DIY: get your car rain-ready
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: NV
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DIY: get your car rain-ready
Here are some tips about how to make driving in the rain more enjoyable for you.
1. Buy some nice windshield wipers. Bosch Micro Edge works best for me. Very little chatter and smooth wipe.
2. Clean ALL the windows from the outside and inside using glass cleaner of your choice and microfiber towel. Go to napa auto parts and get some No Touch Auto Glass Stripper to use on the outside of the front windshield only. (note: you may need to use this on the other outside windows if you never cleaned them before).
3. After the glass stripper, you want something to seal the holes in the glass and make it smooth so water beads up and wipers move better. For the front windshield, moonroof, and rear windshield, I used something called diamondite spray from autogeek website. It has water beading properties and chip protection. For the side windows, just use some rain-x wipes. This makes visibility MUCH better out the sides instead of having the water sheet off and blur everything.
4. Get some rain-x anti fog wipes and do the inside windshield. Remove with a microfiber towel immediately to prevent streaking. You can also apply the anti-fog to the rear view mirror and side mirrors. If you're lucky and don't have tint, you can do the side windows. Otherwise you'll have to use the a/c to defog them. (hint: put some on the vanity mirrors too so your gf doesn't get mad when they're foggy
).
5. Finally, you want to be able to see the road at night. Consider getting nokya yellow fog bulbs if you have fog lights. Also stick with the stock clear headlights and maybe even throw on a heavy duty wire harness for them.
That's it! Now go pray to the rain gods so you can see everything in action!
1. Buy some nice windshield wipers. Bosch Micro Edge works best for me. Very little chatter and smooth wipe.
2. Clean ALL the windows from the outside and inside using glass cleaner of your choice and microfiber towel. Go to napa auto parts and get some No Touch Auto Glass Stripper to use on the outside of the front windshield only. (note: you may need to use this on the other outside windows if you never cleaned them before).
3. After the glass stripper, you want something to seal the holes in the glass and make it smooth so water beads up and wipers move better. For the front windshield, moonroof, and rear windshield, I used something called diamondite spray from autogeek website. It has water beading properties and chip protection. For the side windows, just use some rain-x wipes. This makes visibility MUCH better out the sides instead of having the water sheet off and blur everything.
4. Get some rain-x anti fog wipes and do the inside windshield. Remove with a microfiber towel immediately to prevent streaking. You can also apply the anti-fog to the rear view mirror and side mirrors. If you're lucky and don't have tint, you can do the side windows. Otherwise you'll have to use the a/c to defog them. (hint: put some on the vanity mirrors too so your gf doesn't get mad when they're foggy
).5. Finally, you want to be able to see the road at night. Consider getting nokya yellow fog bulbs if you have fog lights. Also stick with the stock clear headlights and maybe even throw on a heavy duty wire harness for them.
That's it! Now go pray to the rain gods so you can see everything in action!
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Spokane, Washington
Rep Power: 330 hm, i need some of that auto glass stripper. you think that will get off the shoe polish i used for my autox #'s? i used a razor, but you can still kinda see it.
would u recommend using that stripper on fairly new cars cause i have an 05 and i doubt i would need it. also do those blades not streak? cause i hate it when my stock wiper blades smear and i cant see crap.
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 the bosch do not streak at all and barely chatter. They are the best I've tried and I've tried alot of em. The stripper is always good, but just remember you need to treat it afterwards or the water will just sheet off (making it very hard to see without using wipers. Either get the diamondite spray or some glass shield gel. The rain-x supposedly is bad for rubber wipers.
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Rep Power: 381 i use rain-x on the sides, rear view mirror and headlight only. i find that if applied, the wipers wills start skipping, while the rear window will just clear off by the wind and aerodynamics.
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 lol yea its the worst at night cuz of street light glare. Then you gotta have good wipers. I had mine on fast intermittent and they were barely chattering. It started a few times but went away. Overall much much better than anything else but you gotta remember they're still rubber wipers and have design limitations.
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 19 and 21 are the sizes I'm guessing its all the same. You can always ask to take em outside before you buy and measure them against your current blades on the car. Oh and another reason I like bosch is the metal beam that holds the blade on is hidden inside the rubber (only a bosch feature).
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Rep Power: 0 what's a heavy duty wire harness for? i have some piaa xtreme whites in right now, and i can't tell if my eyes are going bad, or if they've just gone to **** since i bought them over a year ago. i was considering getting a grounding kit to fix it, since everyone says it makes your headlights brighter, yadda yadda yadda, but...due to tight financial situation right now, haven't been able to. does the wire harness do anything similar to a grounding kit?
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 Wire harness does more than a ground kit for sure. Someone tested it, and with the stock wires the bulbs usually only see 12v. With the harness (thicker wires and a power lead direct from the battery), the voltage bumps up to 14v. I have it with stock headlights and they are whiter and brighter than others on the road. Your piaas will get better, but realize that the coating on the bulb takes away brightness to make them appear whiter.
www.suvlights.com
www.suvlights.com
is it normal if the wipers streak when they are first used? i didnt get the micro edge cause the guy at the counter(this dude i know) told me that they sux when they get used alot and they get moldy. i got this wierd brand one uhm telco i think it was or something along the lines of it. when i used em thro the rain todai they streaked
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 new wipers should never streak. by streaking you mean spots on the windshield that got wiped but there is still water spots? ya that usually happens when dirt pieces get stuck to the wiper and get dragged around.
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Rep Power: 583 hey gearbox, what do you think of the PIAA silicone wipers??
silicone is heat resistant, so they wont get damaged by sun and cold, supposedly...but i dont know. plus silicone is nonstick...i mean they have those cooking mats that are amazing. so silicone for wipers
...any experience with them?
silicone is heat resistant, so they wont get damaged by sun and cold, supposedly...but i dont know. plus silicone is nonstick...i mean they have those cooking mats that are amazing. so silicone for wipers
...any experience with them? Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: NV
Rep Power: 812 well i used pure silicon (piaa are only coated with it), and they sucked. way too sticky and almost broke the wiper motor. They wouldn't even go back down. They are the worst wipers I tried and I've gone through 10 different brands almost. did you see my wiper blade review? bosch microedge is hands down the best blade.
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