Best Glass Coating?

Belo

Belo

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I've always used rainx and generally don't have an issue. Sometimes I see some fogging but it's rare and I notice it also can be noisy with my wipers. It doesn't last more than a month really and I've been in search of a longer lasting replacement.

None of the coatings in the store seem to get universally good ratings, aquapel maybe the longest lasting, but expensive considering only single use applicator.

thoughts?
 
I use McKee's but I also prep the glass thoroughly. I use clay and Griots polish and McKees Glass Restorer (using DA) prior to McKees Glass Coating. Once I stopped cutting corners and did a thorough job the coating has been really good. If your glass has any flaws whatsoever any coating is going to be disappointing in my experience.
 
Route246 said:
I use McKee's but I also prep the glass thoroughly. I use clay and Griots polish and McKees Glass Restorer (using DA) prior to McKees Glass Coating. Once I stopped cutting corners and did a thorough job the coating has been really good. If your glass has any flaws whatsoever any coating is going to be disappointing in my experience.
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that's good advice. I'm already planning on getting some polish as I've never polished my windows... and honestly they look great so I never bothered. Claying them too is now taking it to another level haha. What a disease this is...
 
Optimum Ooti-glass has been the best for me. 6-12 months depending on climate, maybe longer. Optimum actually has a glass cleaner which adds to the protection also. Actually I believe if you use the cleaner on a regular basis it will give you good protection on its own.
 
I agree with everything above. Clay, polish with something like McKee’s Glass Restorer and use the PBL Glass Coating. Then forget about your windows other than basic cleaning for a long time.
 
I have the Gyeon View on one car and the Dr Beasley’s pro glass coat on another. Prep is key with any coating for sure. I don’t like that Gyeon requires that you put some product on your wiper blades....what if you change them out but have no more product? Stuck with skipping wipers I guess. The Dr Beasley’s is good, in action it acts like rainX but better. Dr Beasley’s also has a maintenance product that goes into your washer fluid reservoir which helps keep the coating fresh. I like that part of that one.
 
I've gotten a year out of Aquapel when applied with good prep. That makes the cost seem pretty reasonable to me.
 
I have had great results with McKees37 Glass Coating. As others have stated I always clay and prep with McKees37 Coating Prep Polish.
 
For ease of use go with McKee's. Optimum is good but requires a little more work when removing. Not to mention it eats foam pads even after they are cleaned. It will perform a bit better than McKee's.

CarPro FlybyForte is also straight forward to use. Apply and let it flash off. No need to buff off any residue.
 
Belo said:
that's good advice. I'm already planning on getting some polish as I've never polished my windows... and honestly they look great so I never bothered. Claying them too is now taking it to another level haha. What a disease this is...
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Once you machine polish your glass, you'll never go back.
 
I knocked my brains out with Aquapel, not once, but twice. I shake my head in disbelief when I hear a year, I don't think I got a month when I lived in NM.

Do I want to do 40 minutes prep with 2-4 products on outer glass every time and prior to using a rain repellant? Hell no, that's just crazy IMO.

I haven't tried them all, and I'd suspect Optimum, and the PBMG Products are pretty good, but as I look at it, you'll spend your money, roll the dice, and take the chances.

I figure like this:

Am I gonna beat my brains out and empty the wallet with uber expensive products that I "might" get an extra week or two of rain repellency from, but also pay 1-1/2 to 2 times more money to get such? I don't think so.

With Rain-X, my go to, I don't have to kill myself with prep, I just simply clean the glass first before applying. For outer Glass I don't get too anal on a product prior to coating.

I come behind with Rain-X, massage it in good, let haze a good 10 minutes or so, then come behind with a couple water dampened MF Towels to remove haze, then finish with a dry MF Towel.

I also wipe clean all Wiper Blades and treat with something or other, Reload, WG WETS, GTechniq CV2V3, along those lines, and have no problems with wiper chatter.

I think two of the common problems with wiper chatter are dirt cheap Blades, and a later depositing of road grimes. When buying blade replacements, here's where you shouldn't skimp.

I like this product for many reasons, easy to get, dirt cheap per application, and basically foolproof.

I'll never in my life buy Aquapel again, personally I think it's a way overpriced product that worked no better, and I'm not that rich a man to toss money to the wind on such a product, for how little an applicator covers.
 
The test is whether or not you can turn your wipers off above 35 mph in the rain. Rain-X doesn't allow this in my experience. I've used McKee's and I can often turn off the wipers in light rain while on the highway. You can't turn them off in a downpour but with light rain the beads just blow off.
 
