tegwin
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 10:40 PM |
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OT cleaning windscreens....
Now the bad weather is truly upon us and im driving more in the dark im starting to notice that my wipers simply dont work, they just smear stuff all
over the screen making it impossible to see anything when cars come the other way....
I have had this issue for ages, I have tried cleaning the glass with several autoglym products to little avail.
As a matter of urgent safety I have ordered a Bosch aero wiper upgrade kit for the car as the wipers are suposed to be better......
But before I fit the new wipers and possibly contaminate them with whatever substance is on the screen....
What is the most powerfull cleaning agent I can safely use on my windscreen to remove all the grime? (should I use the autoglym windscreen polish
once its totaly washed?)
Although the aero wipers were expensive, if its going to allow me to see where im going, and live a bit longer...its all worth it!
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paulbeyer
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 10:47 PM |
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There are loads of products available that will do the job but a very effective locost solution is to use toothpaste on a damp cloth then rinse off
well. The fine silica particles in the paste act as a mild cutting compound on the grease on the windscreen and your car smells minty. 
7 out of 10 people suffer with hemorrhoids. Does that mean the other 3 enjoy them?
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Hellfire
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 10:48 PM |
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The film you are experiencing on your windscreen is traffic fumes - basically thin oil.
I travel 50K/annum and always found correctly mixing windscreen concentrate with fresh water the best. (Dont buy the pre-mixed stuff - I've been
told it is recycled water). When you clean the car, use water/ 5% Vinegar mixture on the screen to get rid of the film.
Then fit any wipers... all quality wipers are basically the same, it's the flat edge (square) that makes the wipe not the profile of the leading
edge of the frame unless you're doing above 50-60mph all the time.
FWIW - dont use wax polish or resin cleaners of any type on the screen...
Steve
[Edited on 4-10-07 by Hellfire]
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MikeR
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 10:50 PM |
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when you clean your window - do you clean the blades? no point having a clean window and dirty greasy blades.
If you're feeling brave, run the blades on the glass with just windscreen cleaner. It will 'rot' the rubber but will clean them -
eventually, you just have to let them run to dry (which isn't a good thing to do).
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tegwin
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 10:50 PM |
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Hmmm....Thought you were taking the minty wee talking about toothpaste...But the fine particles in it might actually do something usefull (does
toothpaste disolve oil?)
And do I do over 50-60MPH most of the time....well of course not
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paulbeyer
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 11:00 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Hmmm....Thought you were taking the minty wee talking about toothpaste...But the fine particles in it might actually do something usefull (does
toothpaste disolve oil?)
Honest, it does work and as far as disolving oil is concerned? How greasy are your teeth?
7 out of 10 people suffer with hemorrhoids. Does that mean the other 3 enjoy them?
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tegwin
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 11:02 PM |
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Is there any toothpaste you would recomend?....say one thats also a whitener? 
I hope my teeth are not too greasy....But having said that..I did manage to get a mouthfull of used gearbox oil yesterday I can still taste
it....EURGHHHHH!!!
[Edited on 4/10/07 by tegwin]
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bbwales
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| posted on 4/10/07 at 11:11 PM |
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Cut a potato in half and use the cut pieces to clean the windscreen and wiper blades, works wonders. I think it is the starch in the spud that does
it.
Bob
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brynhamlet
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 05:37 AM |
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Depending how old your car is and wether it's your pride and joy, use fairy liquid instead of propriety windscreen cleaner fluid. Works a treat
but will eventually dewax your car.
But it's kind to wiper blades and if you over do it your car will smell of your favourite brand
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wilkingj
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 06:12 AM |
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A gentle wipe of the wiper blades with a scotchbrite pad. It removes the loose bits of rubber, and thus removes the creases / gaps that dirt collects
in the blade.
Basicall its a rudimentary sharpening of the blade. It helps a bit.
Agree with the Vinegar. My Gran cleaned her windows on the house with Viengar and newspaper, and they always shined.
The acid cuts thru the grease.
Methylated spirit is as good, as it disolves the grease.
Agreed No resins or polishes.
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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britishtrident
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 06:31 AM |
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Rub a damp cloth sprinkled with domestic washing powder over the screen
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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PeterW
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 08:36 AM |
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One thing never to do....
Is use a scotchbrite pad on your windscreen ! My mate did, and found his insurance company less than happy to pay for a new un-scratched one...
Decent screenwash is the way to go - Shell used to do a summer one that only needed a capful per 5 litres, and a bottle lasted ages. But as with all
good things, I've not seen it for a while !
Cheers
Pete
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Hellfire
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 09:21 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by brynhamlet
Depending how old your car is and wether it's your pride and joy, use fairy liquid instead of propriety windscreen cleaner fluid. Works a treat
but will eventually dewax your car.
But it's kind to wiper blades and if you over do it your car will smell of your favourite brand
Fairy Liquid is full of Salts (as water softeners) and harsh detergents - it's not kind to rubbers at all actually - or your hands!!! 
Steve
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02GF74
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 09:25 AM |
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all the above;
the slice potato tip is to stop the windscreen from misintg up I believe.
vinegar to clean windows - I use that windowlene stuff and it contains vinegar.
about the salt in fairy liquid rotting rubbers - hmmm, I have thought about this but how much salt is there in the liquid - not much and then how muc
FL do you put in the water - not much - I reckon it would take quite a long time before you see any effect, aren;t marigolds made from rubber so why
don't they rot away? maybe they do - I don't use them.
If you really want to shift grease, then surely dish washer tablets are the stuff?
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speedyxjs
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 10:17 AM |
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Vinegar and newspaper. works every time and costs nothing. Mine has lasted 6 months so far.
How long can i resist the temptation to drop a V8 in?
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bbwales
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 10:20 AM |
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Hi,
I use the potato to clean the outside of the windscreen and the blades, it works wonders for me.
Regards
Bob
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pewe
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 12:52 PM |
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and finally... check the windscren wiper arm springs have sufficient tension to keep the blades flat on the screen. They do age/lose tension espec. if
it's an older set-up.
Cheers, Pewe
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 5/10/07 at 01:02 PM |
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I use the Autoglym glass polish - it's an evil-smelling pale blue cream. Removes the muck for me.
(I know you'd tried Autoglym products - just wondering if you'd used that one).
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