I used to apply RainX when I was young and ambitious. Now I buy the RainX
2-in-1 windshield washer fluid. At highway speeds I don't use my wipers, unless there's traffic causing road spray. Absent that, the water just beads up and rolls off.
I remember the first time I saw a pro "sheetrocker" work. It really is an art. I assume tint-film application is much the same.
That's why I try to buy silver or white-colored cars. One black car (the Karmann Ghia) was enough, especially since it had no air conditioner (that I can recall). You baked in the summer and froze in the winter.
As I said to Nate, I go with silver (the best heat reducing color) or white. I've found, unfortunately, that for some reason silver-colored cars tend to blend into the background and people run into them more frequently, or so it seems. I think it might be that they tend to reflect their surroundings and thus are somewhat camoflaged.
I nearly bought a "speeding ticket red" Prelude once, but my wife talked me out of it and in additon, the dealership was playing availability games so I ended up with a white one which turned out to be a better deal. They expected me to want red so badly that I'd pay a few thousand more to have it shipped from a dealer in another state. No way.
Except for spring when the mulberry tree (and the birds that ate the berries) began their month's long bombardment, white turned out to be AOK. Fortuntely the Honda had a respectable clear coat layer that took 20 years to wear off, so none of the purple and white "berries and poop" stains set in. After 20 years, I had the mulberry tree cut down because they tracked into the house and got into everything. The interesting downside was that huge colonies of sugar ants that had fed on the berries now were forced to look for a new food source. That's when I learned about Terro (corn syrup and boric acid). My poor neighbor, whose kitchen was very close to the tree, really suffered through springtime waves of ant invasions.
Some people just can't abide not having wipers working in the rain (my wife, for one). That's one reason why I stopped using it. Another was being older and less ambitious. I might just have to give the washer fluid a whirl. Any downsides that you know of?
Downsides:
1 - It's a bit more expensive. 2 - When you get your oil changed you have to remember to tell them not to top off the washer fluid. 3 - On very rare occasions, I get a haze on the windshield for a second or two, which reduces visibility, as the fluid drives. This seems to happen in cold weather and low sun angles. Just something to be aware of...it only lasts for a wiper swipe or two.
Try using Totally Awesome as a cleaner. It's available at Dollar General and many other stores for $1 per bottle. It is amazing stuff. We keep a bottle in several key places in the house.
If you have pine trees where you park your cars, try washing your car with it. It is amazing. Don't let the "As Seen On TV" scare you away. Plus, it's cheap.
I forgot to mention that the haze only happens right after applying the washer fluid. It's like it take a second or two to dry in cold weather.
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I forgot to mention that the haze only happens right after applying the washer fluid. It's like it take a second or two to dry in cold weather.
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The silicone wipers I recommended will provide somewhat of the same effect as Rain-X, albeit obviously only in the area actually swept by the wipers. After using them for a while, it acts just like a (properly applied) coating of Rain-X.
nate
I'm hesitant to use anything other than regular car wash soap unless I'm going to be applying a wax or sealant afterwards. Plain old dish soap will do a great job cleaning your car's painted surfaces, but it *will* strip off any wax that you've applied. The idea behind the car wash soaps is that it will clean off dirt but not strip the wax.
nate
Yup, it *looks* easy... but then you try to do it :)
I may still try to do my Jeep myself as most of the windows are pretty flat. I like acquiring skills. Don't know if I have the patience to do a double-curved back window in a coupe though. I kind of doubt it.
I may even pop the quarter windows out of the vehicle to tint on the bench. It looks less frustrating than doing it the traditional way, although I've never seen anyone actually do it that way.
Yes, and black shows dirt and swirl marks like nobody's business. It just looks so damn good though.
nate
Spend a buck, give it a try, and let us know. Car wash soap would not remove the crud that was on my car. This stuff wiped it off. I don't know if it removes the wax, but in my case, I had no choice.
The stuff is amazing for remove spots and stains in carpet and clothes. We use it on a lot of things, including cleaning Linoleum floors.
it's not rocket science. for small windows, i find it easier to make a pattern out of newspaper first. if you don't like the job, you can remove it with a short period of time without any problems.
however, the window does have to be immaculate before putting on the film, because you don't have any way to get the lint or fibers out once the liquid dries.
I ran across it by accident. I have a few bottles at home and a few at work now. Powerful stuff.
I mix rainX washer fluid with water and other stuff. It still works diluted.
Greg
At a certain age and condition (deteriorating!) the acquisition of new skills doesn't seem as important as it did when younger or poorer. (-:
"Arthur" (my web forum's nickname for arthritis) dictates what tasks I can take on now. Hanging upside working under the van's dashboard is one of those things that others have to do for me now. I would guess that gyrating around to reach a rear window deck in a car is out, too. )-:
Funny how I still think of myself as much younger. In the auto parts store the other day there were a lot of people milling around the counter and only two salesclerks. When one clerk asked "who's next?" and someone who was not actually next sidled up to the counter I heard the other, perhaps teenage clerk say "No, the old guy was first!" I began looking around for the "old guy" and then realized everyone was looking at ME! What's that phrase "Ask not for whom the bell tolls." What a shock.
I forgot to ask, what's a ceramic film? The two terms seem incongruous.
Fortunately, having a Jag sedan and a TR-4 to rebuild at an early age taught me that good looks are great, but a car that starts every time you turn the key (or push the starter button) is worth its weight in gold. "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife" applies to cars, too.
What "other stuff?" (-:
Thanks, I'll look for it.
Does it not mix with standard fluid? I thought someone else said it did . . .
Blue stuff, or just water diluted.
Greg
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