I throw these issues out there with no particular sense of urgency. There's just a desire on my part to solve nagging problems that, in the long run, aren't urgent.

1) For those of you who live in rainy areas, you might use RainX or some similar substance to shed the precip. off your windshield. The problem is that the stuff usually leaves streaks and smudges which are mostly -but not completely- solved by vigorous wiping. In my case, I use a microfiber towel or paper towels. But I am not 100% satisfied. I know Kenchan has referred to another substance that he prefers.

2) I have a multigig USB stick that I have loaded with tunes. The unit only plays the first ten tunes on the stick. It's annoying.

Ideas? Solutions?

 

To be honest with you....I try EVERYTHING, every trick in the book. Including the highest rated Non-Streak window cleaners-ammonia free-and including pure distilled water...no minerals or chemicals.
And I've used everything from newpaper to expensive Micro-Fiber towels.
And IMO it's still near impossible to get your windshield streak free.

In the Fall and Winter, I use Rain-X.
Does it streak or smear?
Yeah, a little.
But I find that after about the 1st vigorous rain storm the streaks disappear, or at least become so minimal I don't notice them.

And I guess I've just reached a place where I don't expect a totally "streak free" windshield.
IMO every product I've tried that "says" it's streak free...is not really streak free.

As far as USB stick?
It may be my imagination but I have USB sticks with 100's of songs loaded. It does seem like if I set it to random all play, the system seems to choose from about 20-25 of them. But this could be my imagination.

If you want random play, the trick would be to create a stick with the songs all mixed in a random order 1-XXX, then just set the stick to play in order.
If I choose exactly how I want the stick to play, I've never had it deviate.
It's only when I hit random play, that I may imagine that it never really plays many songs out of a set of about 25.

 

actually i sometimes use rain-x. after applying the product and it hazes, i mist some distilled water over the haze and wipe off using a glass MF towel. there is no haze or streaks left.


i use a product called Prima Hydro. it's a spray-on type polymer sealant for paint, glass, seals, plastics. it is super easy to use. but it does come at a price. about $70 for a gallon at regular price. works well on glass.

 

btw, for cleaning glass i use Griot's Window Cleaner which is basically a rubbing alcohol with distilled water mix. mist directly over the glass and wipe off using dedicated glass MF towels. if the glass is greasy (like dirty inner glass) you'll want to apply a decent amount of Window Cleaner and use 2 glass MF towels.

there is no streak.

i also tried all sorts of other glass cleaners too over the yrs. the simple Griot's cleaner came out on top. it is by far the easiest to use.
and make sure u guys use MF towels made for glass cleaning. most folks use paper towels and that will not have good results.

 

For the USB stick, it may be a bit of trial and error. I have a particular album that doesn't get read when it's in another folder. If I put this album in the root directory, it plays fine.

 

I said I don't have a trick, but maybe I lied.
I still say, I have never found a product that really was 100% streak free. If it has detergent/solvent like qualities, it's going to leave behind some level of residue that is possible to streak.

What I do to get my windshield as clean as possible?
I use a GOOD QUALITY windshield cleaner. Amonia Free. This is the "cleaning phase" to really remove any bug, sap, or real dirt.
Then I use distilled water.....the only thing I have found that really doesn't streak. But I'm pretty much using the distilled water to remove any residue left by the windshield cleaner.
This two punch approach works pretty good.
But maybe it's because I drive a lot at night. But as crystal clear as my windshield may appear in daylight, usually night time street lights reveal will streaking, as subtle as it might be.

 

yah distilled water is great at removing smears on polymers too after application.

i keep a gallon bottle in my garage at all times with a fine spray bottle.

 

You have to put very little RainX on. Too much and it gets too thick on the windshield so it doesn't spread thinly enough.


One bottle should last approximately three lifetimes.

 

i actually stack rain x to ensure an even layer so a thick layer is okay. just need to level it off using the distilled water at the end.

 

The water trick worked. Thanks to all for that precious bit of advice.
I do have a bottle of the Prima Hydro Max. We'll see how that works in the future.
I have used rubbing alcohol in the past to clean the windshield. Anything wrong with that?

 

alright, finally someone that speaks my language! Prima HydroMax on glass works very well. if one has a choppy chattery wiper blade, HydroMax will fix it completely.. i speak from experience. after you apply on the painted panels misting distilled water and wiping off will remove the smears.


nothing wrong with using rubbing alcohol to clean windows but if you keep getting it on the seals it could dry them out prematurely. also if you clean a large area with rubbing alcohol it will dry too quick usually.

try mixing distilled water. i made a tack solution for my clearbra install which is about a 60:40 mix (alcohol:water) it works great as a degreaser too. i use it to remove wax and sealants panel by panel before reappling new sealants.

If you do a 50:50 it will be close to Griot's Window Cleaner.