OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution
and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes,
then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


It's not unknown on commercial vehicles.

We use a proprietary Traffic Film Remover to get rid of it, and make
sure the wiper blades are cleaned with neat washing up liqiud, and if
the problem's still there, we replace them.

Keep the TFR off the paintwork, though, as it will completely remove any
polish you may have applied,
--
Tciao for Now!

John.

"thescullster" wrote in message
...
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems to
stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare of
on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see tree
sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed and
cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash bottle.
The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after using the
washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen too much
while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is not
obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution and
pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes, then
syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


I have exactly the same probleme except the crap is on the inside of the
screen.
Condensation makes it show in my case.
The only thing I have found to make any impression is a windscreen squeegee
(the rubber blade side).
You can "transferr" the gunge (or whatever it is to the squeegee and then
wipe off (the squeegee) with a cloth.
But I still haven't got it all off.
Tried all manner of solvents/detergents.

On Friday 07 February 2014 09:13 harryagain wrote in uk.d-i-y:


I have exactly the same probleme except the crap is on the inside of
the screen.
Condensation makes it show in my case.
The only thing I have found to make any impression is a windscreen
squeegee (the rubber blade side).
You can "transferr" the gunge (or whatever it is to the squeegee and
then
wipe off (the squeegee) with a cloth.
But I still haven't got it all off.
Tried all manner of solvents/detergents.

http://www.autoglym.com/products/pro...r-glass-polish

I like that because it dried to a powder which is then wiped off. IME it
leaves no residue at all.

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal
coverage

Do you use an automatic car wash as many apply a wax in the final rinse? This can cause smearing and also contaminates the wipers.

Richard

In article ,
"thescullster", said
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

I had exactly this problem over the last couple of months and in my case
it turned out to be the screenwash. It's stuff I've never used before
but contains "Rain Guard" to "help repel road spray". I guess it's like
the RainX stuff you can apply manually, but it just seems to cause
smearing until a decent layer builds up - and to do that requires lots
of use of the screenwashers. Once the layer is there the smearing
reduces and you'll find that rain beads and rolls off the screen if
you're going quickly enough.

I'll be going back to ordinary stuff for the next bottle.

Ken.

and its definitely on the outside is it?

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"thescullster" wrote in message
...
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems to
stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare of
on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see tree
sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed and
cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash bottle.
The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after using the
washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen too much
while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is not
obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution and
pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes, then
syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution and
pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes, then
syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

I always add washing up liquid to the screenwash. Yes it foams a bit,
but does help slightly. Otherwise, I guess it's new wipers time.

On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

My first bet would be one of the various solvents you have used on the
wipers has rendered them inclined to leave a deposit on the windscreen.
I'd be inclined to change the drivers side wiper and *NOT* apply any
other weird cleaning techniques to it.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.

You may be using one of those windscreen washes that is supposed to
Rainex with windscreen but in practice mostly smears horribly as
residues build up? Or as someone else has said autocar wash waxes.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

"thescullster" wrote in message
...
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems to
stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare of
on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see tree
sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed and
cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

Blades do not last very long and it is difficult to tell if they are in
good nick or not.
Change the blades.

Jethro_uk wrote:
On Fri, 07 Feb 2014 11:22:30 +0000, Capitol wrote:

thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears
clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused
by the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use
the washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar
solution and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to
clear pipes, then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

I always add washing up liquid to the screenwash. Yes it foams a
bit,
but does help slightly. Otherwise, I guess it's new wipers time.

ISTR washing up liquid can damage paintwork - certain used to.

Not that I've noticed in 30 years. Now dishwasher powder is a different
matter!

On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution
and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes,
then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil
Use Clearalex in the washer bottle. I have been using this since the
60's (when it was a favourite of the rally drivers) and have no problems
with smearing. Not now generally avaliable in shops but is availble
online. If you contact me on with your address I will
put a couple of sacets (it is a powder) in the post

Malcolm

On Fri, 07 Feb 2014 12:30:46 +0000, Malcolm wrote:

On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears
clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused
by the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use
the washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar
solution and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to
clear pipes, then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil
Use Clearalex in the washer bottle. I have been using this since the
60's (when it was a favourite of the rally drivers) and have no problems
with smearing. Not now generally avaliable in shops but is availble
online. If you contact me on with your address I will
put a couple of sacets (it is a powder) in the post

Good God, I didn't know it was still available! I remember selling it...



