Rain-X: The best product for your car?
Written: Jan 10 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Price, effectiveness, application.
Cons: Smell.
The Bottom Line: A great product for a great price.
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| hyundai_fan's Full Review: Rain-X Glass Treatment and Cleaner |
Over the past few months I have suddenly gotten into making my car look and perform a lot better. Though the car isn't much of a classic as it is a Korean Yugo, I try to make it perform as well as possible.
The bad side about owning a small car is its small wipers. This is bad especially when it's raining or snowing. The wipers usually last about a few months, and sometimes they don't even want to work if they're frozen to the windshield during the winter.
To help me get through the snow or rain when the wipers aren't working correctly, or even if they were working correctly, I have used the original formula windshield fluid from Rain-X. They claim that it protects the windshield and fills in the pores in the glass so that bugs, water, mud etc. can be wiped off fast. What's good about this is that Rain-X works on virtually any liquid or solid (snow and bugs). While they don't slide off the windshield, bugs can be washed off with a little water and no scrubbing.
Other than getting over the bad rubbing alcohol/vinegar smell, everything else about it is easy. Application is the easiest part. In a dry environment above 40*F, add a few drops of Rain-X to a dry washcloth (even a paper towel works good), or you may wish to use the more expensive spray bottle. Apply to entire windshield, mirrors, back window, wherever on the car. Once a slight haze develops, wipe again with a dry washcloth until the windows are free of streaks. Now all you need to do is wait until mother nature takes its toll--or you could use your washer fluid to test it so to speak.
The best way to describe Rain-X under rainy conditions is like putting water on a non-stick frying pan. It rolls right off. Because the windshield is virtually frictionless from a water droplet's point of view, it only takes some wind to blow off the water.
Within the month of using Rain-X I was able to drive on Interstate-89 at 65 miles per hour, while it was raining, without the wipers on. At these speeds, or at any speed, Rain-X claims that your reaction time may increase by about 1-2 seconds due to clearer glass; the difference between avoiding a pedestrian crossing the street in front of you and crying in the courtroom. You can't even see the rain hit the windshield. Don't call this unsafe either; I've had worse visibility with the wipers on high during a light rain (it makes the water streak across the windshield even if the wiper blades are new) compared to using Rain-X without wipers in the pouring rain.
Of course you will need to use your wipers sometimes, especially during a hard downpour or when it's snowing hard. What surprised me most was that in light rain, or when there's just a little bit of water on the windshield, Rain-X lets the wipers literally fling the water off. I was able to get a neighbor of mine wet from ten feet away and she was just trying to get into her own car.
Rain-X is also good for the rear windows. Since it allows the easy removal of snow, I have been able to wipe off ice without the defroster even turned on. A better reason to get this--I can even defrost the entire window if there's a couple inches of snow on it. I tell you, laziness has never been so fun.
Unfortunately, Rain-X lasts for about a month or two depending on where you put the product (constant use of the wipers rub off the product on the front windshield, but it naturally comes off over time on the rear window.) It tends to be a real pain since the instructions say to use it above 40 degrees and the temperature in the winter ranges between 30 and -10 here in Vermont. I recently tried this at 29*F, and it seems to work all right even at below-freezing temperatures. It may not work so well for you.
But the best part is the price. A 7-ounce bottle of Rain-X costs about four dollars, and a much larger spray bottle is about $6. This sounds like it's too good to be true, yet it is true. I really recommend this product due to its ease of use and its effectiveness.
~Scott
This is the first review that I have published without getting any spelling errors on the Epinions spell check system.
Recommended:
Yes
Ease of Application: Excellent; a breeze to apply and shine - lasts forever
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Epinions.com ID:
hyundai_fan
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Member: Scott K
Reviews written: 107
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
A gay, Subaru-driving Vermonter.
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