I’ve owned my Mitsubishi FTO MIVEC for 3 years and have had nothing but happiness and enjoyment out of it. The only problem is with getting the parts needed to keep it maintained. I have gone through 3 pairs of Wiper Blades and I am still not happy with the current version that I have on. I got the high performance Silicone Wiper Blades from a local garage but they do not slope to the correct angle of the windscreen.

The concerns that I have with ordering parts for the FTO is that everything has to be imported from Japan to get the correct fit and style. I did realise this when I bought the car but I didn’t realise the cost of importing such things as Wiper Blades direct from the factory in Japan. This is because they do not make the current version of the car anymore and therefore everything is by order and demand.

There are a couple of professional companies that can help with high performance parts, such as Wiper Blades, and I have used them in the past when the car failed it’s MOT and I needed a new seatbelt, mirror and locking catch. These professional dealers are comprehensively cheaper and you actually get to talk someone who will give

you exact prices and delivery times. I used SMC who are a professional FTO parts dealer, I purchased the above parts and ordered the new high performance Wiper Blades which were a perfect fit, unfortunately they were too high performance and a local kid decided to treat himself to them the following week!

I have resigned myself to using local garage or store for Wiper Blades in case of the same occurring again. I went down to a local store and bought a set of standard Wiper Blades which I thought would fit the windscreen, they were sizes 20” and 21”, they didn’t fit although the FTO name was on the packaging. I took the pair of Wiper Blades back and exchanged them for the rigid 19” version. The Wiper Blades fit the actual windscreen but did not curve around to fit the passenger side. I left these Wiper Blades on for at least six months but I noticed that during the winter months the rubber was wearing and I decided to go back to the Silicone Wiper Blades. As I have already commented on, I am still not happy with the appearance of my Wiper Blades but they are the best that I can find without paying for an import from Japan and paying a small fortune.

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