antonin

I purchased a new 2008 Escape in August of 2007. In almost all aspects, its proven to be a reasonable vehicle.

For all other vehicles I've ever owned or leased, I've been able to acquire and install winter wiper blades either at a dealer or a parts store. Given our winters (rural Ontario), experience has proven to me that winter blades are helpful.

I'm astonished that not only can't I find winter blades for the 2008 Escape, but the stock blades don't work as well as other stock blades (probably because of the flat design). I've talked to Ford dealers and corporate, but they can offer no assistance.

Has anyone found a workable solution to this problem?

Thanks!

 

360ci

It's not the blades fault they don't work! ...it's the curvature of the windshield. Vehicle manufacturers are trying to get as much mileage out of each model as possible these days. They also like to save money, putting on the cheapest parts available at the cost of safety now. My biggest peeve is when the blades are different sizes on either side!

Anywho, Bosch makes some good blades. As you mentioned, you live in Ontario so I'd check out Canadian Tire. I get most of my blades there for my vehicles and haven't had a problem installing them. Can't go wrong with universal fit.

I was given an '08 Escape as a loaner for a few days when my Taurus was in the shop at the dealer and the blades worked fine in the light snow/rain. You just have to be persistent with Ford about your problem until they give in

__________________
'99 Taurus 3.0L 2V Vulcan 145hp; 107,820m
'00 Durango R/T 360ci 300hp (modded); 90,651m
'06 Pontiac G6 GT 3.5L 220hp; 14,224m

Amsoil in all vehicles!

jmanfish

the '08 Escape is not an universal fit. Silblade won't have available parts, and nor will Bosch of Canada. I'm on their websites as we speak. looks like this is still a problem. and if 360ci's say about the curvature turns out to be true, it's gonna be one big hell of a problem, for none of the aftermarket parts would work unless nanotechnology comes up with some extra-flexible extra-strong wiper springs (j/k).
by the way. does anyone know if any of the Function C or Function D adapters (seen in this link) would work on the Escape? thank you in advance!

*****EDIT*****
after driving through a really BAD snowstorm today I decided to take out the wiper blade and compare it with Silblade's installation instructions. the closest match I've found is in this link - the Function C adapter -, although it's a slightly different way of putting the blade on on the Escape. I'm gonna take a photo of the blade and arm and send it to Silblade. whatever they're gonna answer, I'll post it here and in the other forums, although it might take a bit longer.
please note that "BAD snowstorm" stands for constant snowing and blizzard at -17 degrees Celsius. add to this the chilling factor as a result of the car's speed. basically the snow melts on the windshield and then freezes almost instantly when the wiper is activated. in order to have the car somewhat driveable (but still with noisy and scratchy wipers) I had to turn the defrost heat to 4 on the windshield.

antonin

Agreed - I've also checked Silblade and others without success. I look forward to the result of your research. And thanks! :-)

Does anyone know if the 2009's (supposedly due out this summer) will continue to have the same blade mount?

jmanfish

if they change it back, we're (well, Ford is) gonna be looking at another class action suit. that, and / or recalling all '08 models for wiper arm change. because IMNSHO it's absolutely unfair towards the customers who purchased one single model to be stuck with a major safety issue. it's a Ford for pete's sake, not the Bertone Carabo.

as for the test yes, I'll keep my promise. just lemme set up a couple of things and I'll get back with the results.

HELLOKITTY3455

I'm having issues with my wiper blades too. The problem is that ice accumulates on the blades and in order to have anything decent, the defrost needs to be set on high. Unfortunately, then the blade don't clear the water/snow and it's right in my line of vision so I have to crane my neck to see. I went to find winter blades too but was told I could only get replacements through the dealer. The dealer said that they could replace the blade, but since it's the same blade, I still would get icing issues. Any idea? I can't stop in the middle of the expressway to clear my blades of ice.

jmanfish

I hear you! I know it's hard but please wait one more week until my experimental parts will arrive. I will post the results then. I don't want to mislead you into buying something that wasn't tested yet.
For everyone else, please note that the experiment I'm about to do will be performed in sub-arctic climate (that's where I live) - so I assume that if the parts will work here, they're supposed to work EVERYWHERE else :D ("here" is Hay River, NT, Canada - 50 degrees sub zero Celsius at worst. Just googlemap it).

