Aquapel vs. Rain-X

J

jiffy

New member
I was at the dealer the other day and they had a demo jar of Aquapel. I played with it for a minute and it looked like it worked really well.

I used to use Rain-X on my windshields, but they always seemed to have a light haze that I could NOT get rid of completely.

Now, I have not tried aquapel, but am wondering if anyone here has, and can comment. I found this old thread, but no one had really used it yet...

http://detailcity.com/showthread.php?t=307&highlight=aquapel

so, lets hear it...
 
Time to dispell this rumor I've heard: Rain-X will deteriate your windshield wipers. Correct or incorrect?


This one has driven me nuts for years and I can never get a good solid answer from anyone. Rain-X the company sure as hell won't tell me about it :( :ranton
 
JMO, but I don't like Rain-X. Every time I have used it it streaks up the windshield worse than if I didn't have it on there. I apply it per directions, so something's up. I have just resorted to keeping the windshield clean and keeping fresh wiper blades on every 6 months or so. Works for me.
 
What are you guys paying for Aquapel? We sell it here at work, but I think the price is a little to steep for me. I've seen it work well on many customers cars, but for $4 I can run to Walmart and pick up some Castrol Accuvision, which is the easiest of all to apply. I'm a fan of Accuvision and I apply it religiously to all of our cars.
 
ndnguy said:
Time to dispell this rumor I've heard: Rain-X will deteriate your windshield wipers. Correct or incorrect?


This one has driven me nuts for years and I can never get a good solid answer from anyone. Rain-X the company sure as hell won't tell me about it :( :ranton
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I might have read this somewhere; the rainx left on the wipers from the wiping action accelerates the hardening of the rubber:confused:
 
I have been using RainX on my glass for over 10 years now. I don't know where people get this "Its ruining my wiper blades" stuff. I've never had a problem. I don't have a problem with the streaking either. I've got a system for applying it that ensures that you never have streaks or glare. ;) You just apply it prior to washing your car and then be sure to wash the glass with the wash mitt just like every other part of the car. That clears up all of the haze and leaves no streaks at all. I don't have a wiper issue. I usually get two or more years out of my blades. Maybe that is short for wipers, but I think it is acceptable. I've changed the blades on the Integra 3 times since I bought it in 1999 and the third time was a week before I sold it. I don't understand how RainX is ruining other wipers, but I've never had a problem with it.

For my money I don't see the point in spending $15 bucks for an application or two of Aquapel when I can pay $5 bucks and have enough RainX to treat dozens of cars. Its all a matter of choice though I guess. Someone should document a test of two cars with new wipers and similar use. Put RainX on one and Aquapel on the other and see what happens.

If RainX ruins the blades then I guess I'll just have to bank that extra ten bucks that I'm saving by not buying Aquapel and use it to buy more blades. If nothing else then the cost of using either product is the same over a 5 year period. My guess is that RainX would be cheaper, but I don't really care enough to run the experiment. They both work just fine.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
I have been using RainX on my glass for over 10 years now. I don't know where people get this "Its ruining my wiper blades" stuff. I've never had a problem. I don't have a problem with the streaking either. I've got a system for applying it that ensures that you never have streaks or glare. ;) You just apply it prior to washing your car and then be sure to wash the glass with the wash mitt just like every other part of the car. That clears up all of the haze and leaves no streaks at all. I don't have a wiper issue. I usually get two or more years out of my blades. Maybe that is short for wipers, but I think it is acceptable. I've changed the blades on the Integra 3 times since I bought it in 1999 and the third time was a week before I sold it. I don't understand how RainX is ruining other wipers, but I've never had a problem with it.

For my money I don't see the point in spending $15 bucks for an application or two of Aquapel when I can pay $5 bucks and have enough RainX to treat dozens of cars. Its all a matter of choice though I guess. Someone should document a test of two cars with new wipers and similar use. Put RainX on one and Aquapel on the other and see what happens.

