As all you `Twindoor` owners will know, the lack of a rear wash/wipe is a bit of a pain. We've not had any real bad weather since I bought the car but already I'm getting annoyed at the state of the rear window. Is a coat of this `RainX` stuff the answer?

RainX is brilliant

Rain X is good but it doesn't last long. Try looking at the GTechniq stuff, specifically G1, http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coatings/g1-clearvision-smart-glass/

Lasts waaaaaaaaaay longer.

What is better than a coat of Rain X is 2 coats of Rain X.

Get the window really clean, apply the Rain X & get it then nicely polished up and mark free.

Then do a second application.

To see the difference,

just do it once the first time, & see how long it lasts, then next time, do the 2 applications.

Obviously where it is used on screens with wipers, the time it lasts might be quite a bit less.

But we are talking Side windows & rear windows without wipers. (or out of the wipe range maybe)

george

Would using a standard wax have a similar effect?

What is 'standard wax'?

Why not try and see & tell us.

I would advise not to tho?

I must say that in the Summer i do sometimes put 'Turtle Wax Ice' on the Privacy glass windows outside when in a hurry.

Not saying do that, because it needs a good rub to be smear free.

george

G1 or Aquapel lasts far longer than Rain-X, so I'd recommend either of those two. But anything like this will be better than nothing

Think a standard wax would be too thick Pasty, and probably lead to smearing.

I've got a tub of this which i previously used on my wheels

Or indeed a tub of this i got free for subscribing to evo magazine

Surely given that both cause beading and super fast water dispersion on body work they'd do the same on glass??

Their properties would work best on a metal surface, as that's what they've been designed for. So it would work on glass, to a degree, but you'd be far better with a product that's been designed solely for glass.

You could try it, but try the back window first, or a non-vital part of the windscreen. I'm not feeling that confident as to what will happen when a windscreen wiper passes over it!

yeah probably not work the risk I'm just trying to be my-cheapo-self and avoid having to buy something else

That said i bought some XOPC silicon wipers (way back when they were in business) and they actually coated the screen in a Rain-X kind of way.

I remember becoming aware that i was doing 70 down the motorway in the pouring rain and didn't have my wipers on!

Never tried Rain-X but moved away from Aquapel in favour of GTechniq. Although the Aquapel is easier to apply the G1 appears to work better IMO.

All these glass waxes rely to a fair extent on the slipstream pushing the water beads off the glass. Accordingly, they don't work very well on side glasses and I suspect won't work well on rears.

I wouldn't place any of these products within the 'wax' arena to be honest Ken. Speaking for G1 and Aquapel they're both extremely hardy glass sealants.

I have Aquapel on my front side windows as well and it makes a noticeable difference. Clearly water doesn't shift away at the same rate as the windscreen due to the slipstream effect you mention, but it's still worth doing in my view.

Another vote for Gtechniq, both their G1 and G5 products. Feel free to PM me your address and I can ship both to you to try and then when finished you can post back.

Word of warning though. Both will bead really well, so when you have light rain or drizzle on sloped front and rear screens you get a enough beads of water that screens are almost opaque. So when coming back to a parked car you need to use wipers to clear. Not a problem for me as I have a wiper on the rear screen, but for you it may need wiping off before setting off.

I applied G1 to mine when new on all glass areas in Dec 2010 and still going strong. I can't test longevity any longer now, as last month I applied another Gtechniq product, Exo, to bodywork and at the same time I also applied to glass all round to top up G1. As well as keeping windows clear, it also makes them extremely easy to clean. They now are crystal clear with just a shampoo and bugs etc clean off easily, where before I used to have to use a glass cleaner in summer times. Now a squirt of washer fluid and sweep of wipers will clear most bugs off screen when driving, whereas before it used to mostly just smear, and you'd have to use half the washer reservoir to get it clean.

Cheers

Steve

Edited 12 September, 201213 yr by stevehg

I have personally tried about 5 or 6 different Windscreen products, but since using G1 + G3 (not such a fan as it needs redoing too often) I would not consider using anything else.

I would add that whilst it does seem expensive when you look at the size of the bottle it does go a long way. I have just ordered a 100ml G1,G2 kit £40 direct from Gtechniq as I plan to use it on 5 cars and a van (ALL ROUND) so less than £7 each and it will last a year on mine and most probably 2-4 years on the low mileage ones. I wouldnt bother with the G3 as the difference in roll off effect is negligable but the difference in lifespan is incredible. As well as teh beading and roll off, one of the BIG advantages with a NANO based treatment is that frost is not able to form as easily. I have gone out on morings when the neighbours have been scraping for 10 mins and just got in and driven off.

