Rain x v Aquapel

[PovertySpec]

The screen is then cleaned thoroughly with a product called Eraser which removes polishing oils

Where can this be bought? Have googled, drawn a blank.

 

[drmw]

It will probably be an IPA solution.

I make my own glass cleaner with it. Buy a 5litre tub in bulk and then make up as required with distilled water into a spray bottle. 1 part IPA to 3 Parts water makes a decent cleaner. I increase the ratio to 50-50 for winter though to cut through road grime and salt a lot better.

Would IPA dissolve pvc? This stuff does (and quite quickly)

 

[C350Carl]

Where can this be bought? Have googled, drawn a blank.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polis...intense-oil-and-polish-cleanser/prod_960.html

http://www.carpro.uk.com/eraser-intensive-polish-oil-remover-500ml/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CarPro-Eraser-Intense-Polish-Cleanser/dp/B00AVMI2X4

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/carpro-eraser-intense-oil-and-polish-cleanser-1-litre.php?cPath=27

Be aware some of the pictures are misleading it's not a dark liquid it's the colour of the one in the CarPro.uk link.

 

[C350Carl]

Would IPA dissolve pvc? This stuff does (and quite quickly)

It must have some form of accelerant in it then if it's doing that. Similar to what happens if you put petrol in a polystyrene cup.

IPA is isopropyl alcohol.

I'd be wary of using something that dissolves PVC on a windscreen. You might start eating into rubber and plastic trim around the screen if you're not careful.

IPA will just evaporate.

 

[television]

Yup. Makes a change as some forums I've been on people start becoming Google experts and Keyboard warriors!

To be honest if you're happy with how everything works now I wouldn't change what you do.

I only constantly change so that I can find the "latest best" techniques so when a customer asks i can give them good advice. Rather than give them a companies "preferred" advice to make money from them.

The newer CL function could be due to a different rake in the screen. If the older CL has a more upright screen then water will move round on it more quickly than the newer one.

Have you owned the newer CL since it was new? Or are you the second owner? If so how long have you had it?

Reason I ask is if you are the second owner the previous one could have applied a coating that you aren't aware of and could be making it function incorrectly if Neil's post is anything to go by. But generally a clean with glass cleaner and a cloth will usually clear up any issues of dirt etc.

Is the sensor in the CL within the sweep of the wipers?

I used T cut and a power polisher on the newer CL, it was not new when I bought it, and 0000 wire wool a couple of times to remove the specks.

Yes the rake is very different on the 2 cars so much so you can have the sun roof open at 70 on the old one and only up to 40 on the new one till the noise is just too much.

 

[television]

I tried something different to clean my screen last weekend to really good effect. I had a new conservatory roof fitted a few months back and the guys had a liquid that cleaned the PVC incredibly well (even removed old silicon sealant). I asked where to buy it - they left me a bottle.

It's some form of uPVC solvent and I've never seen anything so effective at removing grease, so after washing the car I used some of this on a paper towel and really scrubbed the windscreen.

I've always thought that conventional window cleaners leave a residue either by accident or design - the result with this is stunning - no residue and sparkling clear.

It's about £5/litre to Joe Public

Yes conventional house window cleaners are not good at all on a car, that is for sure David. They do leave something behind.

 

[drmw]

It must have some form of accelerant in it then if it's doing that. Similar to what happens if you put petrol in a polystyrene cup.

IPA is isopropyl alcohol.

I'd be wary of using something that dissolves PVC on a windscreen. You might start eating into rubber and plastic trim around the screen if you're not careful.

IPA will just evaporate.

IPA is miscible in water but this certainly isn't and it evaporates virtually immediately

Careful rather than wary - I put a little onto a paper towel, so didn't go anywhere close to any trim - glass only

 

[C350Carl]

I used T cut and a power polisher on the newer CL, it was not new when I bought it, and 0000 wire wool a couple of times to remove the specks.



Yes the rake is very different on the 2 cars so much so you can have the sun roof open at 70 on the old one and only up to 40 on the new one till the noise is just too much.

Depending on what's been on it then T-Cut may not have had much effect.

The only thing i find that guarantees to get any old sealant etc off is cerium oxide polish.

I use a combination of a Rayon pad on a rotary and 0000 grade wire wool for deep cleans.

In between sealant application top ups I just use wire wool.

Including the Pano roof.

Before anyone mentions the trim in the last pic I was cleaning and treating the trim/rubber after so never taped it up. Plus it was my car so knew I had the time to spend removing residue.

If that was someone else's car it would have been taped.

 

[television]

I also have the glass polish powder, that I do not use much these days, yes you can polish the glass to remove wiper fine scratches marks, but I feel that car glass has a hardened skin and once you remove it the screen start to mark again quicker.

