Had some trouble with the rain this weekend, my wipers weren’t cutting it anymore and needed to be replaced. Another good opportunity to do a BMW X3 wiper replacement tech tip.

First, I tried calling around to some local auto stores, but in my area wipers for a BMW X3 need to be special ordered. I figured if that’s the case, try the dealership also. Stevens Creek BMW wanted over $140 for the front driver and passenger wipers alone – that sounded exorbitant to someone cost sensitive like me. I tried a few more local shops and found the front set for under $100 but still a bit high. I ended up doing much better than that.



Ultimately, I found some Bosch wiper refills (Bosch 43722 Wiper Refill Pr & Bosch 43720 Wiper Refill Pr) that did the trick. The driver side wiper uses 22 inch while the passenger side uses 20 inch. The refills come in sets of two, so you could use sturdy wire clippers and cut the second 43722 refill down to fit the passenger side wiper. Instead, I suggest just getting the 20 inch set as well, and keep the spares handy for your next wiper change. Here are some more handy tips and photos to help with the entire replacement procedure – driver passenger & rear window.

The front wipers release from the J-hooks by pressing the small latch on the plastic housing. On my car, I had to open the hood to pull the wipers away from the windshield. Tilt the wipers 90 degrees then you should be able to locate the pin latch that releases the wiper. Press the latch then push the wiper down toward the windshield, it should slide away from the J-hook with easy to slightly moderate force. The old wiper blade had a retaining clip on one side I had to manipulate and then remove using some needle nose pliers. Slide the old wipers out and replace. Reinstall the retaining clip and make sure the blade can’t slide away from the housing, that would be unfortunate in the middle of a storm. When you reinstall the wipers, pull firmly away from the windshield to latch them back in the J-hooks. Check to make sure they are latched in by trying to pull them out without using the latch. It only took a couple minutes, an amateur can do this procedure.


You’ll need to get the Bosch H 351 wiper replacement for the rear window. It didn’t appear that you could replace the blade only, so I bought the entire wiper. It snaps on and off easily in seconds.

As for cost, my local auto store sold the H 351 for $25.70, but they put list price as $49.95. The refills went for $14.95 and list is $19.95. So definitely better than the dealership, but I could have got them cheaper here: Bosch 43722 Wiper Refill Pr & Bosch 43720 Wiper Refill Pr.

Your local auto store will have other replacement wipers that will fit the BMW X3, but I found the bulk wipers don’t have the mounting hardware for the driver side wiper spoiler. The spoiler functions as a wing to keep wiper chatter down in storm conditions, something useful for an SAV. Finally, make sure the spoiler is on the bottom of the wiper for it to have an effect.

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