Rain-X

[jsuper]

On 2 of my cars I am getting little specks all over the windshield. On both cars I used rain-x. I noticed after a few weeks that the shelf life on Rain-X is only a few years. I had this probably for 7 years. Does anyone think the Rain_x caused the problem? you cant see the specks unless you are in direct sunlight. You cannot ever feel them but they are there. i tried 0000 steel wool which didn`t work. My thinking is that I should try to remove the rain-X. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[JBM]

Only thoughts are to try the optimum glass product. They are outstanding.

[Stokdgs]

How old is the glass ?
Dan F

[tropicsteve]

if you haven`t already, try polishing your glass with real glass polish and glass polishing pad. never heard of rain-x causing that.

[rlmccarty2000]

The steel wool didn`t remove anything? I`ve never heard of Rain-X causing this type of problem. Try claying the glass. Not sure if this will help since you could not feel the defects. Welcome to the forum!

[ShaneB]

Park next to a sprinkler? Probably need a glass polish as stated above.

[Accumulator]

I wouldn`t use steel wool on auto glass these days, not even copper/brass wool. Remember that today`s autoglass is mostly plastic and it can be amazingly easy to scratch up.

I have/use some *OLD* RainX on the Crown Vic`s windshield just because the previous owner did and I don`t want to bother polishing it off (yeah, I coulda/woulda/shoulda done it when I did the new-to-me detail but that wasn`t in the cards). No issues at all. So I dunno if it`s really the RainX gone bad.

I`d probably do the Glass Pad w/appropriate Polish (though I`ve done fine just polishing glass with the same stuff I use on paint).

Welcome to Autopia jsuper, wish I had a better answer for you.

[agtjamesb007]

On 2 of my cars I am getting little specks all over the windshield. On both cars I used rain-x. I noticed after a few weeks that the shelf life on Rain-X is only a few years. I had this probably for 7 years. Does anyone think the Rain_x caused the problem? you cant see the specks unless you are in direct sunlight. You cannot ever feel them but they are there. i tried 0000 steel wool which didn`t work. My thinking is that I should try to remove the rain-X. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I don`t know how big or how much of a bother the spots are to you. I would first try to remove the rain ex before trying anything else aggressive. I had etched in stains on my glass for years, and tried EVERYTHING to get them out. Finally after so long of searching, I used Ceriglass glass polish on a glass polishing pad on my DA polisher. It worked. After nearly ten years of living with it I removed it. I would just err on the side of caution and use less aggressive methods first. Maybe different chemicals to remove the rain-x that may also work on the spot, like a vinegar solution or an Isopropyl alcohol solution with water. I doubt it was the rain-x. I have used it many times along with others I know, even very old bottles, (ten years plus maybe? I didnt even know they expire lol ) and the only issue I ever had was that sometimes its hard to wipe off after application.

good luck!

[Accumulator]

I`d expect it to take a mechanical/abrasive approach to remove the RainX. Potent Glass Cleaners like Zep40 don`t clean it off so IPA/etc. can`t be expected to.

[jtford95]

It was probably something on the glass before you did it

[jsuper]

4 years

[jsuper]

Are you saying any kind of polish will do?

[jsuper]

I used the rainx that you dilute in your windshield washer fluid. I heard that it doesn`t have a long shelf life because it has something to do with the silicone separates. my windshield looks like it has many prisms on it.

[rlmccarty2000]

Glass is very hard, so any polish will do. Saying that there are glass specific polishes that may do better. CarPro makes Ceriglass that is the go-to polish (along with glass pads) to remove scratches. It is a pita to use. Tape off everything due to sling. There are other less invasive glass polishes sold here. Wolfgang Perfekt Vision Glass Polish is the one I use most frequently. You will be surprised how much gunk it will pull out of a windshield that looks clean. It removes stuff in the pores in the glass. I always use this before I apply a glass coating product. It`s good stuff.

[jsuper]

You mentioned tape off due to sling. What is this referring to. Should this polish be used with a buffer and done manually. thanks for the response.