Most effective rain repellant for glass

Most effective rain repellant for glass

Author
Discussion

Riley Blue

Original Poster:

21,620 posts

233 months

Wednesday 12th July 2023
quotequote all
I've gone back a dozen pages but can't find anything relevant.

I have a '63 Riley with a front screen that is almost vertical. The wipers can't cope with heavy rain so I need to use something to give them a helping hand. I've used Rain-X in the past but is there anything that's better please?

budgie smuggler

5,534 posts

166 months

Wednesday 12th July 2023
quotequote all
Rain X is pretty effective already IMHO, I've never found any dramatically better. But some do last a lot better, for example I had Gtechniq G1 last a good 6 months. Whereas with Rain X it stopped working in about 2-3 weeks. H2GO is another one I liked, forget the brand but you can get it on Amazon.

Best if you can clean the glass thoroughly first with something like autogylm glass polish and follow the instructions to the letter.

Summit_Detailing

2,007 posts

200 months

Wednesday 12th July 2023
quotequote all
Gtechniq G1 decent from 50mph+ and you should see 12mths durability from it. The latter a little dependent on car usage & may not be important on a car which isn't a daily driver.

Gtechniq G5 not as durable but works at lower speeds, and much easier application process.

Cheers,

Chris

budgie smuggler

5,534 posts

166 months

Wednesday 12th July 2023
quotequote all
Summit_Detailing said:
Gtechniq G1 decent from 50mph+ and you should see 12mths durability from it. The latter a little dependent on car usage & may not be important on a car which isn't a daily driver.

Gtechniq G5 not as durable but works at lower speeds, and much easier application process.

Cheers,

Chris
G5 sounds good, I didn't realise the performance was better. Are there any downsides other than reduced durability?

Belle427

9,737 posts

240 months

Thursday 13th July 2023
quotequote all
Not tried them but Soft 99 have some good glass products.

Summit_Detailing

2,007 posts

200 months

Thursday 13th July 2023
quotequote all
budgie smuggler said:
G5 sounds good, I didn't realise the performance was better. Are there any downsides other than reduced durability?
No downsides that I've found.

Cheers,

Chris

5s Alive

2,136 posts

41 months

Thursday 13th July 2023
quotequote all
As budgie smuggler says Angelwax H2Go is excellent and durability increases with repeat applications. With all these products It's essential to have a squeaky clean screen before application. Three inch microfibre pads are ideal for quick and even application.

Instructions recommended buffing off with blue steel roll/kitchen towel however I've found a damp microfibre to be much more effective. Double fold to quarter size and use a fresh side for each pass of the screen.

Smearing issues with any of these products are greatly reduced after the first wash with car shampoo but I'd avoid using wash/wax products as I've found some of these to react with the coating and cause horrendous smearing.

C5_Steve

4,806 posts

110 months

Thursday 13th July 2023
quotequote all
Belle427 said:
Not tried them but Soft 99 have some good glass products.
Honestly, this stuff is the answer. I used Rain X for years, both the original when it launched and was the undiluted product and the newer spray on cleaner stuff. This stuff beats it hands down.

You will need this stuff first to prep the glass and remove any coatings (don't skip it and you might need it later, see below):

https://soft99store.co.uk/en/home/34-glaco-glass-c...

Then this is the hydrophobic compound:

https://soft99store.co.uk/en/home/29-ultra-glaco-4...

Follow the instructions for both, if you miss a bit you WILL spot it the first time the window gets wet rofl

I applied this about a year or more again, never touched it again since and the windscreen still beads water well (enough to drive at 50 and over without wipers in moderate rain) and better than I ever got with Rain X. I wash the windscreen as normal, use Auto Glym Fast Glass to clean it and no issues.

The only thing to note is if you ever get a chip in your windscreen and need to repair it you'll need to strip the coating off with the first product otherwise they can't get the repair to stick (ask me how I know!).


somouk

1,425 posts

205 months

Thursday 13th July 2023
quotequote all
Rain X or Infinity Wax Diamond Vision are the 2 i use.

If needed a top up with some glass cleaner with the IW stuff in helps a lot.

Riley Blue

Original Poster:

21,620 posts

233 months

Friday 14th July 2023
quotequote all
Thanks for all the suggestions and tips.

KobayashiMaru86

1,329 posts

217 months

Friday 14th July 2023
quotequote all
+1 for Glaco. Still beading on sides and rear glass 7mths in. Front I've reapplied once. You know when you need to as the wipers will judder a bit. I didn't use their cleaner though and used AG products to clean the glass which could be why. But it's great stuff. 60mph+ you don't need the wipers.

Demelitia

682 posts

63 months

Monday 17th July 2023
quotequote all
I’ve had good results just using an extra spray of Gyeon wet coat on the glass when using it as a drying aid.
I’ve found it helps shed water even at lowish inner city speeds and will top up the effectiveness of other coatings as they degrade.
It’s so easy to apply and the bottle lasts a good while. It’s why even though it’s not the last word in overall durability (it still holds its own) I find it hard not
To have in my detailing kit.

Milkyway

10,051 posts

60 months

Monday 17th July 2023
quotequote all
Clean using Water, Vinegar & newspaper.

vikingaero

11,192 posts

176 months

Tuesday 18th July 2023
quotequote all
C5_Steve said:
Belle427 said:
Not tried them but Soft 99 have some good glass products.
Honestly, this stuff is the answer. I used Rain X for years, both the original when it launched and was the undiluted product and the newer spray on cleaner stuff. This stuff beats it hands down.

You will need this stuff first to prep the glass and remove any coatings (don't skip it and you might need it later, see below):

https://soft99store.co.uk/en/home/34-glaco-glass-c...

Then this is the hydrophobic compound:

https://soft99store.co.uk/en/home/29-ultra-glaco-4...

Follow the instructions for both, if you miss a bit you WILL spot it the first time the window gets wet rofl

I applied this about a year or more again, never touched it again since and the windscreen still beads water well (enough to drive at 50 and over without wipers in moderate rain) and better than I ever got with Rain X. I wash the windscreen as normal, use Auto Glym Fast Glass to clean it and no issues.

The only thing to note is if you ever get a chip in your windscreen and need to repair it you'll need to strip the coating off with the first product otherwise they can't get the repair to stick (ask me how I know!).
Another recommendation for Soft 99 products. Most people associate Soft 99 with car wax, but much like Rain X they started off making rain repellent for planes/jets. After switching to Soft 99, I now have left over Rain X and Gtechniq products cluttering up my garage.

Salted_Peanut

1,535 posts

61 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
quotequote all
somouk said:
Rain X
Unfortunately, you can’t repair stone chips in windscreens treated with Rain-X. (Don’t ask me how I know rolleyes )

I have no clue if other rain repellent treatments cause the same issue confused

C5_Steve

4,806 posts

110 months

Sunday 24th September 2023
quotequote all
Salted_Peanut said:
Unfortunately, you can’t repair stone chips in windscreens treated with Rain-X. (Don’t ask me how I know rolleyes )

I have no clue if other rain repellent treatments cause the same issue confused
Pretty much everything suggested will cause the same issue as Rain X (probably worse) in that you're applying a coating to stop things sticking to the windscreen which will cause issues with a repair.

You'd just need to strip off the coating before a repair, Soft 99 sell exactly that product that you use before applying their coating to strip everything off the glass.

(I've actually had a repair done with just Rain X on, chatted to the guy before he started and removed it around the area first and it was all good)