Wondering, I've gone cross country in my car, the sprayer does nothing but smudge the many bugs on the windshield, even worse if it's hot out, it dries out so quickly...

What is the point of having the window washer when every 430 miles you're at a gas station with a HUGE bucket of decent fluid and a scrubby for the windows. So far, going on a 7,000 mile road trip was awesome, but I am thinking of getting rid of the ugly tank since I know I wont be having any use for it.

Please change my mind, give me a reason to keep that tank in, or going on Jegs and getting a smaller container and relocating the tank to someplace else and keeping a smaller footprint so I can relocate a braille battery into the space that was for the water tank.

-Anthony

 

I find the front ones usedful. A helping spritz and fast wipe gets a lot off the windshield.

The rear one, however, I've never used. I probably never will use it.

 

I removed the rear wipers already, that's all gone.

all that I have left is to remove the front ones (not the wipers, the water tank providing for the rear and front sprayers).

I find that taking the stop at a truck stop or a gas station is even better than the sprits that seems to just cause my car to scratch up the surface. Dust/sand settles on the wipers and using them is just a form of suicide.

I don't think anyone has a good reason to keep the front ones. And I've killed a small bird with my car that clashed with the window... red blood and saliva on the window is a cool thing, washes right out with water, tried using the wipers/sprayer, it made a mess... no point.


Give me a good reason people... cause I have yet to see one

 

ditch it and weight the parts you remove.

 

first time you get behind a large truck with some kind of dirty water pouring out of it and it sprays your windshield with muddy water, you will wish you had at least some water to spray on your windshield to help get it off. My wipers helped me on several occations just this last Thursday on the way home from San Antonio. My trip was only 400 miles but had to use the washer fluid on several occations. Washer fluid sprayers on the car are not ment to spray bugs off the car but to help you keep it clear of dirt and road grime when it rains or from road spray. I'd rather keep my sprayers than have to pull over everytime my windshield gets dirty because i pulled the washer fluid tank.

 

If your spreading things around when using the wipers then it sounds like you need to buy some new wiper blades, not remove the only thing you have to help you clear your windshield while on the road at speed...

 

do you ever drive somewhere where it snows? yes? Because you'll go through a whole bottle of fluid when the road is covered in sand and salt. Whats the point of removing the bottle? Hurts re-sale value too.

 

We have a winner!!!! Like was said above, anywhere you can get spray from other cars (snow or rain) but it is not really raining, you will deff need them to clean off the road grime. That is a must and is just much safer. Especially with a young un in the car.

 

I highly doubt removing the tank hurts resale value when I have yet to "TOSS OUT" any oem part from the vehicle, I keep them for resale at a later time. I even have my old tail lights someplace in storage with my OEM sport radio.

With regards to being behind a truck... the little sprayers don't help much, and i was behind a trash truck that seems to have some strange fast food problem, lots of mcdonalds wrappers. sprays weren't helping me there. Wipers did it just fine to brush away the napkins.

I've done my road trips in the road warrior. I fear snow like if it was the plague. I just don't like to carry snow chains, and I don't ever want to be on icy roads. Don't count on me needing them since all my road trips will avoid high altitudes. I am keeping the blades, it's well worth keeping them to wipe off mud and other debris if i REALLY need to wipe something off in an emergency. liquids from other cars just wipe off, not sure if mud is too different, since it's all wiped off with the power of crappy Honda squeejies

ok... crossed out trucks with liquids and trash, crossed out salt and snow covered roads.

Any other reasons? I was thinking of going with a tiny tank, and putting that where the batter was going to go, omitting the hose going to the rear of the car, never needed the rear one even though I was told I would.

 

Where you live does not get much snow, I know that. I use mine here (NM for now) all the time. We get rains that come from nowhere after it has been blowing dust all day. Then all the sudden, rain, on the dust. It just turns it into a soupy mess. The rain is not enough to wash the window mind you, just make a mess. The washer fluid helps out tons.

 

In Pennsylvania, functioning wipers and washers are required in order to pass the yearly inspection.

