Dangerous Smearing Windscreen!

[jibcl500]

Neat SPAR washing up liquid 79p best de greaser out there.

jib

 

[12rgg]

dirty windscreen

Try old news paper with vineger, rub the entire screen including the blades with the paper doused in vineger, do this weekly and you will not have a problem

 

[christiankay]

Single Wiper Windscreen Nightmare Smearing

I've had this problem since buying my first Mercedes 190E and i notice other single wiper Mercs with the same smearing problem when I'm out and about.

I've tried all the ideas posted but I'm getting to the point of selling the car becasue of it.

I've had a new windscreen, regular new wiper blades every 6-months, every commercial and household product, RAIN-X (crap) and still week in week out the same crazy cloudy smear ...

Maybe i should have got a BM afterall.

Hello all,

I really need a solution to this dangerous problem, I have a CLK W208 with the single arm wiper. When I bought the car a few years ago the windscreen would smear under any kind of rainfall, so I bought a new Bosch wiper blade thinking that would cure it.........it didn't. It's almost like millions of tiny clouds form once the blade goes over the windscreen and visibility becomes dangerously low. I went up to Scotland through some torrential rain and it was frighting how little I could see. I always clean the blade when I wash the car so I thought it might be car wash product that I was using to clean the windscreen with. So I washed it just with warm water and a plastic bristled brush, but it's still the same.

I would say it's poor in all outdoor temperatures but when it's cold it does seem to get a little worse. I don't run the car excessively hot or cold inside and I've tried using the air-con but it doesn't work.

Does anyone else suffer from the same problem or know how to cure it.


Thanks.

 

[television]

I've had this problem since buying my first Mercedes 190E and i notice other single wiper Mercs with the same smearing problem when I'm out and about.

I've tried all the ideas posted but I'm getting to the point of selling the car becasue of it.

I've had a new windscreen, regular new wiper blades every 6-months, every commercial and household product, RAIN-X (crap) and still week in week out the same crazy cloudy smear ...

Maybe i should have got a BM afterall.

This has nothing to do with the single wiper, your washer bottle needs to be cleaned out, the blades need cleaning and the screen needs cleaning with something like T cut that will remove the film

 

[Splatt]

I think that all drivers and cars are subject to this phenomina, it is just that in cars like the single wiper Mercs it is more apparent. Without any corroborative scientific proof I believe the problem is caused by extreme performance bonding additives put in the vehicle lubricants these days, the same stuff that makes the oil stick to the cylinder walls and engines last 200K miles.When road spray deposits it and the wiper smears it over the screen there is no solvent or cleaner that will remove it, the only way to shift it is as Malcolm says is to grind it off with a mildly abrasive paste like T Cut (or perhaps some domestic cleaner like CIF Cream). I have heard that toothpaste can do it but it does tend to leave your windscreen smelling minty. With the normal two wiper layout you get more and faster wiper passes over the area of screen in front of your line of vision which does reduce the problem as the film is rubbed away quicker.

 

[outsmartsmart]

Have had similar issue on cars previously and it is a 'film' of something IMO that is building up as other posts said. Tried many proprietary brands and no joy so turned to the kitchen sink cupboard thinking I needed something slightly abrasive but thought Autosolvol was maybe a touch too far. Thought of Brasso but that is 'oily' as well as its own means of 'lubricant'.

In the end turned to Cif cream. Wetted the screen, sponged the cream all over, good rub and then swilled it off. I then just used household glass cleaner for that 'sqeaky clean' feel and no issues since. Tend to do it once a quarter on a 'big wash' and no issues at all

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I've had this problem since buying my first Mercedes 190E and i notice other single wiper Mercs with the same smearing problem when I'm out and about.

I've tried all the ideas posted but I'm getting to the point of selling the car because of it.

I've had a new windscreen, regular new wiper blades every 6-months, every commercial and household product, RAIN-X (crap) and still week in week out the same crazy cloudy smear ...

Maybe i should have got a BM after all.

As others have said, this is not specific to car type. I think changing the car may be a bit radical, and if by chance it was something you had been doing, or was a local issue where you live, you might be back to square one quite quickly, but rather poorer than before.

Even if you can't fix it, in spite of everything, then those who valet cars for a living almost certainly can - and it would be cheaper and more convenient. Even if they struggle, they would see it as a matter of professional pride not to let it beat them! And you would have a lovely clean car too!

 

[Dec]

I use a DIY solution in the washer bottle - cleans the screen and never freezes. In the 5L flask I put about 200 ml methylated spirit, a goodly splash of washing up liquid (detergent) and fill up with tapwater. So its not expensive!

I’m on the methys now too but without the washing up liquid, don’t agree with that at all, only using it for a couple of days but so far it seems to do the job very well.

As others have said a good clean of the screen with Cif, (outside only) it contain silica sand, this sand provides the “mechanical” cutting power to break up stubborn dirt, its like liquid sandpaper and wont harm the glass if applied without unnecessary force. After all that, all you need is a good properly fitted wiper blade.

Dec

 

[jberks]

Just be wary of washing up liquid. It contains a lot of salt allegedly and can cause corrosion if not washed off fully. It will also solidify over time and block up the washer jets.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Just be wary of washing up liquid. It contains a lot of salt allegedly and can cause corrosion if not washed off fully. It will also solidify over time and block up the washer jets.

Quite right, and I think the methylated spirit in my mix would probably get the thumbs down from body work enthusiasts. But when you are driving through rain that seems more like a car wash, rinsing is not a problem!

 

[television]

Quite right, and I think the methylated spirit in my mix would probably get the thumbs down from body work enthusiasts. But when you are driving through rain that seems more like a car wash, rinsing is not a problem!

Also handy for a quick top up, if your spirits are feeling low

 

[roadhog]

I've said it before (I think, might have been a different forum but I digress) and I'll say it again: Forget all your household remedies.

This is what I've used in all my cars for years, single wipers or not, and I've never ever had this problem. Well not until my other half brought home some Windolene and then it smeared like hell. I guess that's what you get for letting women do the shopping.
Cleaned the screen with my usual Mr Muscle and no more smears.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

This is what I've used in all my cars for years, single wipers or not, and I've never ever had this problem. Well not until my other half brought home some Windolene and then it smeared like hell. I guess that's what you get for letting women do the shopping.
Cleaned the screen with my usual Mr Muscle and no more smears.

Thumbs up for Mr Muscle too. I keep some in the garage and clean the windscreen and mirrors after any dirty journey - ready for use next time.

It is also very good for the inside of the windscreen (which seems to develop a "bloom" more than ever now that we have C/C or A/C) in that it sprays in a fine mist and gets into the corners, encouraging a more thorough job (and cleaning the dashboard too).

 

[television]

Thumbs up for Mr Muscle too.

It is also very good for the inside of the windscreen (which seems to develop a "bloom" more than ever now that we have C/C or A/C) in that it sprays in a fine mist and gets into the corners, encouraging a more thorough job (and cleaning the dashboard too).

The only reason that the inside goes like that is because breath too much, when they are in the car