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 07/02/2014 09:08, John Williamson wrote:
On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


It's not unknown on commercial vehicles.

We use a proprietary Traffic Film Remover to get rid of it, and make
sure the wiper blades are cleaned with neat washing up liqiud, and if
the problem's still there, we replace them.

Keep the TFR off the paintwork, though, as it will completely remove any
polish you may have applied,

Thanks John

I can't help thinking it's not traffic film, simply because of the
limited miles and mainly minor routes I travel

Phil

On 07/02/2014 09:17, Tim Watts wrote:
On Friday 07 February 2014 09:13 harryagain wrote in uk.d-i-y:


I have exactly the same probleme except the crap is on the inside of
the screen.
Condensation makes it show in my case.
The only thing I have found to make any impression is a windscreen
squeegee (the rubber blade side).
You can "transferr" the gunge (or whatever it is to the squeegee and
then
wipe off (the squeegee) with a cloth.
But I still haven't got it all off.
Tried all manner of solvents/detergents.

http://www.autoglym.com/products/pro...r-glass-polish

I like that because it dried to a powder which is then wiped off. IME it
leaves no residue at all.


Thanks Tim

I have used the dry-to-a-powder-type cleaner, but I don't think it's my
cleaning efforts that are the problem.
Having attacked it with Fairy, then vinegar this morning, the glass is
clean with no smearing from wipers in the drizzle.
I can only think that it's washer fluid related.

Phil

On 07/02/2014 09:43, Tricky Dicky wrote:
Do you use an automatic car wash as many apply a wax in the final rinse? This can cause smearing and also contaminates the wipers.

Richard


Thanks Tricky

No car washes, all manual and I've taken care not to get the "shampoo"
onto the windscreen.

Phil

On 07/02/2014 11:05, Ken wrote:
In article ,
"thescullster", said
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

I had exactly this problem over the last couple of months and in my case
it turned out to be the screenwash. It's stuff I've never used before
but contains "Rain Guard" to "help repel road spray". I guess it's like
the RainX stuff you can apply manually, but it just seems to cause
smearing until a decent layer builds up - and to do that requires lots
of use of the screenwashers. Once the layer is there the smearing
reduces and you'll find that rain beads and rolls off the screen if
you're going quickly enough.

I'll be going back to ordinary stuff for the next bottle.

Ken.


Thanks Ken

I don't think the screen washes have a rain-x component but I'll check.
In any case I intend to drain the wash bottle, flush and refill.
I might just run with clear water while the temperatures reasonable.

Phil

On 07/02/2014 11:17, Brian_Gaff wrote:
and its definitely on the outside is it?

Brian


Thanks Brian

Yes definitely an external problem

Phil

On 07/02/2014 11:22, Capitol wrote:
thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution and
pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes, then
syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

I always add washing up liquid to the screenwash. Yes it foams a
bit, but does help slightly. Otherwise, I guess it's new wipers time.

Thanks Capitol

Not sure how new wipers would improve the situation.
The present ones clean the screen fine until the film appears.
I've removed and soaped and white spirited etc the wipers.

Phil

On 07/02/2014 11:29, Martin Brown wrote:
On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

My first bet would be one of the various solvents you have used on the
wipers has rendered them inclined to leave a deposit on the windscreen.
I'd be inclined to change the drivers side wiper and *NOT* apply any
other weird cleaning techniques to it.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.

You may be using one of those windscreen washes that is supposed to
Rainex with windscreen but in practice mostly smears horribly as
residues build up? Or as someone else has said autocar wash waxes.


Thanks Martin

The various cleaning methods have been a response to the problem and
haven't caused it.
I intend to drain the washer bottle and run plain water for a while to
see if that helps.

