Rain-X as an LSP?

David Fermani

David Fermani

Forza Auto Salon
I've found that using paint sealants on my windshield only last as long as you don't use your wipers. As soon as you do, it starts to strip it away and beading falls off. When using Rain-X, it seems to last alot longer. What would happen if you used Rain-X on your paint? Anyone know if it would be harmful? I'd like to do a comparison test on my company car to see.....
 
Since Rain-X is made from some type of alcohol I don't think it would be to good for your paint or clearcoat.
 
MDRX8 said:
Since Rain-X is made from some type of alcohol I don't think it would be to good for your paint or clearcoat.
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Or, you could look at it as though you could take care of your alcohol wipe down, as well as your LSP application all in one swipe - LOL.
 
Rain-X does have Rain-X High Foaming Wash & Wax, I have used it in the past and is not a bad product.
 
I've never liked Rain-X. It leaves this nasty film that, albeit not very noticeable, is absolutely impossible to remove.
 
I would not use it for doing a detailing job, but for the daily driver in New England, it's not half bad.



There are worse products out there.
 
On the windows I like to use Top Wax from metalwax.com, the inside windshild was always an issue but top wax goes on easy, clings to the oils and dirt on winshield and comes off with just a wipe. No I am not a salesman, just an enduser.
 
i don't think rain X has any protective properties in it that will fight off UV rays. i've seem some of your work and it seems like you're "above" this question so-to-speak. i mean your skills are way better than mine. are you just asking the question to see where the thread goes or....







on a side note. i use optiseal on my windows. couple coats in 2 weeks will last right around 4 months for me with moderate wiper use, and in texas sun. i'm sure most spray sealants will work about the same
 
8Banger said:
i don't think rain X has any protective properties in it that will fight off UV rays. i've seem some of your work and it seems like you're "above" this question so-to-speak. i mean your skills are way better than mine. are you just asking the question to see where the thread goes or....







on a side note. i use optiseal on my windows. couple coats in 2 weeks will last right around 4 months for me with moderate wiper use, and in texas sun. i'm sure most spray sealants will work about the same
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Ive never tried opti seal on windows...how is the slickness and runoff compared to rainX on the windshield?
 
GBSLambo said:
I never tried it but if I still had a company car I might try it. I like to use Klasse AIO on windows.
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You're right Gary, it's not like I have anything to loose. :nixweiss I love KAIO on windows & painted trim too!



8Banger said:
i don't think rain X has any protective properties in it that will fight off UV rays. i've seem some of your work and it seems like you're "above" this question so-to-speak. i mean your skills are way better than mine. are you just asking the question to see where the thread goes or....
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I really don't rely on LSPs to protect paint from UV anyways. That's what clear coat is for. I enjoy LSPs for the beading factor mostly and to protect from the environmental contaminants. This thread was introduced just to question the possibility and stimulate people's thinking process. Other than any scientific view, if this product is designed to bead water off glass, why won't/can't it work on paint? I know it has tons of alcohol, but that's not harmful to paint. I'd assume alcohol is used in Rain-X to speed up the drying/curing process of the product.
 
If I recall the bottle of Rain-X says to keep off of painted surfaces. That might be because the high alcohol content will strip LSP's. I have read where some use Rain-X to remove tree sap, where I guess the alcohol comes into play:



Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products



If I was going to apply it to paint (a small area first) I'd do it the same way I used to apply it to a windshield. Apply it and then wash to easily remove the residue w/o having to buff.



I'm not sure how well it will look and/or perform on paint, but one drawback will be cleaning the paint before ever applying a sealant to prevent bonding issues. I know on a windshield that (at one time) had Rain-X a good cleaning with Windex (with Ammonia-D) wasn't enough and Aquapel did not bond properly.



If you try this it will be interesting to see your results.
 
I guess I must have missed the conclusion of the famous business-car LSP test...would be kind of funny if Rain-X was the best of the bunch!
 
FWIW the automatic car wash that my business is attached to offers an add on to their wash that is a Rain-X "sealant" that is applied via a curtain sprayer. Perhaps it's the way it's applied but it doesn't do much.



I would think that people at Rain-X have tried their product on paint and if it were to work as a paint sealant then it would have been marketed as such by now. That stuff has been around forever.



Side note, if you like Rain-X and haven't used Aquapel, give it a try. It's like Rain-X on steroids.
 
Ok, I thought I'd give this a shot. Here you go David.



I received my order of M105 and LC purple foamed wool pads and was anxious to try them out on this disaster. The hood was swirled BIG time and I had fun playing with it removing the swirls.



I polished with M105 on a purple pad followed by OP Polish on a white pad. I then taped the hood off and applied 4 different products for an LSP. They are, from left to right, Collinite IW 845; Optimum Opti-Seal; Rain-X; Duragloss Aqua Wax



beadtest01.jpg




I let the products sit for about an hour then did a water bead test.



Collinite IW 845

beadtest02.jpg




OPT OS

beadtest03.jpg




Rain-X

beadtest04.jpg




Duragloss AW

beadtest05.jpg




Granted the pictures are not great but this is only a start. I didn't realize the low light combo with the white finish would make it that much harder to see. No big deal I can take more pictures. I also shot a few videos but they are fairly useless when trying to make them smaller for the web.



My observations:

The RainX section did bead up and the water rolled right off. It almost shed all of the water when using a heavier stream and larger water drops with the nozzle. When using a fine mist the RainX section didn't bead as tight as I thought it would; IW845 had the tightest beads of all.

The RainX did sheet water just as good as everything else.

The RainX section is also somewhat grabby but slick at the same time. It's hard to describe because it feels somewhat slick but the paint feels "squeaky clean". When removing it from the surface it made that "squeaking" sound.



So there you have it. While this is a small very unscientific test it gives you an idea of what you were thinking about.



;)
 
i'm beginning to think just about anything will bead up on paint. to me, its the ease of application and tactile feeling of the paint surface afterwards. in that regard sealants work better than wax as they bring out the metallic silver on my ride. never been hung up on durability as i'm always throwing something on the paint after a wash (currently interchanging between aw, oid, fk425 or 521/aw when needing some extra cleaning oomph.



as an aside, when doing windows nothing compares to aquawax. it never seems to streak especially when applied lightly directly on an mf towel. leaves the glass very smooth and seems to hold up well. i have a mix of dg 521 and aw but that will leave streaks if not careful.
 
ricka said:
i'm beginning to think just about anything will bead up on paint.
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This seems true.

Look at the passenger side fender (in the IW845 picture), it doesn't have ANY protection on it. This is the water beading after being polished with M105 followed by OP.
 
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