Home made windshield washer fluid

[raytseng]

I suppose if you're limited on space/going through a lot of fluid, you can go for something liek this. where 25 gallons costs about $10 (assuming water is free).

http://www.amazon.com/303-230371-Instant-Windshield-Washer/dp/B000FF76KM

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Blkstanger
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I mixed Windex with water once and it clogged up the washer nozzles, had to get new ones from the dealership. I think they were $18 each.
Sounds like you had other issues.
Nope, they worked the day it ran low and the car displayed "Low washer fluid" so I added Windex and water then washed the windshield and the pump made the Windex bubble and foam and it clogged the nozzles. I waited a week and it still was clogged, after replacing the nozzles it's worked perfect.

 

[MrQuackers]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I get mine at Dollar Tree for $1 a gallon + 8 cents tax.


Dollar Trees in Ohio only carry 1/2 gallons and I seldom see it. Surprised they have gallon bottles in CA because of the drought.
If you have hard water, your own cocktail will leave spots where your wipers don't touch the glass.


At our Dollar Tree stores, the 32+ stuff comes in gallons & the -20 stuff comes in half gallons.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I get mine at Dollar Tree for $1 a gallon + 8 cents tax.


Dollar Trees in Ohio only carry 1/2 gallons and I seldom see it. Surprised they have gallon bottles in CA because of the drought.
If you have hard water, your own cocktail will leave spots where your wipers don't touch the glass.


At our Dollar Tree stores, the 32+ stuff comes in gallons & the -20 stuff comes in half gallons.


Don't really go to dollar tree, I guess that makes it more expensive because when it's on sale it's $1.50-$1.60 per gallon on the -20f stuff.

 

[Olas]

Tap water and table vinegar in the summer, cheap premix in he winter..

 

[eljefino]

I use WW fluid as topper offers for advance auto orders to make a coupon threshold. So I always have a ton around.

 

[Rat407]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
only Rain-X for me. It's worth the $3 at walmart to be able to see extremely well in the rain.


^This

 

[horse123]

Originally Posted By: Olas
Tap water and table vinegar in the summer, cheap premix in he winter..


Good way to ruin your paint, sprayer pump, nozzles, and anything else metal it comes into contact with.

 

[horse123]

Too late to edit my post, but I did some searching and apparently windex isn't the best for paint either. It does have quite a low pH, even diluted probably. I'll keep looking for better fluids, because windex does work very well.

 

[SeaJay]

While we are on the topic of saving money, does anyone have any helpful hints for when I darn the holes in my worn socks?

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

pswtc

 

[mjoekingz28]

What d you think gas stations and truck stops use in the buckets?

I can see using $3 a gallon mix being quite an expense.

 

[sleddriver]

I've used a mix I found decades ago in CR. One bottle of alcohol, a tsp of clear dish detergent, 1/4c ammonia and I fill with softened water to make a gallon. I've experimented with adding a few drops of JetDry in the past. BION, Windex is widely used in optical departments throughout to clean all sorts of optical surfaces, except for first-surface mirrors.

 

[bobbob]

I use the Wal-Mart blue stuff, but I cut it with about a pint of ammonia. It extends the
amount of fluid and cleans the glass well.

 

[The Critic]

303 tablets- they're about 40 cents per tablet off amazon. Honda and Hyundai have these in their parts catalog:

http://www.amazon.com/303-230371-Instant-Windshield-Washer/dp/B000FF76KM

 

[gfh77665]

Of all the things to try and save money on...

Forget making bootleg wiper fluid. Just air up your tires. That alone will save far, far, far more money.

BTW, I use Rain-X, its a great product.

 

[BearZDefect]

I understand the desire to save on washer fluid when there are days I could go through a gallon. Considering that costs as much as a gallon of gasoline, it can effectively double the cost of one outing if we set aside depreciation. But most of the time I can get away with using little washer fluid, so I haven't tried to make my own.

Those 303 tablets look good for summer washer fluid if they give good results with ordinary tap water.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
303 tablets- they're about 40 cents per tablet off amazon. Honda and Hyundai have these in their parts catalog:

I'd give you a hard time for being in California, but I've actually used them to dose up washer fluid to help with bugs.

 

[linksep]

"303 tablets are 3x more powerful than ordinary windshield cleaners" so mix 'em 1 tablet to 3 gal tap water or 2 tabs to 5 gal tap water. 25 tabs for $10 on Amazon is $0.13-$0.16 per gal if you dilute it close to "ordinary" strength. Use that mix in spring/summer. Fall through winter mix 2-3 gallons of regular -20*F store bought WW fluid with 2-3 gallons of water and a 303 tablet. 2 gal walmart WW fluid + 3 gal water and a 303 tablet would be around $0.88/gal. In both cases you save more than 50% and storage/handling/hassle is reduced by a whole lot.