I have enormous problems trying to clean my windscreen of a waxy substance. I don't know if it is the rain repellant liquid or something else. The thing is I have tried virtually everything and it does not make any difference. It is so bad that driving in rain at night on a motorway nearly caused an accident.
I have tried all these on a regular basis:
MER, VINEGAR, WHITE SPIRIT, GLASS CUTTERS OF VARIOUS MAKES, AUTOGLM PRODUCTS ETC. I have also cleaned the wiper blade. Incredibly all of the above have made no difference. I read on this site someone using toothpaste but I could imagine it would scratch the screen.
Any ideas???
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Have you previously treated the screen with any products?
Another favourite for giving a smeared, waxy screen is all in one wash'n'wax shampoos and the dreaded petrol station car wash. Both of these will give your screen an all but impregnable coating of turtlewax/simoniz/whatever that means the slightest drop of rain becomes a smear of enormous proportions. Texaco used to give out a little pouch with a swab for removing this when you used their car washes, I think it contained isopropyl, which you can get at any pharmacy.
You may want to try using windowlene with plenty of scrunched-up newspaper first. This has cleaned my screen up in the past, but it took some serious elbow grease to shift wash'n'wax.
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Try *neat* 'traffic film remover'. Put some on a cloth and rub it over the screen (wear gloves). Leave if for 30 mins and then rinse off with plenty of cold water. Then clean screen with normal cleaner. Works for me.
I also use 'Alexander Chemicals' screen additive tablet in the washer bottle. Is seems to work very well indeed.
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If the screen been treated with Rain-X or simular you may have to use their own Rain-X remover. Wish I'd never bothered with Rain-X on the screen. Oh well live and learn eh?
Steve.
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Have you tried spraying it with WD-40? and then wipe off with kitchen roll.
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To remove the aerospace equivalent of rain-X (100ukp for a 10ml bottle, but I digress) we used cerium oxide (sp?) plus plenty of elbow grease. This stuff is a serious polish that will remove minor scratches too. Unfortunately I don't know anybody other than our old supplier (Pilkington) that makes it, but it may be work asking around.
Joe
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cerium oxide = Jewellers Rouge. A pinkish paste. You may be able to buy it in a jewellers, but more likely an arts & crafts shop - used for final polishing of polished stones etc.
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I use SONAX windscreen wash additive - the lemony one. To give the windscreen a good clean, I add twice the recommended dose and use the windscreen washers in monsoon mode. Works a treat. I got it from my local Vauxhall dealership.
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How about trying washing-up liquid ? Some makes are effective on persistant smears, some are not. The mix has to be strong. Something like 3:1, water:Wash-liquid. I have used it from one of those plastic spray bottles that you buy for a £1 from a garden shop.
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I always found wash up liquid makes screens worse, especially if concentrate is too strong - ends up just smearing and leaving a coating on the screen.
Have you tried Autoglyms glass cleaner? I find it excellent inside and out.
Re Rain X, great on side windows, awful on any screen that has a wiper though!
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I know it hasn't been suggested to put washing up liquid in the screenwash bottle, but in case anyone reads this thread and doesn't already know that's a bad idea, they do now! The salt content in washing up liquid will damage paintwork over time, leaving large faded streaks over the bodywork where it has flowed off the windscreen and around the car.
andymc
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Might be worth trying ammonia, it should cut through just about everything.
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Might be worth trying ammonia, it should cut through just about everything.
And of course makes the interior of your car smell lovely when you turn your fan on.
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Unilever's Cif (ex - Jif) cream works wonders. Apply as per instructions on the container.
- or phone 0800 77 66 46 with your questions.
They say it can be used on any surface EXCEPT Gold!
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Won't Cif be mildly abrasive? Doesn't that type of cleaner work by being slightly gritty?
I've found Ajax glass cleaner (not sold specifically for car windows) to be fine. Although I use a shampoo that contains wax, I haven't found it leaves a lot of residue on the windows.
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