Rain-X or similar?

[BigSkyBrad]

For the Scrooge approach, I've just always used Pledge on the inside and outside of my helmet visors, and now use it on the inside of the Westie windscreen and both sides of the full hood/door clears. My dad always used it on the plexiglass canopy on his plane.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I’ve never had great success with RainX on anything I’ve tried it on. The Gtechnic version on the other hand, though expensive and fiddly to apply, has been brilliant on all the cars I’ve tried it on. I do use their coatings on several parts, (alloys, too, which has been exceptional), so use their coating safe shampoo and glass cleaner. Because of this, perhaps, I’ve found the coatings have really outlasted even what GTechnic say they’ll do.

 

I do find the Westfield windscreen to be the least effective of them at dispersing water, it’s still better, but I guess it is just too steep a rake to work at slow/medium speeds, you do need to be going quicker, or have a little wiper input.

 

The tiptop I tried it on first though, had a really sloping screen, and that wouldn’t need wipers at sixty, in medium - heavy rain. Even in heavy rain, normal speed would clear the screen.

[neptune]

16 hours ago, OldStager said:

i have to disagree, been using rain x for probably 25 years or so, works very well just beading the drops of water , but you do have to be driving at something like 30mph for the effect to work. i re-apply when it stops the beading bit, usually twice a year, but then i dont go out in the rain that often.

I agree I use it on both sides of the westy screen and rarely use my wipers. Only needed in  exceptional downpours or when going slowly.

Also use it on tin tops with equal success

[Richard (OldStager)]

seeing as we have started to mention both sides of a screen, what are folks using to combat the misting up in winter. i was once into motorbikes and the cheap method was a potato cut in half and the smeared over the inside of the visor. i can not recall ever doing that if im honest, but in the car i dont tend to use anything. it mists up badly for about the first minute then once on the road clears as quickly again due to all the air leaks via the soft top. i dont have a full heater but do use  - and dont laugh - a 12v hair drier ducted to two air vents - an old rally car bodge if your main blower packed up.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

A heater with cold air intake, and the ability to turn the hot water feed on and off means minimal steaming up, with the roof on, so it's not been a problem.

 

(Apart from not the most powerful fan, it's the re-circulating cabin air type of heater that Westfields have always used as standard that is the biggest issue with demisting! It just circulates moist humid cabin air, on a wet day, turning it into hot, even more moist air and aims it at the screen (and your feet).

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Currently doing my best to guarantee rain-free weather, by doing a Gtechniq G1 treatment on the new windscreen!

 

I'd got some in stock from previous re-treatments that was just enough to do the new screen - one thing with Gtechniq stuff, the coatings generally work at a chemical/molecular level by bonding with the substrate, so you only need comparatively small amounts. - It takes a bit to get your head round at first, as the bottle sizes seem tiny, but generally, especially on a Westfield, the smallest bottles are all you need! So one 10ml bottle of G1 for glass, has done 3 screens!

 

They sell it in kit form, with a cleaner to get the residue off, once you've followed the curing process. You also need the G4 Glass Polish as part of the pre treatment cleaning process. And I use the G6 glass cleaner as a regular glass cleaner in the house and the car, anyway.

 

So basic steps, on a washed windscreen, clean with G6, polish with G4, give a quick clean off with G6 again, to remove any smears or residue - do wiper blades at same time, with G6.

 

Then apply three coats of G1, leave to cure for quarter of an hour or so, and clean the residue off with G2 from the kit.

 

Handy videos and instructions are on the Gtechniq website.

 

Yes, the product is a little more expensive than some, though the more different product from them you use, the more overlap there can be from cleaners etc. But the biggest downside, I would say, is the prep and treatment time. To do right, is definitely more fiddly and time consuming than many alternatives.

 

However, if you do follow the stages of the process properly, with the pre treatments etc. I've found their products to consistently outperform many of the "favourites" you typically see recommended on forums etc. and, it seems to last and last! OK, so I'm using it mainly on a kit car, but I've found on the Westfield, it can last two, three or even more times longer than even Gtechniq quote.