Phil

On 07/02/2014 12:30, Malcolm wrote:
On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution
and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes,
then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil
Use Clearalex in the washer bottle. I have been using this since the
60's (when it was a favourite of the rally drivers) and have no problems
with smearing. Not now generally avaliable in shops but is availble
online. If you contact me on with your address I will
put a couple of sacets (it is a powder) in the post

Malcolm

Thanks Malcolm

If the other measures don't cut it I'll come back to you on that.
Have you tried the Clearalex liquid to know how it compares?
It looks like the liquid is more generally available.




Phil

In article ,
thescullster writes:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

I had a similar problem after a garage lad, with the best intentions,
waxed the windscreen. A couple of days later, it rained, and the
windscreen was completely unusable (wiper blades can't work because
glass is repelling water into very fine beads, which you can't see
through), and cleaning it off seemingly impossible.

Eventually I had a good talk with Triplex. The silicone wax forms
a weak chemical bond with the glass, which is hard work to break.
You will need white spirit and a whole kitchen roll.
Start by removing and discarding your wiper blades - the silicone
soaks into them and will continue to recontaminate the windscreen
otherwise, and they can't be cleaned.

Now you need to clean the windscreen with white spirit and kitchen
roll. Wet it with plenty of hard wiping activity to try and break
the bond between the silicone and glass. Then immediately use clean
dry sheets to dry it off - don't let it evaporate as that will just
deposit the silicone back on the glass, and keep grabbing a new sheet
so you aren't just rubbing the white spirit film thin until it
evaporates. (This is why you need to grab a whole roll.) If you have
a rubber surround around the windscreen, avoid rubbing over that as
it will simply release more silicone which you'll be spreading onto
the windscreen. Finally, fit new wiper blades.

Sometimes, you will need to repeat this whole operation, because you
weren't rigorous enough first time.

Maybe your contamination is not so bad, or is a different chemical
which will wash off easier.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 07/02/2014 13:12, thescullster wrote:
I can't help thinking it's not traffic film, simply because of the
limited miles and mainly minor routes I travel

It depends where you are. Round my way, you can get traffic film in the
car park, but I *do* live and work under the approach path for Heathrow
airport.

Other airports are available...

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On 07/02/2014 13:21, thescullster wrote:
Not sure how new wipers would improve the situation.
The present ones clean the screen fine until the film appears.
I've removed and soaped and white spirited etc the wipers.

Which may well be the problem. White spirit (Or any oil based
product)can attack the rubber. You need a strong magnifying glass to see
the damage, but it's there. It only needs a tiny amount of wear or
perishing on the edge of the rubber to give problems similar to yours.


--
Tciao for Now!

John.

thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which
is making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

snip

it sounds like wax to me.
I had this problem when using an automated car wash, having previously only
used the wash, rinse and dry programmes, I decided to use the wash, rinse,
wax and dry option, the car looked great, except the wax covers the entire
car, inluding all the glass and it's a bitch to get off.
From memory (this was years ago) I used a solvent, quite probably turps subs
on kitchen roll, left it for five mins to dissolve the wax, then a scouring
sponge (for washing dishes) with a few drops of fairy liquid and scrubbed
the glass, it all came off, but the car needed a hose down afterwards

On 07/02/2014 13:58, Jethro_uk wrote:
Do you live by an airport? Just remember now that when I lived near
Heathrow we'd occasionally get a film which everyone swore was jet fuel.

The story I heard was that planes were charged by weight so they used to
dump excess fuel before landing.

The explanation I heard was that jet engines at flight idle discharge
unburnt and partially burnt fuel in the exhaust.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On 07/02/2014 12:40, Bob Eager wrote:
On Fri, 07 Feb 2014 12:30:46 +0000, Malcolm wrote:

On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears
clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused
by the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use
the washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar
solution and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to
clear pipes, then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil
Use Clearalex in the washer bottle. I have been using this since the
60's (when it was a favourite of the rally drivers) and have no problems
with smearing. Not now generally avaliable in shops but is availble
online. If you contact me on with your address I will
put a couple of sacets (it is a powder) in the post

Good God, I didn't know it was still available! I remember selling it...



Bought it after googling about 3 yrs ago. Had to buy a quantity because
of postage.

