being a bit of an eco-nut , i replaced the rubber insert for the driver side wipers.
It was surprisingly easy - all that had to be done was to pry open the end cap with a small screwdriver. There is no lever or catch on the XC40 wiper blades. So you do need to lift the cap on one side, push up slightly, and lift the other side to release the cap. Then cut the insert to 24" size and reinsert with the help of a bit of lube/grease. Loads of sellers of insert replacements on amazon.
Fraction of the cost and also negates the need to bin perfectly good wiper blades.
The rear wiper is a different story. End cap is v difficult to remove, so for this one i'll just have to replace the whole thing.
