ONR as washer fluid?

wascallyrabbit said:
yes, and i know people who do just that. water in summer then drain and water/glycol in winter.
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I could tell you about the guy I knew who had a leak and instead of fixing it just kept filling it with water...until it got below freezing and his car overheated on the way to work and he opened the hood and the radiator hose was popped off and a popsicle was sticking out of the radiator. I have enough maintenance stuff to do on my cars (and in the rest of my life) without seasonally changing my washer fluid and coolant.
 
Well, I am gonna try the 1 oz to gallon ONR mix cuz I am poor. This is strickly a summer washer of course. When winter hits, its back to the DeIcer.
 
good idea, I need to try this. The rain-x washer fluid I have been getting is over $2 a bottle. This seems like a cheaper alternative that will work better on tree sap and sticky bugs.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm not overthinking this at all. I do everything I can not to use my washers, I go years and years without refilling, and what I use in there is good down to 0°F or something, so I never have to worry about it freezing and cracking my reservoir. Y'all can do what you want and change your flavor seasonally. Did you know that plain water in your radiator cools better than glycol/water? You might want to think about doing that in the summer with some corrosion inhibitor added in. :wavey
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I use the washer a lot because I like a clean windshield. I guess I don't understand why someone would choose to NOT use them, especially in certain weather conditions. After all, they are there to improve visibility through the windshield which is a safety factor.



As far as freezing and cracking a reservoir, I can't remember a time it's ever happened to me, especially the cracking reservoir. And again, I go through washer fluid like it's my job.



Oh well. To each his own. :2thumbs:
 
Windshield washer fluid degrades your LSP? I'm not a chemist, so I'll assume that's true.



But at the same time, changing it for ONR seems like more work than its' worth.



First of all, if you care enough about yoru LSP that you're worried about something as mild as washer fluid, then I'm going to assume that you make some kind of effort to keep it washed and waxed regularly. That should be MORE than enough to compensate for any corrosive effects of washer fluid.



Second, as mentioned previously, remembering to change it out before winter has to be more hassle than it's really worth.



third, doesn't Rain-X make a washer fluid that actually applies a hydrophobic coating to your windshield? If washer fluid is so corrosive to an LSP, wouldn't it be unable to apply its own?



Finally, the amount of paint that actually gets touched by washer fluid is so miniscule that keeping ahead of any degrading LSP, or even etching, should be FAR less work than maintaining different mixtures of washer fluids for different seasons.
 
Less -



You must be related to Setec because you're making this MUCH harder than it really is.



You already go to the store to buy regular washer fluid right?



I go to Wal-Mart on a weekly basis to load up on distilled water for my steamer. Instead of picking up the jug of Rain-X that runs $2.99 a gallon, I go to a different aisle and pick-up a jug of distilled water that runs $.76 a gallon. When I go back to the shop I then add 6 oz. of ONR to my washer reservoir and dump in a gallon of my distilled water. Viola, done!



And as far was de-icer washer fluid, when the temps start to drop this fall I'll go back to picking up the Rain-X de-icer fluid at Wal-Mart instead of the distilled water. There's nothing to "change out". The de-icer stuff will mix just fine with the ONR mixture.



I guess this wouldn't be Autopia if people didn't make things harder than they really are.



:hifive:



Oh, and as far as LSP degradation is concerned, that's not my main reason for using ONR as washer fluid. The reason I do so is because it's cheap, easy, and works great!
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm not overthinking this at all. I do everything I can not to use my washers, I go years and years without refilling, and what I use in there is good down to 0°F or something, so I never have to worry about it freezing and cracking my reservoir. Y'all can do what you want and change your flavor seasonally. Did you know that plain water in your radiator cools better than glycol/water? You might want to think about doing that in the summer with some corrosion inhibitor added in. :wavey
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Ohhh good to know, thanks.
 
Alessia said:
Ohhh good to know, thanks.
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I wasn't really suggesting anybody do that, only that the heat transfer would be better. Modern vehicles have their cooling systems sized for their recommended coolant mixture.
 
Washer Fluid is over rated to begin with. In the Camaro I haven't had a reservoir for close to 5 years now and I do not miss it at all. In my new car I just never use it since I am used to the Camaro. I wash my car enough that the windshield is also perfectly clear. Waxing the windshield helps to not have any water marks or anything blur the vision.





- LI 85
 
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