Don't know how similar it is to the old stuff, but Rain-X makes a product labeled as a glass wax. While looking for the MSDS to see what is in the aerosol, discovered there are some 20-30 products under the Rain-X brand...
I've never used any of them so have no opinion on their efficacy nor knowledge of what the product actually is, just noted your plaintive cry and had recently seen the listing... :)
Finally, the voice of wisdom! Rain-X even sells all-weather cargo bags & windshield wipers!
So, let's stop calling it "rain-x" and start calling it 'rain-x '. Otherwise, we're all talking about something different. Let's start by listing the rain-x products of interest first. Then we can get to their ingredients and then to how they work.
Here are the rain-x brand products I found in a quick search
Rain-X Bug & Tar Pro-Shield (16 oz Aerosol Can) .99
Rain-X De-Icer Aerosol (15 oz) .99
Rain-X Fast Wax (16 & 23 oz Trigger Spray) .99
Rain-X Foaming Car Wash Concentrate (100 oz Bottle) .99
Now, someone tell me, WHICH rain-x product above are we talking about that streaks your windshield inside and outside and that which can't easily be removed but which apparently works if properly applied?
I used a glass cleaning product from the FLAPS that has some clay dispersed in a solvent system. The clay is not abrasive to glass, but provides a large surface area which helps compete for the surface active materials in RainX and the like.
No magic bullet...just elbow grease.
For all those who like RainX, good on ya'. I dont. I applied it properly, and just dont like the effect.
I recently read an article about cleaning glass top stoves with baking soda mixed with warm water and follow up with some vinegar.Baking soda (whenever I have an upset stomach, I mix a big spoon full of baking soda with a cup of warm water and drink it down, it works every time for me) and vinegar are good for a lot of household chores.I don't know how it would work on a windshield though. cuhulin
In my experience, what you describe as a "haze" is simply the remaining water on the windshield broken into much smaller droplets than normally are deposited by the rain. It happens with a cold windshield, and is more like the misting from morning dew, but much finer. A single wipe from the wipers will remove it. Once the windshield is warmed by the defroster, it goes away.
He just want's to bash Rain-X apparently, and keeps repeating it because he knows most people know he's full of it, especially given his initial admission that he has no idea what is actually on his windshield if indeed he is actually old enough to have something with a real windshield at all. Were he mature and responsible he would not persist in blaming a product he has no knowledge of and no proof is at all involved in his problem.
If you bought the car used it might have been repainted or in a bodyshop where it got overspray on the glass. I have used lacquer thinner and 000 steel wool to remove paint as it does a good job polishing the glass. I have used Rain-X for years and never seen a problem with it! Of course if you live in the rust belt God only knows what is on the glass.
The inside windshield product would be the Rain-X Anti-Fog treatment (3.5 oz or 7 oz) which is in a bottle and needs to poured onto a towel or cloth to apply to the inside of the windshield.
The outside windshield product would be the Rain-X Glass Treatment.
In my experience, both gave unsatisfactory results.
The Anti-Fog "worked", in a sense that the inside of the windshield did not fog up, but left a film that would give a very bad haze in full sunlight.
The Rain-X Glass Treatment only seemed to bead up the water with at most a light drizzle. For heavier rain, use of the wipers is still necessary and the wiper blades soon begin streaking the windshield rather than effectively removing all of the water.
I'm also finding the same issue with the Rain-X Washer Fluid Additive--wipers are beginning to streak and not fully wipe away all the water or washer fluid.
Now I just use the defogger function when the inside windshield begins to fog up, and I just use high quality wipers when it is necessary for me to use the windshield wipers.
For sure, these ideal laboratory-perfect clean windshield surface cleanliness conditions are not specifically mentioned anywhere on the bottles of those other two Rain-X products, and the Rain-X Washer Fluid Additive does not even list a clean windshield as a requirement before use.
If you bought the car six months ago, the Rain-x would have worn off by now. Do you go to carwashes often? They love to spray wax on your windshield. It doesn't help visibility at all. Dan
I understand that in 6 US states, past elections have turned on the Rain-x versus the Anti-Rain-x forces. It's expected that this will determine about 31% of the vote, November 2008.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.