Driving: a rain-x story

Self-tutoring about applying rain-x: the tutor mentions a case.

The following is by my understanding.

I mention in my post from February 8, 2016, my use of rain-x on the windshield for enhanced water clearing and visibility. I’ve used it ever since.

By season’s end, a rain-x treatment can wear thin: sometimes, during a rainy April or May, one might have to re-treat a windshield that was treated last fall. A couple of weeks back I noticed such a situation. I was driving when it started to rain, and noticed the rain was filming on the windshield instead of beading off. The visibility, therefore, was not satisfactory; it needed to be retreated with rain-x.

Since rain-x should be applied to a clean, dry windshield, above 40°F (about 4.4°C), the best time to apply it seems to be a sunny spring day. I wash the car first, let it air dry, then apply the rain-x. However, it was raining every day when I noticed the retreatment was needed, so I had to compromise.

I decided to leave the vehicle in the garage, but with the garage door open. The temp was easily warm enough, maybe 8°C or more. I took a spray bottle which contained a few drops of light soap (liquid hand soap) mixed with water. I sprayed that across the windshield, then wiped it with a microfibre towel.

To rinse, I wiped the windshield with a fresh microfibre towel which I had wet with water only, then wrung out. Next, I dried the windshield with a clean, dry microfibre towel. After drying, I left the windshield alone for a couple of minutes, to air dry as it might.

Next, I dripped some rain-x into a fresh microfibre towel, and applied it as directed. Finally I buffed it off, also as directed.

I wasn’t sure how well the rain-x would perform, having been applied in a rough-and-ready way compared to how I usually do. Yet, when I got the vehicle on the highway, I was very pleased to see the rain-x performing as well as I’d ever seen! The rain was beading right off; I barely needed the windshield wipers.

I suspect the success of that application of rain-x comes down to how little soap was used to prepare the windshield. Perhaps when there’s a lot of suds – which there always are when I wash the car thoroughly – they don’t all rinse from the windshield, which hinders the application of the rain-x. This time, with barely any soap used, the rain-x was able to take hold better.

That’s just my take on it. Interesting, eh?

Source:

rainx.com