TestMaster

ok, just went through this mystery today - and I read in a previous post the dealer will install for free and it was true at my dealership also, however, was in a hurry-so I decided to do it at home by myself--i searched the internet and it seemed this was the forum I last read about the wiper replacement situation -- my experience was this--while squeezing the plastic cover I inserted a flat-head screw driver into the rectangular gap between the cap and the arm, with minimal force slide the cap forward (about 1/8 an inch) and off it came--- at that point the wiper arms un-clip like any others I have ever replaced and then you pull back the plastic on the end of the arm where the blade is marked "lock" and slide the suspect blade out--take the metal stave's from old blade and put in new one(s) slide back in and ---presto chango - its done-

MAZURY

Since, it took me some time to figure out how to replace those refills in my 2006 Civic, I decided to create a "HOW TO" document with step by step instructions.

How to replace a windshield wiper's refill for 2006 Honda Civic.pdf

I hope this helps.

johng35

The coupe is different from the sedan... according to the service manual I got, the
2 door looks is far easier than the 4 door. ( at least the 06-08)
I have a coupe and it took 2 minutes to repalce both inserts...i did not even need to take the entire blade off the arm.

ws2374

I gave up using my bare hands. I needed pliers and a big screw driver. I'm just happy I didn't damage any of the parts.

jdquinn

Just so everyone knows, you're arguing with each other over two DIFFERENT designs. I don't have a coupe, but on my 2007 Civic sedan, the cap (that the googlers like myself are having a problem with) is at the end of the wiper ARM, not the blade. The pictures that fgcoup posted are from either a coupe or a different year sedan. The 'cap' is not on the wiper blade assembly, it's on the arm that attaches to the blade assembly.

I used a small screwdriver, popped the cover forward with a twist motion instead of a prying motion, it came right off with no damage. I replaced the entire assembly with a Rain-X Latitude blade. I did not mess with removing the metal strips and blade from the Honda blade assembly, because the replacement attaches to the J-bar straight out of the package and works just fine.

Don't get frustrated when reading these replies, if the pictures/process that people are explaining seems completely different than your situation, it probably is. Most of the googling I did led me to 'other' instructions, and inevitably people calling each other idiots for not understanding the process that they were explaining, which was the wrong process in the first place.

MidniteCivic

Thanks so much for the info. I have swapped out refills before, but using sheer determination. I saw in Aid Auto that the 2006 Civic Sedan is a unique blade - not in stock. I will try the dealer. Looking forward to adventure!

wmp999

I just wanted to say thanks for this thread. I've been driving for almost 40 years, and have never, before the 2006 Civic, had someone else replace a wiper blade. One of these tricks is bound to work. And I no longer feel like a moron for not being able to figure it out.

On to the headrest and new quieter tires...

lordway

someone should clear all the other posts and leave yours there. save us all some time wading through the waste. Thanks for taking the time to leave an intelligent description of how it is done.

jeff618

I just read through this whole string and I think one of the points of argument/confusion is that many people don't realize that on certain versions of the 8th gen civic you can get inexpensive aftermarket replacement wipers (frame and blade) but on others you can't - you have to get refills/inserts and stick with the honda wiper frames.

06-10 Civic COUPE = 28" Driver Side & 25" Passenger Side (aftermarket available)
08-10 Civic SEDAN = 26" DS & 22" PS (aftermarket available)
06-07 Civic SEDAN = Have to go to dealer - aftermarket replacements are NOT AVAILABLE

Just make sure you look-up the make, model and year - and keep an eye on trim/body style - of your civic in the application guidebook or by Googling 'lookup wiper size'. If something is listed, you're good to go. If something is not listed - see ya at the dealer! Just pay attention (especially to bodystyle/trim of the civic) and you'll be ok.

BTW, The driver side 28" blade in the new-style, frameless wiper on the 07 Coupe is hit or miss at a lot of the stores around me. With some research, I found the 'Trico Tech Beam Blades' online (both 28" & 25") and they work excellent. They just came out in late 2009 and what's nice is they have a lower, slightly off-set attachment mounting that allows the wiper arms to sit slightly lower. They’re beefy as hell and look sleek with the lower mounts. Wipe clean and quietly without chatter. Came with removal and replacement instructions - easy install. They fit nicely. Very nice replacement windshield wiper blades!! Picked them up online.

Hope this all helps...

ninjadog

My car is only a few weeks old and the wipers are probably the worst I have ever seen. They worked good for about a week then they started to sound like they were made from sand paper. They leave streaks like crazy and make it very hard to see even after I made sure they were clean. I was going to change them already with some good ones but this tread makes me wonder...While I'm ranting whats with the one delay setting, every car I ever owned, even the biggest POS had an adjustable delay.

1960greenbug

After MUCH trial and error/research/800-customer service calls I finally found replacement windshield wiper blades that are compatible with an '07 civic coupe....

I was determined to find a replacement that didn't require going to the dealer to buy the inserts @ $7 each.

The Rain-X Latitude 24" blades fit .... at around $17.00 each....

