Did Rain-x ruin my windshield or is it normal (how to make it better)?

on 10/6/2007 1:45 PM Slacker said the following:

I always listen to 15 year olds. After all, they know "Everything". :-)

Rain-X does not damage glass. I have been using it for many years on many vehicles, on all windows and mirrors. Have you tried cleaning the glass with a good glass cleaner? How good are your wipers? What's in your washer fluid cannister?

I used RainX once and didnt really care for it. It is, I believe, a silicone compound that adsorbs upon your windshield glass and makes it shed water quickly.

As mine deteriorated, I had some issues with patchy spots, and decided if I ever got it clean I would never use the stuff again.

You spots may be from oil from the engine or highway, dirty wipers, paint or chemicals which have drifted onto your car or maybe even more possibilities.

You may have to clean the glass with a good glass cleaner and replace your wiper blades to get relief. (I have some windows that are so badly filmed with "something" I have never been able to get them clean.)

on 10/6/2007 2:52 PM hls said the following:

I don't know what it is made of, but it smells like burnt alcohol (not really burnt, as that would evaporate the alcohol, but if it could be burnt)

Well, easy enough to find out...

Ingredient # 01 Ingredient Name *WATER (50-90%) CAS Number 7732185 Proprietary NO Percent 90 Ingredient # 02 Ingredient Name METHANOL (20-35%) CAS Number 67561 Proprietary N0 Percent 35 Ingredient # 03 Ingredient Name BENZENEMETHANAMINIUM, N-[2-[(2,6-DIMETHYLPHENYL)AMINO]-2-OXOETHYL]-N,N-DIETHYL-, BENZOATE (

You might even want to wipe your windshield down with a solvent like paint thinner (don't get it on anything else!) to remove any sort of films ordinary cleaning won't and then wash it thoroughly with detergent to make sure that in turn is removed.

One of the people I work with, puts rain-x on their bald head. The stuff really works, because you can watch the water bead right up. I haven't noticed any damage to their head, so I doubt if it would do any damage to glass.

Many thanks

I have also been using RainX for many years. I tried the inside anti- fog stuff and didn't like it at all (smeary). I do not believe it has ANY silicone in it...it is more like a solvent. It allows you to see while driving in the rain without wipers...that is a great safety factor. (I own no interest or stocks in this product) ; )

Cool, I'll mix my own!

I had believed it contained a siliconeglycol or similar, but apparently not. At any rate, I dont like it for my windshield.

Quaternary amines have long been used inside the windows to break the surface tension and allow droplets to flow together in a clear film rather than a fog. The composition cited earlier looks like an ester quat. Just from the formulation, I would not have suspected it would be persistent enough to last on the exterior of a windshield. Live and learn.

I have thought about trying it in my bathroom on the shower tiles. Maybe it would help them shed water, etc.

Let us know when you get your water and methanol mixed up to 125%...

I'll use a bigger container. :-)

OK. I went to the local Kragen and all the guys at the counter said rain-x has this horrid problem very often. They get it all the time, they said.

They told me there are only two solutions. Keep putting rainx on all the time so the film never gets spotty. Or, remove the rainx with gunk or brake cleaner or other serious solvent.

One guy in the store who was listening sympathetically said that he wished they never invented the stuff, it's so horrid.

Since my windshield had already gone spotty on me, I went with their recommendation to gunk it off.

I bought the recommended brake cleaner and am letting it soak on the windshield as we speak. Hopefully the rain-x spots will dissolve off.

Do you know of any better solution to remove rain-x (the brake cleaner seemed to dry up pretty quickly)?

Acetone will clean the glass. Be very careful, it will injure paint. Wipe the wiper blades, too.

Is Kragen some "we are experts on everything" big box chain?

Rain-x is actually a good product and works well.

You need to meticulously clean the windows before you apply it. I have vehicles parked outside and use it mainly for the winter. Frost/ice etc is much easier to remove.

The first time I used it I cleaned the windows with the popular blue water in the squirt bottle and got the patchy results mentioned. The next time I did a better job cleaning the windows and there were no patches. I have been doing it for at least 5 or 6 winters with good results.

Andy Rooney once got a sample of RainX and said "No product could do what it claimed"...he had to apologize on another 60 minutes broadcast.

Suggest you stop bashing Rain-X since you don't even know for sure if that is what is on your windshield. It is far more likely that you have some wax on your windshield, perhaps from a carwash. Plenty of us have used Rain-X for years and never had anything but good results.

I have a little plastic bottle of Rain-X in my van.I bought the stuff about 14 years ago.I have only used it twice, it works for about two or three days.The instructions on the bottle do say the windshield should be cleaned first.When I wash my van, I use Tide and water in a five gallon plastic bucket. cuhulin

I can't find any reference to this "Andy Rooney" apologizing about "Rain-X" in the entire web.

The closest I could find was this very tough to read law paper which discusses Andy Rooney and Rain-X in the footnotes but nowhere else.

Rain-X works at least two or three months for me, even on a 10yr old windshield with plenty of tiny pits. At highway speeds a light rain won't even require wipers since the water beads up and blows off faster than the wipers could deal with it.