Malcolm

On 07/02/2014 13:32, thescullster wrote:
On 07/02/2014 12:30, Malcolm wrote:
On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution
and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes,
then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil
Use Clearalex in the washer bottle. I have been using this since the
60's (when it was a favourite of the rally drivers) and have no problems
with smearing. Not now generally avaliable in shops but is availble
online. If you contact me on with your address I will
put a couple of sacets (it is a powder) in the post

Malcolm

Thanks Malcolm

If the other measures don't cut it I'll come back to you on that.
Have you tried the Clearalex liquid to know how it compares?
It looks like the liquid is more generally available.




Phil
Didn't know about that. If it is the same composition then go with it.
If you send me your address, I will scan a sachet and send you the resulta

Malcolm

In article ,
thescullster wrote:
Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

Diesel fumes. Impervious to ordinary detergent.

--
*A bicycle can't stand alone because it's two tyred.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 07/02/2014 17:08, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
thescullster wrote:
Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

Diesel fumes. Impervious to ordinary detergent.


Thanks Dave

It is a diesel, but I don't smell fumes around the engine bay.
Are you talking about discharge from vehicles I am following?

Phil

In article ,
thescullster wrote:
Diesel fumes. Impervious to ordinary detergent.


Thanks Dave

It is a diesel, but I don't smell fumes around the engine bay.
Are you talking about discharge from vehicles I am following?

Yes.

--
*If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Tricky Dicky" wrote in message
...
Do you use an automatic car wash as many apply a wax in the final rinse?
This can cause smearing and also contaminates the wipers.

Richard

Auto matic car wash!!
I'm fromYorkshire. Couldn't thoil t' brass.

It's inside anyway.

On Friday, February 7, 2014 1:58:11 PM UTC, Jethro_uk wrote:

SSSSNIPPPPPP


The story I heard was that planes were charged by weight so they used to
dump excess fuel before landing.

did the jackanory discuss how the planes were weighed?

Jim K

Jethro_uk wrote:
On Fri, 07 Feb 2014 08:42:13 +0000, thescullster wrote:

OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns. It
is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution
and pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes,
then syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

Do you live by an airport? Just remember now that when I lived near
Heathrow we'd occasionally get a film which everyone swore was jet fuel.

The story I heard was that planes were charged by weight so they used to
dump excess fuel before landing.

Don't be daft. Dump fuel?? It's just that on cold mornings with the choke
pulled out a certain amount of unburnt fuel passes through the engines.

Tim

"John Williamson" wrote in message
...
On 07/02/2014 08:42, thescullster wrote:

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


It's not unknown on commercial vehicles.

We use a proprietary Traffic Film Remover to get rid of it, and make sure
the wiper blades are cleaned with neat washing up liqiud, and if the
problem's still there, we replace them.

Keep the TFR off the paintwork, though, as it will completely remove any
polish you may have applied,

What is polish:-)



--
Adam

"John Williamson" wrote in message
...
On 07/02/2014 13:21, thescullster wrote:
Not sure how new wipers would improve the situation.
The present ones clean the screen fine until the film appears.
I've removed and soaped and white spirited etc the wipers.

Which may well be the problem. White spirit (Or any oil based product)can
attack the rubber. You need a strong magnifying glass to see the damage,
but it's there. It only needs a tiny amount of wear or perishing on the
edge of the rubber to give problems similar to yours.

I have had this problem twice. Once in Prague about 10 years ago and last
Friday on the M40 near Oxford.

New wipers worked for me.

--
Adam

ARW wrote:
"John Williamson" wrote in message


Keep the TFR off the paintwork, though, as it will completely remove
any polish you may have applied,

What is polish:-)

They're like apprentices but work properly....

--
Scott

Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

In article , thescullster
writes
On 07/02/2014 11:22, Capitol wrote:
thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution and
pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes, then
syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

I always add washing up liquid to the screenwash. Yes it foams a
bit, but does help slightly. Otherwise, I guess it's new wipers time.

Thanks Capitol

Not sure how new wipers would improve the situation.
The present ones clean the screen fine until the film appears.
I've removed and soaped and white spirited etc the wipers.

