Hello,
I have been invited to visit a friend in Switzerland shortly. He asked me about an American product that one may spray on the car windshield, and that by doing this you eliminate or reduce the need for windshield wipers. I told him I would ask. Thanks for your assistance!
KC
Please tell him not to waste his time. He is talking about Rainex or similar product. I have found it very hard to get used to it. If the drizzle is so light that you dont have to use the wipers, it is okay. But if there is a heavy downpour, then the water starts to smear around your wipers when you use rainex.
Other people might have different opinions about this.
I love the stuff during a heavy rain storm. If it is raining to light it doesn’t help that much. When the rain is really coming down it works great. I almost always put a coating of it on my windshield before a long trip. You need to apply it every couple of weeks, but it really does work. It is fairly cheap so you can buy a little bottle for your friend and let him make his own decision.
The product he describes is “Rain-X” which is basically a coat of wax you put on your windshield that causes the rain water to bead and run down or blow off the windshield instead of sticking and smearing. I used it once a long time ago on a car I had with semi-functional wipers. It works okay, but requires frequent reapplication. I personally see little advantage over windshield wipers.
Rain-X
I’m with jsutter on this. I have been using RainX off and on for many years. I use two or three applications on a clean windshield. Then wait for 15 minutes or a half hour and polish again with a soft paper towel to get rid of the haze.
It works great for me in the heaviest of downpours with the wipers off. When it wears away and becomes less effective it still enhances the wiper blade action. You must be going fast enough for the wind blast to clear the raindrops away. It does not work while the vehicle is stationary.
There was a windshield washing solution available in a gallon jug that had RainX in it. That stuff did not work for me.
Rain-X has its fans and its detractors. Frankly, it’s good stuff but an application doesn’t last very long so it must be frequently re-applied. Do bring your friend a bottle and let him judge for himself.
What’s everybody talking about!? Way back when the wiper motor broke on my old piece of crap VW Fox, I LIVED on rainX for, literally, four years. It worked brilliantly (if it hadn’t I might have been compelled to fix the wiper motor at some point), and I didn’t have to reapply it THAT often. Just once a month as I recall.
The only downside, as some have mentioned, is when it’s just barely sprinkling, and you’re going slow, everything just beads up on your windshield. You’ve gotta have some speed (40+) for the water to slide off the glass.
I agree that Rain-X is good in a fairly heavy rainstorm if you are moving at high speed. In a light rain, it is essentially worthless.
Those two points aside, I had to stop using it because of the windshield distortion that it produced at night. I found that it produced an exaggerated “halo” effect with oncoming headlights during a rain storm, and this was so distracting that I considered it to be a safety hazard.
Yes, Rain-X can create real problems on a windshield. However, I find it useful on side windows, and especially on the rear windows of SUVs which can be a problem.
The product is Rain-X. I discovered it a long time ago when my windshield wipers stopped working. Now I use it whenever I go on long trips. Sometimes I find myself driving in a downpour in the middle of the night. In a situation like that, I would not want to be without it. I would not necessarily recommend it instead of windshield wipers, but it does increase visibility while driving in the rain. There is no substitute for working windshield wipers.
Rain-X: I hated it.
I have found that Rain-X only creates problems if you don’t follow the directions. My neighbor hates it because he tried to use it without cleaning the windshield first. I was happy to take his supply off his hands.
My son uses Rain-X and really likes it.
Bring your friend a bottle. Even if he’s underwhelmed, it’ll be totally harmless.
I have found that a product better than Rain-ex is made by PPG. I have seen it at O’Riellys but I forgot the name. The same thing is availible from auto body supply stores by the name of “Aquapel”. I put it on my car about 6 months ago and I finally need to reapply it. At highway speeds my wipers are on full delay. I LOVE THIS STUFF. It comes in a long tube with a felt applicator, squeeze until it breaks into the felt and wipe it on.
I find that the first time you apply Rain-X, you have to do it twice. After that, only once is needed unless you wait too long. I have never had the halo affect, never had it smear, never had any negative affects at all. The best thing is that in a heavy downpour, forward visibility is fantastic compared to a windshield without it. It makes driving in the rain so much safer. BTW, use Bounty paper towels when applying it, they seem to make it easier than other paper towels for some reason.