If you want to save time and money just get them from an OEM source.

notmyhonda

I was trying to change the wiper refills on my girlfriend's 2007 Honda Civic and found it very difficult, at first. The biggest and most frustrating problem is removing the cap that covers the hinge of the blade and wiper arm. Instructions say squeeze and pull, and I met with no success by that method. I did eventually get this off, but not without effort. Maybe an explanation of *what* you are trying to accomplish will help:

The cap, shaped like a saddle, has a split plastic rivet underneath and this locks into the blade. The concept is that you squeeze the cap, which presses the two halves of the rivet together, and by pulling up at the same time you have cleared the hole it was snapped into. By squeezing where the manufacturer has the traction molding for your fingers at the very end of the cap is not sufficient to push the rivet pieces together! I suggest you squeeze a little further beyond as you gently pry it up with a flathead screwdriver from the top front gap of the cap/saddle.

Once you have the cap off you will want to remove the wiper blade from the arm so that you can replace the blade, or just the refill.

From here, the wipers are similar to most others. The wiper arm and blade are connected at the hinged point. The hinge is an open loop ( like the letter 'J' ) at the end of the wiper arm. The blade rests in this open loop and is held in place by a silver metal tension spring tab located in the underside of the wiper arm. You can press the tension tab from underneath the wiper arm, where they meet at the hinge. At the same time, you push the wiper blade free of the arm by firmly pushing the blade down towards, and out, of the arm.

If you are replacing the rubber refills:

As explained in other posts, the refills have two different ends. One end is a thinner 'I' shape. This is the top of the wiper. The bottom part of the refill is a square block shape. To slide out the old ones you are replacing:
Peel back the rubberized cover on the blade at the bottom and you will see the block shaped end. Pull/Slide it out from this direction. The refill will come out with two long metal pieces that you will fit into the rubber refill.

You want to replace the refill by sliding the thinner "I" end back into the wiper blade first. Place the metal pieces into the side slots of the refill. I found it easier to just start these pieces in the refill and then guide them as you slowly slide the refill into place.

I apologize for the long post, but I hope the descriptions save you the frustration I encountered.

Good luck with the wipers, Winter is coming!

Rob H

I was getting beyond frustrated trying to do this on my '06 Civic Sedan. The manual made it look so easy but neglected to say you need the jaws of life to pry those covers off.

But then I came here and combined the good advice of two posts. First, unlike the manual, Organized Chaos states pretty well what the hell one is looking at with these blades. I followed his advice and saw how it could be done, but it was awkward for me to do it with the blades still attached to the arms. Plus it was cold and hard to feel my fingers after a few minutes.

So I went the screwdriver route and followed the advice on using a flathead to move the covers off. It takes some minor fiddling, but once I got the head of the screwdriver in position with the blades parallel to the arms, I stuck it in that small space which presents itself, squeezed where the manual says to, and not too forcibly pushed the covers and they came off. Hallelujah! Once that was done, it was a fairly easy step to remove the blades from the arms.

So the screwdriver route definitely works.

Then I took the blades inside and followed OC's advice on how to get the old inserts out and the new ones in. Worked like a charm. My only addition to this method was using the pliers on my leatherman to snag the insert to begin pulling it out.

Note to Honda... you could be a little more creative with the manuals. Like telling people that responsibly using something as simple as a flathead screwdriver can make this process far easier. Or you could hire Organized Chaos to help write the manual.

Anyway, thanks to some people here, this all worked out.

billdncn

This.

BTW, hi from the new guy. '06 Sedan

I had bought replacement blades from Napa ($56) and gave up on them. Returned them for refund.
Stopped by the Dealership and picked up replacement inserts ($17). Came home and (leaving on the blade assy) lifted up the end cover, got a firm grip and slid out the old inserts. Installed the metal stiffeners into the new wiper inserts and sliding the chamfered end back in first.... Done. Took about 5 min.

Thanks for the info

Old Car Nut

I spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get the wiper blades free of the arms and gave up. They wouldn't come off. However, just in looking at it, here's the five minute method that does not require removing the blade. The vehicle is a 2007 Civic sedan.

Lift the blade away from the windshield.

Standing on the side of the car, lift up the rubber section that covers the butt end of the wiper that is closest to you (it's pointing towards the windshield). You can do this with your fingernail. Pull on the wiper refill towards you and along the direction of the blade and it will slide down towards the windshield.

When you pull out about three inches, the metal inserts hit the windshield and you can't pull the refills out any more. Lay the wiper arm against the window and remove the rest of the wiper insert, making sure not to permanently bend the metal inserts.

Remove the metal pieces and insert into the new refill.

Lift the wiper arm up from the window. Lift up the rubber that covers the **OTHER** butt end of the wiper blade (this is the end sticking up into the air) and insert the "I" shaped end of the refill into the groove. Push the wiper refill down towards the windshield and it will slide all the way into the blade.

Repeat for the other side.

jeff618

Get rid of the factory boat anchors and replace with aftermarket. Found wipers that fit the special "push button" wiper arm attachments on the 06+ honda civics. They don't look exactly the same as OEM, but the trico neoform beam blades direct-connect - no cheesy, plastic adapters (which many other aftermarket blades require). The wiper arm sits lower and there's less play in the attachment. Smooth, quiet, wipe-clean and priced fairly. ...Oh...and install takes about 2 minutes.

jimgrim

I'm having the same issue. There seems to be a small tab on each blade that is catching on the arm as I try to slide the blade back on the arm. This tab apparently needs to go under the part of the arm that it's catching on but I can't find any give in it to make it go under. The tab doesn't appear to be on a spring like you think it would be.