Winter vs Summer windshield washer fluid cleaning performance

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I never use wipers unless it's raining.

All they do, no matter which fluid or wipers are installed, is smear goop around.


I use mine all the time. Gets dusty even if it doesn't rain. If it smears goop around, it's time for new wipers. Mine never seem to last more than 6-9 months, less if they're cheap wipers. After that, they smear goop around...

The mostly water mix is actually clearer, dries a little quicker and does less smearing during the summer.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Warstud
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
I've never thought about adding water before


You run the risk of line freeze or a busted line if your in a cold climate.


The winter stuff around here is usually good down to -20 F. I think other area that get colder have even stronger stuff.

Anyway, check out this chart:

http://www.methanol.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/FreezingPointsMethanol-WaterSolutions.pdf

Basically it's made up of about 40% methanol. If you add water, you're just bring the freezing point up. I think by doing about 75-80% water, the freezing point goes to somewhere around 23 degrees. Usually if you get a cold day in September, it might briefly dip below 30 for a day or two. But usually if you start adding a pure winter mix at that point, you'll lower the freezing point and eventually you'll get back down to -20. Normally around here it never even gets much below 0 so the -20 is usually overkill but occasionally there's one or two days in the winter where the coldest temp at night goes down to -5.

 

[camrydriver111]

Looks like I am in the minority here.

I like summer fluid in the summer, and winter fluid in the winter. The summer fluid just seems to do a better job in the summer.

 

[JLawrence08648]

I use the green or yellow winter, then summer I use what's left topped with water and dishwashing liquid, then later back to the winter mixture.

 

[meep]

I tend to use the rain-ex orange in the summer diluted to 50%. this year I bought a concentrated washer solvent on amazon that's good for like 20 gallons or something for $10. you just mix it with water. Going to try that for the above-freezing season and see how it goes. I use the washers daily certain times of year due to pollen and dust. Year round it's at least once per week.

I used to mix a splash of rubbing alcohol with a tsp of dish soap in a gallon of water. It always worked too, but could freeze during the winter.

It does need some sort of a solvent depending on what kind of oil/grease has splattered on the glass, or to cut through bugs, especially in the summer.

-m

 

[PimTac]

I use this stuff year round.

https://www.autopia-carcare.com/1z-921410.html

You can dilute it quite a ways as it is strong. I have this in the reservoir along with the wash booster.


https://www.autopia-carcare.com/p21s-windshield-washer.html

 

[nthach]

There's no need to use the "good" stuff in my part of CA - but there is a need in Tahoe and the higher elevations for it in the winter. I've been using tap water and Einzett's washer additive. Expensive and cleans marginally better than 303 Washer Tabs but the green Einzett(and Mercedes SummerFit) handles hard water better.

A friend of mine loves the passive-agressive approach of giving tailgaters a squirt of washer fluid - but when he does that in the winter time with winter fluid, I noticed his windshield cleans better. He gets Camco-branded fluid consistently, he gets it at the gas station in Pollock Pines. The rest of the year, it gets whatever's on sale.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: dogememe
I use the blue O'Reilly one in all my vehicles, all the time. Here in the bay area in California I never have to worry about freezing. I tried Rain-X brand green stuff a couple times and really hated it - it left a weird film on the window that if using wipers at night would reflect the headlights of oncoming cars.

I stopped buying that Rain-X stuff. The only pre-mix I buy is the Prestone stuff when it's on sale. I rarely ever buy the blue stuff unless I'm in a bind.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I run the -20 stuff except for winter, when I add -30ish stuff (think what I have now is -27?). Don't even know offhand if that's F or C.
I used one jug of the Rain-X stuff and really hated it, felt like it was putting more crud on the windshield than it was taking off.
I use my wipers year round and they are especially active lately as I am driving into the sun on the way every day and on the way back if I leave early. Realized late last week that the inside of my windshield actually needed a good wipe down and it is also pretty clear that my windshield is getting quite pitted...I almost wish I'd get a crack in it so I have an excuse to replace it.
I ran a bottle of the bug cleaner stuff a long time ago and it did seem to work better for that task, but it smelled just awful...never wanted to use it again!

 

[Smokescreen]

I use -40F stuff all year round. Last thing I would want is to have half a tank of the summer stuff left in the tank and then a cold snap in October. Then seized/broken pump, cracked reservoir, cracked tubes or cracked nozzles...gets expensive and tedious to to fix at bad time.

Never had an issue washing off summer grime or other...ever.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
Looks like I am in the minority here.

I like summer fluid in the summer, and winter fluid in the winter. The summer fluid just seems to do a better job in the summer.


Basically the summer stuff is water.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359


Basically the summer stuff is water.


A lot of the summer fluids I have seen claim to have bug removers in them though.

 

[Kestas]

Probably a little bit of surfactant is added along with color to allow the marketers to call it "bug remover."

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Basically the summer stuff is water.

A lot of the summer fluids I have seen claim to have bug removers in them though.

Right, but what I meant was that the winter stuff is about 40% methanol and some cleaners/tint when it's good to -20 F. The summer stuff is basically just water and some cleaners/tint. You're basically paying for water. And they charge the same price for the summer stuff. They shouldn't even really sell the summer stuff but I guess that's probably because people are used to buying it and they'd wonder where it was if they didn't find it. It's somewhat deceptive too as the bottle says protects to 32 F. That's the freezing point of water. It mind as well say it doesn't protect against freezing, because it has nothing in it besides mostly water.

 

[901Memphis]

I guess I was wrong, the fluid is cleaning fine I just had to replace the wiper, it looked fine until I took out off and there was a small tear on the blade causing the smear. It was the most expensive rain X blade too and didn't last very long. The Duralast blade that looks like the rain X I bought before the Rain X is still fine on the passager side.

 

[Surestick]

The winter stuff has a lot of alcohol in it to prevent it from freezing, the summer stuff seems to be water & detergent.
Here, the biggest issue in the summer is bugs and the summer stuff still just smears the bug guts around.

I've had the best luck with bugs using rain-X or Aquapel (I prefer the later as it lasts longer) and straight water in the reservoir with just a bit of detergent (I put about a teaspoon of dishwashing soap) in.