In the meantime I found the following solution...
I bought a spray can called "Ice-Off" (made by CRC). It's a very powerful de-icer that actually works on my blades. Here's the link: CLICKY
I got mine from Home&Hardware, I don't know who would sell it in the US.

What I'm doing is: remote-start my car in the morning, leave the defrost ON for 15 minutes at max speed & heat while pulverizing Ice-Off on the blades and the ice built at the base of the windshield. By the time I actually start the ice is pretty much melt and I can easily remove it with just my fingers or an ice scraper.

Very important: in order for the blades to wipe properly you need to Ice-Off the joints of the wiper arms (ALL of them): the point where the rubber joins the metal parts; the articulation point between the blade and the arm; the articulation point at the base of the arm (where the motor axle protrudes the body, right under the windshield); around the motor axle itself. It is a good procedure to remove the blade from the arm and clean the articulation too. Be CAREFUL though - if the temperatures are extremely low, the blade-arm assembly (made of plastic) may become bristle. DO NOT APPLY FORCE! Just use more Ice-Off and wait a minute or two more. And don't be very generous with the solution. Just apply gentle pressure on the can button and pulverize only as much as you need for the ice to melt. The can is about $8.99 CAD and you might want it to last a bit longer.

Following the tip I found on another forum I got a spray bottle and filled it up with Rain-X. I spray it on all the surface of the windshield so that I can keep the Ice-Off for the blades only. Blades will wipe better on a Rain-X-ed surface. Also, fill your windshield washer tank with Rain-X too.

Another useful tip (especially for cars left outside) is to cover the wiper area of the windshield with a long stripe of synthetic material (nylon in my case) so that the snow won't build up during the night. I found a special accessory (a windshield cover) at a local store - what you have to do is neatly covering the area and lock the far edges of the stripe under your driver and passenger doors. Voila, clean windshield and/or wipers in the morning.

On a more practical note, keep always in mind that the wiper blades are NOT DESIGNED for ice removal. You have to use your hands and tools in order to get rid of the ice. Actually the blades end in a very thin (and fragile) edge and the effect of the hardened ice on them is pretty much the same as if you would brush your skin against sandpaper.

Please reply if this has helped. I'd like to forward more results to other interested people. Thank you!

jmanfish

okay folks, I've got the wipers.

it's a really good option, they DO WORK and as I promised I'm back with the test results and your source for quality third-party replacements to the originals.
before I even begin I want you all to know that I am not tied in any way to these producers and I am not advertising anything. I am living north of the 60th parallel all the way up north in Canada, I've just got my '08 Escape and since the winters are harsh here with temperatures as low as -50 Celsius (and the original wipers were up to no good) I had to find something to eliminate the safety hazard of having a frozen and clogged windshield.

and also, before you read further, please keep in mind all the precautions I wrote in the previous post. unless you have stainless steel blades and 50 HP wipers motors, no blade will clean the built up ice. you need to scrape and brush it away before beginning your trip.

the parts I'm talking about are the silicone blades manufactured by Silblade of USA. here's the website: CLICKY. I was sent the FlexBlade series.

unfortunately at the time I began my quest there were no 20" blades available (standard size for the Escape) so Paul at Silblade was kind enough to supply me with the 19" ones. if you don't mind half an inch less on the upper and lower part of the covered area (who would when one has no visibility at all? :) ) they're absolutely perfect. there is NO noise, NO squeaking and no scattered movement at all.

very important: make sure to order the Function C adapter. the original one-piece blade that comes with the car will be replaced by a blade AND a pinch-tab. don't worry, it fits perfectly and it will stay put, and installation is a breeze. I never needed the instructions because it's self-explanatory, but it's never a bad measure to read them before actually installing the blades.

be advised that there is a small area that won't be perfectly covered by the blades. it wasn't covered with the original ones as well, however with the replacements it's much smaller.

I'm attaching the images of the FlexBlades on my car after a couple of days of testing them. please note that the temperature at the time the photos were taken was about -20 Celsius, with intense snow showers. you will see that despite some frozen snow built on the blades they retained their wiping qualities. also, I've marked red the area that is less covered by the wipers. less covered means some faint stains remain after the blade has made its pass. they're not visible from outside and hardly noticeable from inside as well, unless you're looking through the windshield against a dark background.