Best I've ever come across is Clearalex washer additive. Used to be vailable in Hlfords etc but I had to buy on line last time. It dates back to the late 60's when it was used by the Rally teams
malcolm
To add one more odd glass cleaner: Toothpaste. Use it to polish off the wax film from the car wash...
Thomas Prufer
A garage waxed my (new) windscreen once. First time it rained, I couldn't see out the windscreen because the water went into miniscule beads all over it about a millisecond after the wiper passed by.
I tried a few things, but with only partial success. Eventually I called Triplex and they gave me advice along the following lines.
Although the wax forms a weak chemical bond with the glass, you can get it off with white spirit and a lot of rubbing. It only needs a very small amount to cause water beading, and it's difficult to clean because you have to get it all off. Second problem is that it is absorbed into rubber wiper blades, and these will recoat the glass.
So first, chuck out the wiper blades.
Secondly, clean the screen with white spirit and kitchen roll, but use new sheets all the time for washing and again for drying off (don't let it evaporate off as that will leave the silicone behind). You will need to go over it several times, and expect to use up a whole kitchen roll. If the windscreen has a rubber surround, don't let the kitchen roll touch that and then touch the glass, as it will transfer more silicone back onto the glass.
Finally, fit brand new wiper blades.
It worked.
Erm, am I missing something here? Why would one ever want to do that?
WD-40 is 50% white spirit:
I don't know. Inconcompetence I think. Probably a new lad from the jobcentre. It was nice of them to clean the car for free when it was in for a service, but given this, I wished they hadn't.
white spirit, it crazed and eventually shattered - a bit like toughened glass car windscreens do when the break.
Done mine a number of times with simonize(sp) or something when doing the rest of the van. Never had a problem with beading nor anything else. Guess I did it thinking it might help reduce bug-splatter and stuff or make it easier to clean off stuff.... who knows but it's never been a problem either way.
Ok ta. I wondered if this was something I should have been doing for the last 45 years :-)
Until a year or so back I've always put Rain X in the snake oil department. Then CostCo had it and the glass cleaner to go with it at a good price. Thought what the heck I'm fed up with a nasty smeary windscreen.
Took several hours of quite hard work cleaning the glass and buffing on the Rain X but the difference was amazing. Rain just beads and runs off, above about 40mph the beads also blow off in streaks, you hardly need the wipers on. The nasty smeary traffic film doesn't build up either. There is a brief period after a wipe in light rain where you have a very fine mist of beads but they quickly disappear to a crystal clear screen.
As has been said judder is down to the angles being wrong or the blade to stiff (old) to flip/flop properly.
Nicely frosted?
"flat set"?
Combined shampoo and wax? I use it all the time - but wash the screen separately.
Some (most?) "automatic" carwashes allegedly use some form of wax emulsion in their processes.
That's another reason why I don't use automatic car washes, I did years ago but suffered with a "waxed windscreen" afterwards. Personally I don't bother washing the car at all, the rain/spray does it well enough unless it's only just damp for a long time driving and the back gets covered in fine silt. I might then clean the lights and number plate.
My experience is that, after going through an automatic car wash, the windscreen usually does appear to be slightly 'water-repellent', but this doesn't last long. It certainly doesn't put me off using them (once in a while).
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "
I've done it a few times when using the type of carshampoo-wiv-wax innit. Only had a problem once but it cleared up reasonably quickly with my demon screenwash mix.
My lass doesn't use oil.
Robert
Each to their own but Rain X is the only thing that has ever made my windscreen wipers judder. Excellent at first but after it wears off which in my case was very quickly it was terrible. Great for the side windows though
Not at all. I take it you have never tried steel wool on glass? It completely cleans it. I probably do it to the household cars once a year to get all the crap off. It is crystal clear afterwards. When I was young and foolish I got a car resprayed by a backstreet vendor and he had left overspray on a couple of windows. I complained and he said to try steel wool. Thought he was at it at first so tried a corner and haven't looked back since.
As in "most" modern cars
Oh, you mean stupid over-priced aftermarket snake oil shit. You should have said.
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