What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Windscreen washer home brew - ifithelps
First frost of the season at the caravan in (dead) leafy North Yorkshire, and very chilly it is, too.

This set me wondering about the windscreen washer reservoir and what to put in it.

Could go to Halfords and get the old 'three for two', but I wondered if anyone had any alternative home recipes?

Needs to clean the screen and not freeze.

Edited by ifithelps on 07/11/2009 at 09:34

Windscreen washer home brew - Dynamic Dave
A small amount of methylated spirit or isopropyl alcohol added to the solution will help stop it freezing. Then add whatever detergent you like. Fairy liquid, etc.
Windscreen washer home brew - gordonbennet
Whatever you use for washer anti freeze try and get into Lidl's when they've got W5 concentrated screenwash in stock.

A capful in your washer bottle will see the end of those smeary screens we so hate.

As an aside i make a bucketful up and wash the house windows (after doing the car screen proper like) with it using the car washing brush, a quick rinse off followed by squeeqee and they come up sparkling like new...as usual with Lidl's stuff it's good.
Windscreen washer home brew - Armitage Shanks {p}
I have to say I use the Halfords concentrate on their 3 for 2 offer. I can't imagine why people buy the ready mix - it is only a bit cheaper than the concentrate. I use about 1 in 20 before it gets cold and then up to 1 in 4 in the winter.
Windscreen washer home brew - Ben 10
I've just put in the ready mixed Halfords combo. Works a treat. Bet we're in for a cold winter this time, so be prepared.
Better tuck that pony away in its stable of straw AS ;-)
Windscreen washer home brew - Armitage Shanks {p}
LOL Spood! One reason I avoid the ready mix is that it is expensive for a high %age of water - a bit like 37.5% proof spirits! I haven't checked to what temp readymix might prevent freezing. There are parts of the Highlands where it might not work, perhaps!
Windscreen washer home brew - moonshine

Ready mix is a waste of money and packaging, always buy concentrate. I've tried the halfords stuff once, it was bright green and very smelly. In the past I've added a dash of antifreeze to make it a bit stronger for the really cold months, never did any damage on the paintwork on my cars - both old and new. Oh and of course a dash of fairy liquid as well.

These days I just use the wilkos concentrate, cheap as chips and works fine.
Windscreen washer home brew - Rattle
Try radox if you want your wipers to feel relaxed :). Actually don't try that unless you want to clog up your pump.

I would imagine any home brew solution will cost as much to make as the proper stuff, its cheap.
Windscreen washer home brew - moonshine
I would imagine any home brew solution will cost as much to make as the
proper stuff its cheap.


I agree, dirt cheap from wilkos/lidl/aldi and all good quality stuff.
Windscreen washer home brew - Hamsafar
I agree the small bottles of W5 super concentrated stuff from LIDLs are great, so I stock up on it when available, but they tend to only sell it for a month in spring.

They are now selling W5 5 Litre winter washer fluid concentrate, but it is £4.99 - nearly as much as petrol. Last year it was only £3.99, so I'm glad I have one from last year.
Windscreen washer home brew - daveyjp
Try Asda. "Full strength" washer fluid - £1 for 2.5 litres.
Windscreen washer home brew - Ben 10
Down sarf, we have hard water, hence calcium and a new additive, bacteria, that coats the washing machine tray in a black mould. Washing machine engineer blames the water companies. Thus if I use concentrate I'd have to use distilled water to stop my washer pipework from furring up. So I'll stick with the Halfords ready mix.
Windscreen washer home brew - danensis
I once put a squirt of washing up liquid in my screenwash before setting off in very icy conditions. The first time I used the washers, a rubbery layer appeared on the windscreen, which completley blocked my view, and was very difficult to remove. All I can think was that it was some sort of reaction between the washing up liquid and the previous screenwash.
Windscreen washer home brew - Falkirk Bairn
Milton or any other baby bottle steriliser tablets kills the bugs (mild bleach!)
Windscreen washer home brew - dieselfitter
A tip from Quentin Willlllson (I think) is to use an alcohol-based screenwash concentrate at full winter strength all year round, as this stops microbial sludge and slime growing in the bottom of the reservoir and blocking the pump/jets. If it's strong enough that you can smell alcohol inside the car when you use the washers, it's about right. I hardly ever seem to use the screenwash in the summer, so the extra cost is negligible.

My Audi handbook says the screenwash should only be topped up with distilled water (!!) plus screen wash additive, to prevent limescale forming on the jets. A bit OTT? And I wonder what are the chances that the workshop uses distilled water when the car's being serviced?
Windscreen washer home brew - Armitage Shanks {p}
Spood - do you think Halfords use distilled water to make their ready mix fluid? I have certainly had problems with sludging and grisly awful smells in the car, caused I think, by mixing 2 brands of washer fluid which did not like each other! The smell was really vile!
Windscreen washer home brew - Ben 10
"do you think Halfords use distilled water to make their ready mix fluid? "

Had a look at the container. Says its 100% pure solvent AS. Apparently no water. And it's the pink solution.
Windscreen washer home brew - Armitage Shanks {p}
Thanks, it never ocurred to me that anything like this, that is a 'mix', wouldn't have water in it!
Windscreen washer home brew - Martin Devon
Spood - do you think Halfords use distilled water to make their ready mix fluid?
I have certainly had problems with sludging and grisly awful smells in the car caused
I think by mixing 2 brands of washer fluid which did not like each other!
The smell was really vile!