If RainX ruins the blades then I guess I'll just have to bank that extra ten bucks that I'm saving by not buying Aquapel and use it to buy more blades. If nothing else then the cost of using either product is the same over a 5 year period. My guess is that RainX would be cheaper, but I don't really care enough to run the experiment. They both work just fine.
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How often do you re-apply the RainX
 
I usually reapply it every 90 days or so. Sometimes I can go 4 or 5 months depending on how often it rains. I need to put it on twice between October and April usually. I'll apply it at the beginning of the winter and then again somewhere in the middle. Like January or something.
 
I've had great success using a product called "Rain Block" that I picked up at Wal-Mart. No streaking, no wiper chatter, water flies off the glass, and, as far as I can tell, it does not deteriorate the wiperblades (if Rainx actually does).

Re-application depends on how frequently the wipers are actually used, like when driving slow or when sitting at a traffic light.

Recently, I tried S&G on the windshield & side-glass and found the water sheeting action to be pretty similar to Rain Block.
 
When you say "S&G" are you talking about Klasse SG? I don't know that I would put a paint treatment on the glass. Those products are designed to reflect light and distort images. Not necessarily something I want on my windows, you know? They may sheet or bead the water off, but if it is going to impair visibility at a crucial moment then I certianly wouldn't want it on there.
 
I saw that at the tire place the other day. He said they put it on and it wasnt available in stores. If it is, I would chose Aquapel
 
I find Aquapel lasts longer then anything else. I applied Aquapel in Oct and it will last at least until May/June, and this in the extreme weather of Canada, where my windshield is exposed to snow, salt, ice rain on almost a daily basis and the performance of Aquapel hasn't diminished since the day I applied it.
 
NYV6Coupe said:
I've had great success using a product called "Rain Block" that I picked up at Wal-Mart. No streaking, no wiper chatter, water flies off the glass, and, as far as I can tell, it does not deteriorate the wiperblades (if Rainx actually does).

Re-application depends on how frequently the wipers are actually used, like when driving slow or when sitting at a traffic light.

Recently, I tried S&G on the windshield & side-glass and found the water sheeting action to be pretty similar to Rain Block.
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I have to bump this thread since it's not that old and I just bought Rain Block. There was only one 4.5 oz container left for 98 cents, and it was half full. So I took one of the half full larger bottles and filled it up (heh). The 7 oz bottle was $3, the 4.5 was $1, go figure.

It applies easy. I put on one coat, let it haze, and then put on another. Then wiped it off with a dampened cloth. No streaking, nothing. Looks like normal, clean glass. I want to see how it does in rain and how durable it is before I buy any more, of course. :)
 
I've been using Rain-X for years also, and will never be without it. Ask several of my friends who have helped me move and given me strange looks while I apply Rain-X to the windshield of the U-Haul. :crazy

With regard to streaking/hazing/seeing funny shapes when looking at lights through the windshield at night:

I used to get this quite a bit when I first started using the product, and it was due to improper or insufficient removal technique. After trying various methods, I came up with the one that works right the first time, every time. I use an old cotton t-shirt to remove the Rain-X. After the first coat has dried to a haze, I just give it a quick wipe-off, and then apply a second coat. After the second coat has dried to a haze, I wipe it all off with the t-shirt, then flip to a clean, dry section, and go back over the whole windshield using a straight-line, front-to-back stroke. I also apply a good bit of pressure when doing this final step. Making sure you use a stroke in the direction of airflow will help to mute the effects of any streaks left behind. Using a clean, dry section of the t-shirt will make sure it gets any haze that is left. After starting to use this technique, I have never had to re-wipe the windshield after Rain-X application due to streaking.

With regard to wearing out wiper blades:

How can it wear them out, you never have to use them! :naughty :dancin

I'm really not one to ask on this subject, as I usually change my blades every year or so anyway. Any small imperfection in the way they wipe that I can't somehow fix, and they're gone. I'm a freak about being able to see perfectly clearly in the rain. Probably has something to do with the fact that I'm also the freak who goes flying by you at 70mph in a thunderstorm, with the wipers off. :notpossib :lol :lmfao

Rain-X is not only good for repelling water, it's also very good for repelling ice/frost in the wintertime. Windows are much easier to scrape when they have a coat of Rain-X on them.
 
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