Window cleaning experiment

U

Underdawg736GTC

New member
Ok folks, so when it comes to cleaning the windows inside and out, lets just say that it's a weak spot for me as I can never manage to produce a totally streak free window/windshield. No matter which glass product I use (Stoner, Windex, RainX...ect), or what type of towel...even with newspapers, I'd get the appearance of having streak free glass only to be ruined by the sun or the morning condensation.



Over the weekend I had a chance to detail my DD and decided to use Meg's UC inside and out followed with NXT 2 on the outside. I have finally for once in my quasi-detailing life achieved a streak free clarity on my windows! Of course it would rain a few short hours afterwards even though the weather man said it wouldn't. Watching the rain roll off the glass it look way better then the RainX treatments I do. Tuesday morning rolls around and driving into work I see no streaking at all....just everything clear as day as if there were no windows on the car!



I hope I didn't cause any problems using a compound to clean the windows, I've tried to research it but didn't find anything useful. How long would the wax last on the windows, would this be better then the RainX?



Thanks for reading and any advice you guys may have!
 
I stopped using Rain X long ago. I'm a Aquapel user. It's the rain season here in Florida and I only really have to use my wipers at low speeds. My stock of Aquapel is several years old too, still works well. Everyone has a formula though. Streaks can be a major hassle. I face them constantly. The Griots polyproplene window wipes seem pretty good--there's definitely no lint and streaking often can be eliminated. But I have everything under the sun to fight streaks in terms of towels: terry, surgical huck, special glass MFs, classic MFs, WW MFs, etc. Got to pick your combo and see what gets rid of them. Glass has got to be the number one detailing nuisance.
 
I use Adams glass towels. I was skeptical at first but with these towels it makes window cleaning 100x easier. I used these towels with Adams glass cleaner and it was streak free. When I ran out i used it with megs glass cleaner and I got the same results. So I beleive these towels make a world of difference!
 
NXT has a notoriously short life on paint application, so as for your windows I'm afraid they're doomed with the low-product life as well. I've always liked to hit my windows with LSP whenever applying it to the paint, but thats just because it always seemed easier and more thorough way of cleaning than glass cleaner. From my personal experience, UC was the *only* thing that I could use to remove the deep water etching on my windows (w/DA and orange pad).



An alternative to using UC on your glass (although I have yet to see any adverse effects to my glass) would be to use some of the various glass polishes that are out there, Rain-X makes one (which failed to remove my water etching, but its available OTC) and there are a few more you can find out on AutoGeek, DI, etc. I was gonna order a glass polish and glass polishing pads for my water etched windows, but resorted to UC and orange pad as a last-ditch effort before spending more money on what would seem to be failed attempts.



I've always used Rain-X on my windows (pretty sure I'm still using the same bottle I bought 4 years ago...) because of its reputation of being "Rain-X", however I've read a lot of people on here have converted to AquaPel and love it. The one thing that I will *never* get again is the Rain-X Anti-Fog, which almost seemed to help inhibit fogging. As for other alternatives of LSP's on glass, even the Opti-Coat 2.0 nano coating on glass won't last on the wiper tracks. If you don't like Rain-X'ing because of the streaking, I would suggest that you keep up with your regular LSP on the glass whenever you're LSP'ing your paint. If that doesn't hold up in between your schedule of LSP'ing, then you should check out AquaPel. Also, I use the Rain-X wiper solution that works extremely well in keeping the slickness on the glass for in-between applications. Its only about an extra $1-$2 per gallon jug when you get it at Wal Mart.
 
I can't agree with you anymore Bill with the glass being the #1 nusence, it gets me everytime! I'll have to try those Adams towels jbankO, every other "glass towel" I've tried came up short in my expectations.

Spoolin, I've always used NXT and for me at least will last 3-4 months on my 2 cars and my 2 ambulances at work. Never had any problems with it except for during the winter and to which I use #16. That being said, I love the RainX treatment (little bottle) but I'll have to try the Aquapel when I go out for my next restock.
 
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