NEVER mix chemicals. Another tip I learnt when a mere lad (By a whack 'round the back of the head) was if you have to sniff the contents of whatever bottle you have just opened....DON'T. Sniff the lid instead from a distance. Good advice I thought.

MD
Windscreen washer home brew - Altea Ego
you will be telling me next you never got airfix glue squirted up your nose
Windscreen washer home brew - 659FBE
The advice to use distilled water is valid for VAG vehicles.

My big Skoda has those stupid fan type jets which ensure that you can't see anything whilst the pump is running. No doubt it saves them money on assembly as aiming is less critical.

After about 6 months' use I noticed that the squirt pattern was much diminished and guessed that the fan jets were scaling up (I live in a hard water area). I switched to using rain water in the reservior (with an alcohol based additive in Winter) and the jet pattern gradually improved. It's now back to its original coverage. I wonder if they scale up even more quickly when the jet heaters are on?

659.
Windscreen washer home brew - Armitage Shanks {p}
659 how did you maage to descale the jets? Descaling fluid and a mug of water with the jets in? Would be nice to know if it can be done rather than replace them.
Windscreen washer home brew - ifithelps
Soft - rain - water will descale the jets on its own, very slowly, but surely.

659 says the spray pattern gradually returned to normal after he(?) started using rainwater.

Edited by ifithelps on 08/11/2009 at 11:49

Windscreen washer home brew - pmh3
>>Soft - rain - water will descale the jets on its own, very slowly, but surely.<<

Only if it is acid rain - one of the benefits of industrial pollution? ;)

- maybe you live down wind of some major manufacturing facility - sorry, there aren't any left in the UK are there?

Windscreen washer home brew - SpamCan61 {P}
A small amount of methylated spirit or isopropyl alcohol added to the solution will help
stop it freezing. Then add whatever detergent you like. Fairy liquid etc.


Yep, only I use a squirt of dishwasher rinse aid rather than Fairy liquid as I reckon it's less likely to gunge up the filter /pump assembly.
Windscreen washer home brew - Carl2
Watching an American car programme awhile ago I noticed that they filled the washer bottle with Evian water. Can we assume some types of bottled water are preferable to tap water? any suggestions as to which? They were preparing a car to concours condition so I don,t think it was just a handy container for tap water.
Windscreen washer home brew - JohnM{P}
Halfords Double concentrate contains "added water softeners (which) prevent hard water deposits from blocking water jets..."
As I'm in a very hard water area, I now use water from the kitchen filter jug to help further...
Windscreen washer home brew - Reentrant
DID YOU KNOW no. 4352

The depression of freezing point depends ONLY on the number of molecules added. It doesn't matter what you add; salt, washing soda, sugar, alcohol, glycol, detergent etc. It's just the number of molecules that count.

Of course some are more suitable for screenwash than others, but adding anything will stop the reservoir freezing.

Edited by Reentrant on 09/11/2009 at 09:20

Windscreen washer home brew - Gromit {P}
"Can we assume some types of bottled water are preferable to tap water?"

No, it would be even worse. The minerals in 'mineral water' are the same as those that
cause hardness in tap water - mostly salts of calcium and magnesium - only they're present at higher concentrations.

In hard water areas, using boiled water to fill the washer bottle is a good compromise - boiling removes so-called "temporary hardness" (calcium bicarbonate) from the water. Removing the "permanent hardness" (calcium sulphate and chloride) requires distillation or treatment with an ion-exchange water softener.
Windscreen washer home brew - Altea Ego
Whats all this compulsive disorder about home brew screen wash?

I buy Halfords blue, on three for two offer, and fill up as required. When a plastic container is half used it get topped up with water from the tap.

In 7 years of doing this i have never had bacteria, smells, scale, blocked jets, or frozen water.

simples.
Windscreen washer home brew - Cliff Pope
Home brew leaves a sticky mess all over the paintwork. Better to drink it.
Windscreen washer home brew - Dipstick
"Home brew leaves a sticky mess all over the paintwork. Better to drink it. "

The only trouble with that idea is that after you've drunk it you tend to leave a sticky mess all over the paintwork.
Windscreen washer home brew - Roly93
The best screenwash I have ever encountered is Porshes own labled stuff. It was in a concentrate form and I belive it was manufactured for Porshe by Sonax. You used to be able to get this in Eurocarparts I think.
Windscreen washer home brew - Dynamic Dave
it was manufactured for Porshe by Sonax.


Last time I was at my Vauxhall dealer, I noticed they had several Sonax products for sale.
Windscreen washer home brew - davecooper
When I last had my car serviced they used Auto Glym screen wash and left the rest of the bottle for me. On a cost basis I probably won't use this again but it is the best stuff I have used so far. It seems particularly good at cleaning tree resin from the screen. Another good one I have tried is Mercs own. It actually seems quite similar. However, I am sure there will be cheaper products out that are just as effective.