Getting MIL's car taken care of while I am in town. It got it's third oil change, a wash, and fresh wipers. 4600 miles, and bought new off the lot in '07. Walmart loves saying that it doesn't need the oil changed, but then puts it's sticker in it saying that it needs another change in 3 months...
Shouldn't the title read "factory wipers need replacing at 7 years"?
UV exposure and time are the factor here. 7 years on a set is fantastic. And I would forget about any kind of millage in terms of changing the oil. I would change the oil 2x a year no matter what the millage just due to condensation and acids building up in the oil. I am betting with the millage that car never really gets warm. Sounds like a "bingo" car as we call them. A car that only gets driven to the bingo game once every month.
I'm lucky if I can get two years out of a set of wipers
We have a couple of low use vehicles here. Maintenance schedule is by calendar, not odometer. Mrs. BDT's ride gets fresh Mobil 1 and filter every October, regardless of mileage (usually about 3k/yr).
Wiper blades for that pig cost $60/pair, I try to hold out for two years but I keep fresh ones in the trunk, just in case.
WTH - I'm lucky if I get 6 months out of a set of "normal" Bosch wipers. The fancy Rain-X ones seem to last about a year, maybe a little more.
Replaced mine at 70,000k.
The title was in jest. I'm amazed they lasted that many years. Oil gets changed once a year, when we come down to visit. And I take it on the interstate to blow out the carbon. A year ago, we put 350 miles on it, bringing the total mileage to 3500. In a single weekend. I saw the oil coming out, nice and clean. I'd love to pull the valve cover and take a look see, but I never remember to bring the tools.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I'm lucky if I can get two years out of a set of wipers
I wind up changing mine spring and fall.
I find it funny how many hatchbacks, wagons, and SUVs have rear windows with no wiper material left on the rear wiper... just the plastic remains after the rubber has rotted and fallen off
Yep - early spring/late fall, Valeo 600s on everything except the 525iT that gets BMW inserts.
I get ~6 months, tops, out of my wipers on any of the cars.
They are parked outside and get lots of UV rays and tree sap exposure, though.
I replace mine whenever a customer wants new blades and I think the old ones are better than what I have.
I'm hoping someone with 16" blades wants replacements soon. The 22" ones I have now overlap the roof 
Funny, we just had two back to back in the shop that change their oil once a year. One has a rod hanging out of the block, the other has what looks like overcooked chocolate pudding in the oil pan. That guy is trying to blame it on the Lucas oil stabilizer he uses.
The wipers on the truck are bad EVERY time I drive the truck in the rain, which is like every other year or so. 
I suspect the wipers are in usable shape for about 6 months, after which the rubber has baked onto the windshield and the edge looks like a comb and wipes just as well.
They say that wipers that are used frequently last longer than those used only rarely, and I believe it.
I'm sure that having the oil changed more often would be of benefit, but she won't do it herself, and I can only get down here once a year. Oh, and Walmart was nice enough to tell us that her battery is "low on charge", and likely needs replacing... Same as the last two changes, still the original battery. Sure, at some point it will go, and likely sooner than later. That's when she will call AAA and get a replacement delivered and installed.
The wipers on my Spitfire lasted 28 years.
Thinking of wipers, my pickup goes a couple thousand miles a year, is always street parked, and the cheapest wipers my brother could find two and a half years ago are still going strong. I have a set of silicone wipers on my first Miata, they're over ten years old, I don't want to think of how many miles, and they are also going strong. Granted they cost $25 each all those years ago, and the company that made them is gone, but they just keep going.
What kind of car?
My rear wiper on the 3 lasted about 4 months before it started streaking and falling apart. The fronts lasted about a year. I've had Trico NeoForm blades on for over a year now up front, and they are still going strong. For a person like me who is obsessed with always having a clean windshield, they get my recommendation. The aftermarket Trico rear blade has the same usage on it, but it's about ready to be replaced.
WTF? Some of you guys get years on a set of wiper blades?! I only get about 6 months with a set. One set of Rain-X wiper blades worked really good and the other Rain-X sets I got were crappy. I don't remember the brand I got last time, maybe Trico. I mostly end up using the Rain-x window cleaner/repellant spray that beads the water off the windshield. It has been much less pricey for me over the last 2 or 3 years I have had with the same bottle.
In reply to Gearheadotaku:
MIL's is a Versa. Ultrapliance. I have an old Chevy p/u and the silicone blades were on a '97 Miata.
I use Honda blades on my Kias(and old Hyundais) I can get a year out of a set of $4 each inserts if I maintain them. Clean them off with a damp towel at each fill up is the key. Keeps the debris off them to keep from getting the small tears. I figure $8 a year for two cars on wipers is well worth it.
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