So what all did you remove on the rear?... wiper, motor, washer nozzle? And you did it for weight? I'd like to see some pics of the back end, if you've posted any. Back when the Fit came out (or just before), I contemplated removing that stuff for weight and aesthetic purposes, and everyone told me I was being dumb.

 

waiting for my CF rear panel, I removed it for aesthetic reasons.... My car is not for racing. I like doing time attacks only to see what I can do, not for the time.

I'm not taking any photos of the rear till I get the panel from RougeFit. I'm removing the front washer fluid container to relocate my soon to be new battery to be in that location. I'm doing a complete wire tuck and want to get rid of the battery from view, and still look good if I take off the bumper, just for personal aesthetic reasons.

I have yet to hear about that law in California. I haven't driven through Pennsylvania yet, but I plan on going all the way up to main next summer, and I highly doubt not having my tank in place will get me a ticket when driving through around that state and back south to Kentucky. I can't seem to find a reason to keep the tank, maybe replacing it with a smaller tank to go someplace else, but even then, I don't see the point of keeping it.

Thanks for the heads up about that law, good to know for other FF'rs

 

Anthony,
There are a lot of brands of windshield washer solvent, and some make a different mixture for summer and another one for winter (the winter formulas have a percentage of alcohol added to prevent freezing). I suggest that you keep your tank/washer, and add about 6 ounces of denatured alcohol to the water-based solvent of your choice. The alcohol makes the solvent MUCH more effective in removing bugs and oil vapor that collects on the glass on highway drives. The collected oil causes the smears.

Also, with the other poster's comments about dust turning to mud with just a light rain, if you have enough dust and grit on the glass with no way to rinse it off, a light rain will make you use your wipers which will cause the collected grit to scratch the windshield. Even if your washer solvent does not completely clean away the smears, it is important to have the ability to rinse off the grit before the wipers can grind it into the glass.

 

ah, the best reply so far, so a relocation would be in need then. (I'm removing the tank from the bumper location.

But now to figure out where to place the smaller bottle, maybe it will fit next to the battery in the bumper. will get to see how that works out. Jegs has some nice containers.

-Anthony

EDIT:
"have the ability to rinse off the grit before the wipers can grind it into the glass" I'm not sure what you mean, when spraying the car wipes at the same time, it's somewhat annoying, but I can understand why a car does that. so there is no real way to stop that from happening.

And wont alcohol separate when mixed with other things? I know paints do, but that's for obvious reasons. or does it turn homogeneous with the washer solvent?

 

No, alcohol stays mixed with water. In fact, Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol) that you might buy as an antiseptic in a drug store, is always labeled "71% Isopropyl Alcohol", or up to 91%. The percentage is the actual alcohol purity- the rest of the bottle contents is water.

IMO, if you throw away the washer tank instead of relocating it, your drive to Chicago will show you what a mistake that was. And then in the winter, you will have no on-board means of using high-alcohol content water to melt the ice that forms on your windshield. DENATURED alcohol is your friend.

 

I am pretty sure it goes ghey for the washer fluid.

 

Good to know. For sure I'm relocating a smaller container. Now that you mention Chicago. Been there already, but not during the snow time.

In all honesty if there is snow outside, I'm going to be hibernating. I hate snow to drive in, I can walk in it... but to drive.. that is creepy, I will just sleep in the garage with the car.. and gabriel can wonder what daddy is doing.

 

There is a LOT of dust and oil in the air between here and Chicago, as you found out last time you made the trip. Any members living in the snow belt will vouch for the need for water/alcohol mix to melt ice on the windshield. Your streets will be plowed after snowstorms, and you will have reasons that make it necessary to drive. You will have ice on the windshield at least 3 months of the year.

 

No I meant that if you live here, you have to pass a "safety inspection" once a year. You wouldn't get a ticket for such a thing, so don't worry about that!

 

It's all preference on whether you keep the washer bottle or not. Do what pleases you.

As for offering up my 2 cents, I'd keep it and just put the braille in place of the stocker or relocate it to the trunk. Why penalize yourself having the extra weight of the battery slung over the front end?