Rainx

[DC]

I posted this elsewhere but think it's worth posting again as a gentle warning for anyone thinking of using Rainx or similar on their convertible.

Rainx or a similar product was obviously used on my car by the previous owner and it just won't come off.
When driving top down, even with the shortest and lightest of rain showers which would normally blow over the top,the water runs quickly up to the top of the windscreen, along to the side, then straight over the top front edge of the side windows and into your face!

Consider very carefully before applying, its great when the hood is up, it keeps the windows clean and easy to clean but on balance I would sooner be without it.
I've searched the internet and tried everything I and others can think of to get rid of it apart from paint stripper or a new windscreen.
If anyone has the answer to removing I would love to hear it.

[Mike Fishwick]

Agreed - it's great on a fixed-head car, but not on a convertible. I found that it also produced bad smearing on the screen.

It can be removed by using an acidic rust-removal compound such as Jenolite Jelly, or even a liquid equivalent. These are besed on phosphoric acid, so avoid the paintwork etc. After half an hour or so, wipe off with kitchen towelling, and keep rubbing until the screen is dry, then rinse copiously, using a strong solution of car shampoo and then large volumes of low pressure water - an open hosepipe.

[DC]

Thanks Mike, that sounds like the only way to remove it, I just need to work up the courage to do it!

[Boysie]

Hi


Been there with a previous car
It does smear alot
I never tried to remove it

Horrid stuff

Ray

[seb.a.james99]

All a bit over dramatic

[DC]

Sounds like seb.a.james99 has again become bored by folk offering well meant thoughts and advice.
My humble apologies for starting this thread.

[Boysie]

Sounds like seb.a.james99 has again become bored by folk offering well meant thoughts and advice.
My humble apologies for starting this thread.

DC

You do not need to apologise at all

We all welcome your input to the forum

And having people like Mike Fishwick
it makes the forum a worthwhile site to visit


Ray

[zedder3]

All a bit over dramatic

Think you are missing the point of a forum-people are free to share their thoughts and opinions and to ask questions. What may seem irrelevant to you may be bugging someone else.
Thanks DC as its good to know about these sort of things. I'd never heard of it before now. Good luck removing it!

[seb.a.james99]

haha, calm down and dont be over dramatic once again, i was merely offering my thoughts that rainx is not the spawn of satan... who drives in the rain with the roof down anyway

i use it and yes it may be hard to get off but i have had no problems with it whatsoever while it is on the windscreen

[seb.a.james99]

oh and my name is obviously Seb so why put seb.a.james99 in bold... unnecessary

[GazHyde]

who drives in the rain with the roof down anyway

He who gets stuck between motorway junctions? Would this constitute an emergency and allow use of the hard shoulder?

I managed about 20miles on the M4 a while ago in the rain. I didn't get wet, bit of water hitting the top of the head rests so didn't see the point in stopping at the next junction.

The water seems to flow down the side windows quite nicely.

Got a few wierd looks doing it mind.

[Titan]

We got stuck in a rain storm on the A1 in Northumberland last weekend.
No hard shoulder or layby to stop in for several miles
Even without RainX on the screen, water still crept around the A pillar onto the side windows before swirling in to the cockpit

[badboyblue]

Seb............
What is your view on cupholders in a Z3?

[DC]

We got stuck in a rain storm on the A1 in Northumberland last weekend.
No hard shoulder or layby to stop in for several miles
Even without RainX on the screen, water still crept around the A pillar onto the side windows before swirling in to the cockpit

I think really clean windows could have a similar effect having seen pics of your car!!
Maybe we should get Biggles style flying helmets and goggles.
Well done to all who came up with sensible reasons for roof down in the rain, the best I could come up with is 'cause it's fun.

David

[estocks]

The main point of draining from the screen while at speed is the top corners of the glass.

You will notice the black sticky plastic on the windscreen frame has damage from the combination of the water, vortex and screen wash there.

Any volume of water on the screen will exit at those top corners.

RainX has nothing to do with the shape of the windscreen and the aerodynamics that are in effect.

[seb.a.james99]

the best I could come up with is 'cause it's fun.

haha, that is a good reason!

Fair enough, not happened to me yet, hopefully i wont get caught out

As for cup holders... the Z3 is for driving not eating in... you want a cup holder buy a saloon

[justgeoff]

Astonish household cleaner removed RainX from my windscreen.

[Titan]

the best I could come up with is 'cause it's fun.

