Rain-X De-Icer washer fluid

[mikep]

It froze! This past Sunday I filled the washer fluid tank with orange Rain-X de-icer fluid thinking it was a great idea. There was a a small amount of the blue stuff left in the tank (maybe a pint) so I didn't think mixing the cheapo blue stuff with the new, more expensive Rain-X would be a problem. I even ran 6-7 squirt sequences to get some of the new stuff into the lines. Monday morning when I set out for work, the lines were frozen! I could see the orange fluid in the tank was ok but evidently what was in the lines froze.

Early morning temp was 8 degrees F and wind chill was -12. I don't know how low temps dipped overnight but it was brutal. By the time I got into work (45 minute ride) it was working....I guess heat from the engine had thawed the lines.

I've always used the cheapo, 99 cent/gallon blue stuff and rarely if ever had a problem. The first time I veered from the norm and spent 3-4 bucks on some fancy stuff it bit me in the arse.

 

[rshaw125]

I put some of that stuff in my Explorer. It has not frozen yet but it sure does streak the windshield.
I won't buy it again.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

I have used it for a couple of years with no trouble. It isn't a great deicer, but I haven't found anything that is.......and besides, usually around here, if you windshield is iced, then your washer nozzles are covered, so it really doesn't matter.

Monday it was -1 and the rain-x stuff was still OK.

 

[seotaji]

the best de-icer i've found comes in a clear bottle with prestone something or another written on it.

prestone de-icer? add the whole thing to the washer fluid. never had a problem, ice always melted right off. also use castrol winshield spray (similar to rain-x but A LOT easier to use) to keep the snow and ice from sticking.

works great. is concentrated. smells like gummi bears (j/k).

 

[TallPaul]

I once de-iced my wifes car (a beater '82 Chevy Citation) many years ago by pouring a bucket of hot water over all the windows after an ice storm. Fun and it didn't crack any windows. Not work when away from home.

 

[oldman]

Once when I was in England a guy had hot water from the kettle and put it on his windscreen and it broke into little pieces of glass. The windows break into little balls of glass for safety. I stopped and gave him a ride to work.

Cleared the ice in a hurry. His wife said I told you so.

 

[Pablo]

The best deicer is the .99 stuff from Rite Aid. You can squirt and squirt, it never seems to freeze....and it doesn't seem to streak.

 

[TomH]

In the winter I use the regular blue stuff spiked with a couple of cups of denatured alcohol. This mixture also melts frost and light ice from the windshield pretty quickly. And while I don't know how many degrees lower this brings the freeze point of the blue stuff, I can't imagine it'll ever get that cold here in VA for me to ever find out.

 

[Whimsey]

Mikep,
That orange stuff in your garage wasn't windshield de-icer. That was left over "orange cream sickle" cocktail mix from the time we all got together this past summer on your deck

. No wonder it froze, there was no rum in it

! I bet your winshield smelled really yummy though

.

Whimsey

 

[rpn453]

I have the yellow Rain-X De-icer in my car right now, and it's currently around -20C outside (-4F) and isn't having any problems. It doesn't really de-ice the windshield as I was hoping though, so I'll probably just go back to the green -45C stuff next time.

 

[Rob Taggs]

Rain X fluid is good stuff. I use it in my dumptruck at work in the winter. Kicks butt compared to the WalMart stuff we normally use. I can get 15-20 pounds of frozen ice on the area between the windsheild and hood. Gets to the point that windsheild wipers won't work - Have to get out and bust it off the truck with a broom when I'm plowing snow. For a note: Don't ever taste it! I couldn't tell the difference one night between the Dex Cool Coolant and the RainX that I had on the basement shelf. It was dark, so I went and took a swig out of the unmarked Rain X jug. Yuck, it has a bittering agent in it! Tightened up the inside of my like ALUM. Just blame it on my country boy roots!

 

[goodoleboy]

The walmart deicer works well the one time i used this season @ $1.40 not to bad.

 

[Shannow]

Down here we just walk out in the morning with a watering can filled with baby bath warm water.

Start the car.

Tip water over the windows.

Drive to work.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

---

Once when I was in England a guy had hot water from the kettle and put it on his windscreen and it broke into little pieces of glass. The windows break into little balls of glass for safety.

---

I wonder if that guy pours his hot 5 o'clock tea into a chilled cup.

 

[Brikhead]

I love the Rain-X Deicer fluid. Not so much for its deicing ability, but for the water repellency it provides. I've never had it freeze up on me though. If I have only 1 complaint about it, its the stains it leaves behind on painted sufaces. Nothing serious really...the stains come off when I wash the car.

 

[Audi Junkie]

The Rain-X polymer additive works great. I've used it in peoples' cars without mentioning it and they later ask me why their wipers works so well. I loathe the classic Rain-X application. Just clean glass is best. I am a total cheap-o and replace 1 wiper per year on a car, (drivers' side) and rotate the used one to pass side. Hard to believe, but if I bought new 2 wipers for everyone it could cost $100. I regularly use an alcohol sprayer for the inside and outside glass and wipe the blades down with it. The STONER Automotive Glass product is made in PA and is a worker-friendly company.

[ December 23, 2004, 11:12 PM: Message edited by: Audi Junkie ]

 

[dakotasport94]

I started using Rain-X on my cars almost 20 years ago and have never had a problem. back then i was too cheap to use the Rain-X washer solvent, i was using the cheap stuff.it seamed to wear off the rainx quicker. then i started to get the rainX solvent and ive been able to got 2-3 times longer without re-applying the RainX. and i havent had to replace the wipers as much.

I love it...i wont use anything else...

 

[1sttruck]

I use regular Rain-X, it needs to be touched up often, but haven't liked their other products. A kind of cheap deicer is the +90% rubbing alcohol; just put some in a spray bottle.

 

[TallPaul]

My limited experience with Rain X was the wipes. It seemed to reduce if not eliminate wiper chatter in light rain. Also, love the way water beads up and rolls up the windshield. Did get some streaking once, but probably put too much on and with a dirty windshield.

 

[Spector]

I have the Prestone clear de icer in several cars now, as yet do not know if it does any good, only one ice up so far and even the canned de icer did not work well on that.