Nanosolution / RainX

[GainfulShrimp]

Quick update on this. I applied the G1 to my Leon on Saturday. It's a simple enough process, but I found the G1 solution was 'lighter' than I expected - you have to spread it carefully as it's not easy to see where you've covered fully. It's not like waxing the car where you get very clear hazing before buffing - you get a sort of haze/residue but it's quite subtle. It also takes a good deal of effort to buff it all off, even with the residue remover. A reasonably rewarding job though, as afterwards all of my car's glass looked absolutely sparkling. (I cleaned the car as usual beforehand, then cleaned the glass with a vinegar based window cleaner spray, before starting the application process.)

Another point to note, I used 100% of my kit just doing my Leon; two coats on the windscreen and one coat on the other windows and wing mirrors. The bottles looked small when I opened the packet, and they are! I was careful but thorough with the application, so I would say the kit is properly sized for a single vehicle. There wasn't any left to do the missus' car, which is no bad thing as I was pretty knackered after the intensive buffing required to get rid of the residue on mine!

Anyway, no rain yet since I applied it and I didn't use the hose as I also polished my car and couldn't bare to needlessly add waterspots just to test the new coating... hope it works well and is worth the effort.

 

[nmr1h]

Sounds like it went on well from what you describe.

As you say it is a s*d to get off when it has cured, even with the use of the remover.

I am a bit surprised that you only managed to do one car with the amount supplied, I have in the past managed two, but only just, with only one coat for the windscreen...

It will be interesting to hear your comments once it has rained, the rain should just bead up and fly straight up the windscreen even at fairly low speeds.

 

[GainfulShrimp]

Popped out this lunchtime and it was just starting to rain as I arrived back at the carpark... just a few drops of that big, heavy, ploppy, thunderstorm type rain. Car wasn't moving much as I was just parking, but whenever a drop hit the glass it split into loads of little beaded droplets - so something works.

Judging by the looks of the clouds through the office window, I think it'll get a proper test on the way home...

 

[GainfulShrimp]

Well, as expected the G1 got a good test on the way home. It seems to work well. Basically, at above about 50mph you don't need your wipers. You can get away with keeping them off at lower speeds, but it's a balance between getting hypnotised watching the little blobs of water floating up the screen and distraction from the wipers moving across your view... and I found keeping the wipers on intermittant was best at lower speeds.

The great thing about the G1 coating is that it actually seems to get clearer as you add more rain/spray/whatever. I overtook a big lorry on dual carriageway during a very heavy downpour and the combination of rain and spray meant it was one of those situations I'm sure I'd be using "apeshit mode" on my Golf's wipers... no need with the G1 - the water just kind of hovers up and off the screen as soon as it hits. I noticed very slight wiper judder, luckily not making any annoying noises; the instructions say that any judder should go within a week or two.

Dirt and bug splatter seems to come off the coated screen easier - just a couple of sprays of screenwash and it's dealt with. A nice side effect.

So far, very impressed! Just remains to be seen how long it lasts.

 

[nmr1h]

your experience with it sounds very much like mine!

It lasted for well over a year on my Golf (part exch'ed it for the K1) without any obvious degradation, so the durability should also be good for you.

 

[GainfulShrimp]

Quick update on this...

I had to have my windscreen replaced last week (dirty great crack from when a lorry tyre threw a rock at it), and got a harsh lesson in just how bad visibility is on an untreated windscreen! Rain just tends to pool and flow around the screen in big sploshes... I found I was having to use intermittent wipers far more often when it rained. To be honest, I'd gotten so used to having a G1 treated windscreen that the untreated replacement glass seemed rubbish when it got wet.

So I ordered some more G1 and applied it this lunchtime - my first opportunity when it's not been too cold or too dark. I ended up doing three applications (leaving it 10 minutes between coats without buffing), then left it 15 minutes before using the 'residue remover' and a LOT of elbow grease to get the residue off. I'd forgotten how much effort is required to buff this stuff off... I was really sweating by the end. During buffing you can feel a slight sticky/roughness under the cotton towel on areas which need more work. Another wipe of residue remover and a lot more buffing gets the silky-smooth feeling back. The end result: a very shiny windscreen indeed.

Looking forward to the next heavy rain to see the difference from last week... sad, I know.

Anyway, this stuff is excellent and I'm a total convert. Even if it doesn't last as long as stated ("30,000 miles of average driving"), I won't mind using it again. So far so good - I treated all the exterior glass on the car back in June and 10k miles later it's still working really well. It was still working on the windscreen until the blooming thing cracked.
It makes driving in the wet so much easier and safer - well worth the cost of just over a tenner and a bit of vigorous buffing.