As a counterpoint, it is perfectly OK to use a regular wax/polish on side windows, I even know a detailing supplier that swears by using SRP on the windscreen of his race car but he does redo it before any race where it might rain to get maximum effect (doesnt have to worry about smearing as they dont use the wipers at all)

I've previously used RainX but decided to try the Carlack glass sealer. Seems similar to RainX from what I remember, and already showing signs of wear (faint line of non-beading water at the top point of the wiper sweep) after only a fortnight. I never managed to get the longevity claimed for RainX, though I was in North Wales at the time and it did rain quite a lot! I was a little put off by the price of G1, but may give it a go if the Carlack doesn't perform as claimed. I recently found a bottle of RainX antifog in my garage that must be 20 years old - not sure if it'll be any use after all this time.

Funny thing is...I have some of that Carlack stuff (2 bottles, one cleaner and one sealer) in my garage. I got it on line a while back to make up the order amount avoiding the P&P. I've never used it though coz the instructions on the bottles are rather vague and reading users reports it is not at all easy to apply. I'm ALL for ease y-see.

The sealer is very easy to apply. It's the cleaner that's hard work - easy to put on but needs a lot of elbow grease to buff off. With that amount of effort the glass is certainly clean!

Thanks, Martin.

I suppose the sealer is easier coz its a liquid rather than a cream like the cleaner. Is there a `knack` to buffing off the cleaner...like not leaving it on the glass for very long after application, for instance?

The reason i use Rain X is that i have loads of bottles sitting about in various places.

Thats stuff from years ago when we used it on Motorsport cars with rubbish windscreen wipers.

We also used it on boats & caravan windows, Glass & plastic.

(pre Rubbish Plastic & double glassed that you should not use lots of stuff on, ** Light lenses included**)

Before we used Fog X Later rather than the Cut Potatoes & washing up liquid ion nside surfaces.

(like on your diving mask)

I just never move with the times!

Saying that i did pick up Rain X Spray a few years ago that someone was using & it was tripe.

So maybe the 'Newer Stuff' in Bottles or Sprays is of a different formulation from my old stock.

Luckily i have enough to last out my driving lifetime i think.

george

Just wait until it hazes over, then clean off. The cleaner seems particularly stubborn in wanting to let go, so you need to apply a reasonable amount of pressure. I don't think there are any shortcuts, but you are left with a very clean surface and the sealer goes on a treat.

Just wait until it hazes over, then clean off. The cleaner seems particularly stubborn in wanting to let go, so you need to apply a reasonable amount of pressure. I don't think there are any shortcuts, but you are left with a very clean surface and the sealer goes on a treat.

Thank you, Martin.

All the best.

Mike.

I recently applied that on a sunny day, and it has not rained since so that I can check how well (or bad) I did the application. The windscreen looks clear now but in the morning, I get this: Since temperature is around 2-3 C, and during the night even below zero, there is a thin layer of frost covering the windshield. Quite normal. But as it is thin, it can get easily cleared with just a few passes from the wipers while (wrong verb alert!) "dropping" some windscreen washer fluid at the same time.

The thing is just after that, windscreen is somewhat "blur" and it takes a few minutes (1-2) for it to get dry and have perfect visibility again. Now I am wondering if this due to the washer fluid, the wipers pass, or is it going to be like that under rain water as well, which will mean I will be having reduced visibility due to this "blurring" the whole time. Any ideas?

I get the same effect with Carlack and washer fluid, particularly with the stronger concentration this time of year. Rain, if it's very light, can do the same but it clears very quickly - not the 1-2 minutes you're seeing. Currently I have the Lidl screen cleaner but I think I'll try the original VAG stuff after that's gone to see if it improves things. When it's raining Carlack (or RainX) makes a tremendous difference, particularly when a passing lorry dumps a whole load of spray on your car - it beads off much quicker than auto-wipers react.

But as it is thin, it can get easily cleared with just a few passes from the wipers while (wrong verb alert!) "dropping" some windscreen washer fluid at the same time.

I wouldn't recommend doing that really, not that great for the wipers either.

You're also likely to see this type of blurring with a Rain-X type fluid, due to the way it works on the windscreen. That's why I've always gone for a sealant-type product, such as Aquapel or G1. Far more effective and useful.