Phil
I wonder if it is the wipers after all; I think the OP said they cleaned
the wipers with meths, -I used to use meths to 'restore' pinch rollers
on tape decks and idlers on turntables. The meths softens the rubber so
it's possible you are getting a microscopic layer of rubber building up
on the screen.
--
Chris Holford

On 09/02/2014 21:45, Chris Holford wrote:
In article , thescullster
writes
On 07/02/2014 11:22, Capitol wrote:
thescullster wrote:
OK so it's not quite the windscreen, but a persistent smearing which is
making night driving in particular rather hazardous.

Having cleaned the screen with soapy water (weak hot Fairy Liquid
solution), rinsed, dried and then cleaned with white vinegar, it seems
to stay clear for about a week. Gradually the contamination returns.
It is only visible when it's raining, when dry the screen appears clear.
It is most visible (and dangerous) when driving at night with the glare
of on-coming lights.

The car is not parked under trees - in any case I would expect to see
tree sap or similar in the dry.
I do not tend to travel on major roads a lot - to pick up road
contaminants thrown up in wet weather.
No other colleagues are complaining of this - so not a problem caused by
the atmosphere around work.

Although I haven't replaced the wipers they are in good nick. Removed
and cleaned with Fairy, meths, white spirit, vinegar.

The key is needed to lift the bonnet to access the washer bottle, so I
think it's unlikely this has been sabotaged.


The only source I can think of is the possibility of some break down of
the washer bottle screen wash (Halfords possibly). It is not clear
whether the rear screen is affected, being served by the same wash
bottle. The smearing does not appear immediately on the screen after
using the washers, but it's not reasonable to be focused on the screen
too much while trying to drive. So at what point the problem starts is
not obvious.


So I thought to syphon out the contents as far as possible, then use the
washer pump to finally empty. Refill with hot water/vinegar solution and
pump some of this through to front and rear screens to clear pipes, then
syphon out remainder.
Flush with clean hot water.
Refill with water and screen wash.

Any comments/similar experiences and resolutions most welcome please.

Any better ideas on remedy or probable cause?


Thanks


Phil

I always add washing up liquid to the screenwash. Yes it foams a
bit, but does help slightly. Otherwise, I guess it's new wipers time.

Thanks Capitol

Not sure how new wipers would improve the situation.
The present ones clean the screen fine until the film appears.
I've removed and soaped and white spirited etc the wipers.

Phil
I wonder if it is the wipers after all; I think the OP said they cleaned
the wipers with meths, -I used to use meths to 'restore' pinch rollers
on tape decks and idlers on turntables. The meths softens the rubber so
it's possible you are getting a microscopic layer of rubber building up
on the screen.


Thanks Chris

But I only started these more aggressive cleaning methods when the
grease/film problem arose. I don't think I actually caused the problem
in the first place.
I've syphoned out the contents of the washer bottle as best as I can and
replaced with clean water, just in case it's the mixture of screen wash
additives that's caused this. I syphoned it into a clean white bucket
but looking at the cleaner removed it seemed fine (no congealing or
whatever).



Phil

On 10/02/2014 11:35, Huge wrote:
On 2014-02-10, thescullster wrote:
On 09/02/2014 21:45, Chris Holford wrote:

[62 lines snipped]

Phil
I wonder if it is the wipers after all; I think the OP said they cleaned
the wipers with meths, -I used to use meths to 'restore' pinch rollers
on tape decks and idlers on turntables. The meths softens the rubber so
it's possible you are getting a microscopic layer of rubber building up
on the screen.


Thanks Chris

But I only started these more aggressive cleaning methods when the
grease/film problem arose. I don't think I actually caused the problem
in the first place.

FWIW, I had very similar problems with my Disco 3 when I bought it 3 years
ago. It got to the point where I was considering having the windscreen
replaced; I tried several different solvents, new blades, several different
detergents, all to no avail. Over the years, the smearing has slowly worn off
and it's now acceptable. I do wonder if it was Rain-X ...



Thanks Huge

I haven't knowingly used Rain-X and I did check the screen wash for this
content.
I may have to resign myself to cleaning the windscreen at least on a
weekly basis.

Phil