Glass coatings

[runrun411]

I guess I got to buy some glass coating. Question. Do they really last longer than Rain X? Usually Rain X last about as long as you don't need to use the windshield wipers. When it rains and you use them the rain washes it away.

What do you think?

[KneeDragr]

Im sure they last longer, but I dont see how anything could claim to be permanent when the friction from the wipers is taken into account.

[zmcgovern45]

I guess I got to buy some glass coating. Question. Do they really last longer than Rain X? Usually Rain X last about as long as you don't need to use the windshield wipers. When it rains and you use them the rain washes it away.

What do you think?

I don't necessarily think the rain removes the Rain X... I think the force of the wiper blades, and eventually several washes with car shampoo may degrade it to the point of needing another application.

I have a bottle of CarPro Fly-By-30 that I have been meaning to test... it is supposed to last for "a minimum of 6-8 months" and is quite cheap.

FlyBy30 is THE answer to protecting the windshield and exterior glass surface of your vehicle. With FlyBy30 new state of the art materials were composed to create a strong coating on glass windshields and windows. FlyBy30 resists the friction and abrasion from road rash, wipers, dust, car washes, harsh cleansers, and the environment. With a high water droplet contact angle and low sliding angle FlyBy30 promises fast repellency and glass easily cleared from rain, ice, snow and bugs.

Features:
Ease of use
Value: Estimated consumption per complete car windscreen and side windows is 10ml
Perfect Clarity: No haze, smears, or stains
Provides safe, and high visibility driving in poor weather conditions
High water drop contact angle (112 deg.) & low sliding angle (15 deg.) promise fast repellency.
Water repellency on windshields will last minimum of 6~8 month (1 season). Beyond that rain drops will continue to repel but at higher speeds.
FlyBy30 repels water drops starting at 30 to 40 mph, and allows you to have clear vision with safe driving. * Speed varies based on windshield angle, average tested on 45 deg. Angle)
FlyBy30 can be used on all car glass allowing safe driving in the rain with clear vision all around.

[cleanmycorolla]

I've had DP Glass Coating on my windows since about 2 weeks after it's release and so far so good. The ability to clean the windows has become incredibly easy. And everything that touches it just glides off. It's amazing

[theblob640]

I've had DP Glass Coating on my windows since about 2 weeks after it's release and so far so good. The ability to clean the windows has become incredibly easy. And everything that touches it just glides off. It's amazing

I agree that the glass coating makes window cleaning easy. We just had a rain day yesterday in sunny SoCal and I applied Opti-Glass on my windshield a week ago and I did not use the wipers at all. The water just flew right off going 30+ mph. As far a durability I cannot say for sure yet, too early.

After wiping the "mist" when I pulled into the garage and cleaned my windshield, it was still very slick. One way I can tell it is still there is my little "towel test". I just throw a folded MF towel onto my windshield and it slides right off. Reason I do that as a test is because when I did half my windshield during application. The half that didn't have a coating applied, the MF just stuck onto the glass and did not slide at all where as the coated side, the MF towel slid right off. So to answer your question of whether the rain washed off the coating or not is, no it did not.

[PiPUK]

There are a number of totally different technologies available for use with glass and, unfortunately, it is almost impossible to know which one is being used (at least not without some experience of it).

Rain-X is, perhaps, the simplest and has very limited durability. There is rather limited chemical bond and thus a dedicated effort with a strong cleaner will remove it and, likewise, it can be removed relatively rapidly by water and wiper action.

The next big grouping uses somewhat more exotic materials and these are very strongly attracted to the glass. It isn't a permanent bond, but it is not one which will break easily. As such, certainly those we make, these products are not going to be easily removed by hand washing, although if you did it enough times with something really strong, you could achieve it. Wipers and water will remove the coating, over time, but you should get many months. This class also tends not to have great requirement for preparation and application remains relatively simple.

Up at the top we have the products which will basically form a permanent bond to the surface. Sometimes they will have nano particles but my experience is that 'nano' tends to be used rather more freely than it should. These products will be almost impossible to remove by hand washing. Realistically, you will need an abrasive and a machine to totally remove such a coating. Wiper action will work, eventually, but will take longer again. The downside is that these are now rather sensitive products. They need to be stored correctly (air contact will degrade them), the surface needs to be very carefully prepared (they will not tolerate any presence of old repellents, no oils, no surfactant residues, etc) and the application and curing can also be rather arduous. Further still, they are 10s of times more expensive to manufacture than the lower groups. The plus is that they last a long long time - you can get years out of a single application to a non-wiped surface.

[VP Mark]

Optimum Opti-Glass. Works great, you get many applications per bottle, easy to apply.

Win, win.... win.

[swanicyouth]

I've been using the Pinnacle and Griots Glass Sealants. I have application down to a wipe on / wipe off procedure, so its super easy to apply.

When I first started using these, they were really hard to wipe off. Then I started applying them with a CarPro Foam Block with a blue paper shop towel folded around it - almost like you would a coating. Removal is so easy, because your applying hardly any extra product.

[CCC4me]

I've only ever tried RainX, Aquapel, and the original Glass Wax. Of those three, Aquapel provided the best performance in both repellency and durability--it just wasn't enough of an improvement over RainX to justify the extra expense and difficulty in obtaining it.

[spiralout462]

I've been very happy with Aquapel. On my daily drivers I start to think about re-application after about 5 months. I am curious about Opti-Glass and DP Glass Coating, perhaps I will try them next. Taking into consideration durability, performance, and cost, Aquapel is a safe bet IMO.