 

[C350Carl]

You can only polish the finest of scratches out on a windscreen. Even then it's extremely difficult. I spent 4hrs once on my car to prove a point for someone. I went through 8 rayon pads and I hardly touched the marks. That was using a rotary too. By hand you have no chance. Living by the coast we get quite a lot of sand in the air and this causes marking of the glass over time with bits inevitably getting trapped and dragged by the wiper sweep. The general rule of thumb is if you can see the scratch without looking closely then you won't remove it. I've tried explaining this to loads of people and they always come back with "well 'x company' and the internet say you can"

So I always tell them to go and find a a screen they have done it to that hasn't been hollowed or lensed. Funnily enough no-one has ever come back You have to be really really careful not cause lensing or hollowing etc.

This video is favourite for some "Google experts" until I show them I can replicate the "scratch" with a smear of screen or paint sealant from a cotton bud!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=weK-pW_1Cpc

I know I'll be preaching to the converted with you Malc. But for those who don't understand the process. To remove a scratch you either A) fill it in or B) remove a layer till everything is level with the bottom of the scratch.

When polishing a car that's what's happening. You're removing a few microns of clear coat. Depth of the scratch will determine just how many need to be removed.

Try removing even 1 micron from a screen and you will write it off.

The professionals claim to be able to remove a scratch up to 0.004 microns deep. Basically barely visible.

Fillers don't work as they would eventually be removed by the wipers and you would struggle to get perfect clarity on a screen without a machine and removing the screen.

I only use the polish to remove all contamination from the screen. A by-product of the polishing will remove ultra fine marks. But any scratches will remain. This ensures any sealant will bond directly to the glass and not old sealant residue or dirt etc which will dramatically reduce it's effectiveness.

My new windscreen should hopefully be fitted on Friday and I will be immediately applying a coat of Nanolex before it goes anywhere. No need to polish the new screen as it will be perfect to use once it's had a couple of IPA wipe-downs.

 

[television]

Thats true Carl, you can spend hours and impossible to do anything other than remove the finest of mark, a scratch, no way.

 

[PovertySpec]

Be aware some of the pictures are misleading it's not a dark liquid it's the colour of the one in the CarPro.uk link.

Thanks for the links, according to the product SDS it's just 30% IPA and 1% SLS.

I'm probably better off using neat IPA and Bar Keepers Friend to remove the film that the car wash puts on my windscreen, aren't I?

And I probably know what you think about car washes

 

[C350Carl]

Car wash!!!!! Noooooooo they cause horrendous damage to a car and should all be burnt to the ground

I find that IPA on its own, even neat, can sometimes still leave polish residue behind. Which is why I use eraser first then IPA.

 

[PovertySpec]

Car wash!!!!! Noooooooo they cause horrendous damage to a car and should all be burnt to the ground

I know, I hear what you're saying, my last car's paint (on the roof) was damaged by successive car washes but the Merc seems to be holding up ok.

It only costs £3.70 and it does a cracking job apart from a film of polish on my windscreen which has to be cleaned off, otherwise I get smearing when it rains.

When I bought the car it was almost un-driveable in the rain, there was such an accumulation of polish on the windscreen.

That took about a week of cleaning with various substances until I tried Bar Keepers Friend which worked a treat.

Didn't know you could use Brillo pads on windscreens mind, top tip!

 

[television]

I know, I hear what you're saying, my last car's paint (on the roof) was damaged by successive car washes but the Merc seems to be holding up ok.

It only costs £3.70 and it does a cracking job apart from a film of polish on my windscreen which has to be cleaned off, otherwise I get smearing when it rains.

When I bought the car it was almost un-driveable in the rain, there was such an accumulation of polish on the windscreen.

That took about a week of cleaning with various substances until I tried Bar Keepers Friend which worked a treat.

Didn't know you could use Brillo pads on windscreens mind, top tip!

0000 gauge wire wool is safer, its what jewelers use.

 

[C350Carl]

^^^^ this!!!

Please DO NOT USE Brillo pads!

The wire wool can be used on stainless steel exhausts as well to avoid scratches etc.

 

[ZZZZ]

I'm saving this thread ... and as a pdf as well

 

[PovertySpec]

^^^^ this!!!

Please DO NOT USE Brillo pads!

The wire wool can be used on stainless steel exhausts as well to avoid scratches etc.

Noted, no Brillo pads.

 

[C350Carl]

Just make sure you buy 0000 grade wool.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004Z0U0M4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1417691469&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

 

[television]

I feel the little micro spec that stick so hard to the glass, and the ones that only come off with 0000 wire wool are diesel deposits.