going for a full replacement.

One person said, "Sometimes you can, depending on how they’re designed. The thing is, the spring steel that they make the arms out of loses tension over time and doesn’t work as well, so unless you’ve got a specific reason why you want to do it that way it likely isn’t worth the trouble."

A second person said, "The short answer is you might be able to. And you might now. It just depends on the wiper model and manufacturer. That said, it is a huge pain to replace just the rubber bit, or can be, and there is no guarantee that it will fit properly. Replacing the whole thing is faster, easier, and worth it."

Viewers React To The Windshield Wiper Refill Question

In the comments section of the video, viewers echoed much of the sentiment in that Reddit thread from a few years ago.

"As a mechanic’s wife, not all cars’ wiper blades can be refilled," wrote one viewer ."Year, make, and model is key when searching. You’re welcome, ladies."

A second person said, "I do these with mine pretty often. Some wipers are built slightly differently, so this might not work for some. But for less than $10 on Amazon or eBay, it wouldn’t hurt to try."

What do you think?

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"Man, I wish I knew this last week," said a third viewer. "Thank you, though."

Motor1 contacted @eesameesabeesa via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll update this if she responds.

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