# In message <920921201644.204002dc@LMSBV2.TAMU.EDU>,
# DANIELS@lmsbv2.tamu.edu (Lee M. Daniels, Texas A&M) writes:
> Has anyone used that RAIN-X stuff on their windshield?
lee> At the risk of beating this subject into a rain-soaked
lee> mass: Here's the unabashed truth about it. Rain-X is
lee> great for highway driving, just so-so for other driving,
lee> and Forget-It if you're not willing to put it on every
lee> month or so. I keep it on my road car and I love it.
lee> Proper prep and application is a must. Got to give it
lee> two or three hard-rubbed coats the first time, and one or
lee> even two every several hours of rain. I never use my
lee> wipers on the highway any more; in fact, wipers will ruin
lee> the surface after a while and the view will be worse than
lee> without Rain-X. If you decide to quit using it, be
lee> prepared to have a streaky mess on your windshield until
lee> it all wears off; no amount of Windex or other stuff will
lee> get it off -- it's actually a physico-chemical
lee> modification of the surface that has to be worn (or
lee> polished) off.
I'll second most of what Lee says. After moving to
Cincinnati, the city of thunderstorms and flash floods, I've
used this stuff religiously. On recommendation of one of the
local racers, here is the "trick" method for applying Rain-X.
1) Clean your windows with Windex or some such.
2) Get out some fine (000,0000) steel wool.
3) Clean your windows again (outside only), using the steel
wool to apply the cleaner and a towel to remove it.
4) Wipe down with Denatured Alky-hol. (That's how he
pronounces it).
5) Apply the stuff like the directions say, but use 3 coats,
not two.
6) Repeat once a month or so. More during the rainy season
(March-November).
For those of you who cringed when I said "steel wool", so did
I. It works. Don't use it on the inside, though, most
modern glass has a plastic coating on the inside.
lee> I had it for a while on my in-town daily dog, but no
lee> more. Since in-town driving rarely (for us here in
lee> College Station) gets fast enough to blow the drops off,
lee> I have to use the wipers, which ruins the surface after a
lee> while.
I use it on my daily driver, but I see a lot of highway. I
find the biggest win is that when I get "splashed" by an 18-er
or some locals version of a monster truck, it clears a _lot_
faster. I haven't done the TR's windshield yet, but that's
because it's in a box in my spare bedroom :-).
lee> daniels@lmsbvx.tamu.edu | DANIELS@TAMLMSB.BITNET | (409) 845-3726
- MM
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