Come on Seb, get it right.
I didn't say that, DC did

What we need is an on-board meteorological station linked to a satnav that displays "safe to stop" way points in order that maximun roof down time can be enjoyed during periods of inclement weather

As for the cup holders, I think someone is being mischievous

[seb.a.james99]

I figured as much, damn the mischiviousness (spelling)

Yes the sat nav is a good idea, i'm daring it with the top down in a minute... been raining all day so could be interesting...

And woops, i dont use taht quote thing often, didnt know what i was doing

[6 pot roadster]

Hang on, I used rain-ex on a Morris Minor on historic rallies for years, my impression was the stuff never lasted long enough... even with the itty-bitty wipers it needed a fresh application for every event (about every 1000 miles) if you don't like it, just wait and it will soon be gone!

[estocks]

Hang on, I used rain-ex on a Morris Minor on historic rallies for years, my impression was the stuff never lasted long enough... even with the itty-bitty wipers it needed a fresh application for every event (about every 1000 miles) if you don't like it, just wait and it will soon be gone!

+1 I find it wears off quite fast. Not that it is has anything to do with the OP's problem with the shape of his windscreen.

[DC]

The main point of draining from the screen while at speed is the top corners of the glass.

You will notice the black sticky plastic on the windscreen frame has damage from the combination of the water, vortex and screen wash there.

Any volume of water on the screen will exit at those top corners.

RainX has nothing to do with the shape of the windscreen and the aerodynamics that are in effect.

Thanks for that estocks, as there has always been rainx or something similar on all the glass on my car it's interesting to know how the water behaves without it.
Based on your observations and my experience of rainx, it appears that rainx greatly speeds this effect up so that a larger volume of water runs up the windscreen before the wipers catch it and actually as I said in my first post runs over the tops of the side windows rather than the top corners of the screen. This could be an issue for those with a less than perfect seal at the top of the side window and roof.
I think rainx will always be one of those Marmite things, and no two people seem to have the same experience with it.
My original post was hopefully to help folk make up their own mind whether to use it or not based on my personal experience with it.
It's still going strong on my car after 6 months, maybe it isn't rainx but a similar but stronger product, or is it the lack of rain here in the sunny Highlands.
Thanks to all for the interesting and helpful comments.

[estocks]

Thanks for that estocks, as there has always been rainx or something similar on all the glass on my car it's interesting to know how the water behaves without it.
Based on your observations and my experience of rainx, it appears that rainx greatly speeds this effect up so that a larger volume of water runs up the windscreen before the wipers catch it and actually as I said in my first post runs over the tops of the side windows rather than the top corners of the screen. This could be an issue for those with a less than perfect seal at the top of the side window and roof.
I think rainx will always be one of those Marmite things, and no two people seem to have the same experience with it.
My original post was hopefully to help folk make up their own mind whether to use it or not based on my personal experience with it.
It's still going strong on my car after 6 months, maybe it isn't rainx but a similar but stronger product, or is it the lack of rain here in the sunny Highlands.
Thanks to all for the interesting and helpful comments.

As the surface area of glass is a constant, the amount of water that lands on it will be the same with or without RainX [or substitute].

Whether it is the RainX or the wipers that push that volume of water to the outside of the window and thus over the top corner won't make a bit of difference to how it behaves in the vortex in the top corners.

It will still swirl into ther car.

[DC]

I'll bow to your greater experience estocks, I've owned my Z3 for around 6 months and thus have a limited knowledge of them.
I have however owned 7 convertible cars in the past, none of which had rainx applied and all hardly blew any rain into the cockpit when driven roof down above 40ish mph.
I'll wait till it wears off (too scared to use Mikes suggested method, though I will try Astonish as recommended by justgeoff) and I'll check again, could be some time before the next post!

[estocks]

I'll bow to your greater experience estocks, I've owned my Z3 for around 6 months and thus have a limited knowledge of them.
I have however owned 7 convertible cars in the past, none of which had rainx applied and all hardly blew any rain into the cockpit when driven roof down above 40ish mph.
I'll wait till it wears off (too scared to use Mikes suggested method, though I will try Astonish as recommended by justgeoff) and I'll check again, could be some time before the next post!

I should have thought this weekend could have washed the rubber off the tyres

Note to self: camping in England sucks.

[DC]

Been dry with sunshine here, I wasn't kidding about the sunny highlands!
And no, I don't work for the Tourist Association.
Dave.

[Guest]

I have to say I do use RainX and I've never really been the victim of the "in car shower".

It doesn't last ages though, I was putting it down to the windscreen cleaner additive "dissolving" it ??

So the last application has practically dissipated ready for the "dry season".. we hope.

[muppet]

I use rainx... and carry some paper towels to mop up the water , in fact it becomes a game with a passenger on board, all part of the fun. I found using it on the side windows was more of a problem.