Route246 said:
The test is whether or not you can turn your wipers off above 35 mph in the rain. Rain-X doesn't allow this in my experience. I've used McKee's and I can often turn off the wipers in light rain while on the highway. You can't turn them off in a downpour but with light rain the beads just blow off.
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With all of them, of course the faster you go, the better they work.

Rake angle of the glass plays a part to a point, and the type of rain. A fine mist drizzle will not clear as quickly as a torrential downpour.

In any case, and not using the wipers, you surely aren't going to have perfect clear vision, but Rain-X surely hands down beats no rain repellant at all.
 
I use RainX on the company car and it works pretty well after the initial application. However it does leaves smears if the windshield wipers are used at night time and it only seems to last for a month. I applied Aquapel on the wife's Buick and it is a superb product. It can be difficult to work with but if the surface is cleaned properly and the product is applied properly, it will yield great results. You have to work fast with Aquapel as it flashes quickly. The directions say that you should use a paper towel to remove the product but a microfiber towel is a better choice. Paper towels grab and they can scratch the glass. I applied Aquapel in February and it is performing today as if it was brand new. It does require a temperature of 50 degrees or more during the application.
 
McKee's glass coating works very well. That said, Rust-Oleum Neverwet Rain Repellent for Glass, in the blue labeled bottle, works excellent too. It's by far the best value by .oz as the bottle will allow for dozens of cars to be done.
 
I'm using the GTechniq glass coating. Hydrophobicity is excellent, and three months in, it's holding up well. I give it a shot of Pinnacle Black Label coating detailer after a wash, though, so I'd bet that is boosting longevity. I wouldn't recommend the GTechniq, though, because it was a royal pain to install. I think my issue was that I applied too much product, and I ran out of the "residue remover". I ended up using IPA to finish the job. The stuff is pricey, too. I don't regret doing it, however.
 
MarkD51 said:
I knocked my brains out with Aquapel, not once, but twice. I shake my head in disbelief when I hear a year, I don't think I got a month when I lived in NM.

Do I want to do 40 minutes prep with 2-4 products on outer glass every time and prior to using a rain repellant? Hell no, that's just crazy IMO.

I haven't tried them all, and I'd suspect Optimum, and the PBMG Products are pretty good, but as I look at it, you'll spend your money, roll the dice, and take the chances.

I figure like this:

Am I gonna beat my brains out and empty the wallet with uber expensive products that I "might" get an extra week or two of rain repellency from, but also pay 1-1/2 to 2 times more money to get such? I don't think so.

With Rain-X, my go to, I don't have to kill myself with prep, I just simply clean the glass first before applying. For outer Glass I don't get too anal on a product prior to coating.

I come behind with Rain-X, massage it in good, let haze a good 10 minutes or so, then come behind with a couple water dampened MF Towels to remove haze, then finish with a dry MF Towel.

I also wipe clean all Wiper Blades and treat with something or other, Reload, WG WETS, GTechniq CV2V3, along those lines, and have no problems with wiper chatter.

I think two of the common problems with wiper chatter are dirt cheap Blades, and a later depositing of road grimes. When buying blade replacements, here's where you shouldn't skimp.

I like this product for many reasons, easy to get, dirt cheap per application, and basically foolproof.

I'll never in my life buy Aquapel again, personally I think it's a way overpriced product that worked no better, and I'm not that rich a man to toss money to the wind on such a product, for how little an applicator covers.
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Hello,

I have been applying Aquapel for about 5 years now. I apply it as an option to my detailing packages so here is my process:

1) Wash the windshield along with the rest of the car using either car soap or rinseless wash.
2) During the final steps of the detail, I will clean the windshield again using an alcohol based cleaner. I do it twice.
3) Apply Aquapel making sure every part of the windshield has been covered. I do UP/DOWN then Side to side then UP/DOWN again to make certain of this.
4) While the product is still wet (no dry time aside from going to the other side of the windshield to apply the product) I remove Aquapel with a microfiber towel using the nap side
5) When all I can remove has been removed I flip to the flat side of the microfiber towel (no nap) and buff until I can't see any residue.
The whole thing takes about 15 minutes.

In my experience, 6 months is the average durability. But it depends on the weather and how much you use your wipers.

As for Rain-X, I have used it in the past and many times it would fail on the first rainy night while I was using the wipers. I think there are no comparissons possible between the two products. Completelly different leagues.

As for other coatings, I am tempted to try C1 from Gtechniq. From what I understand, it's a 1 to 2 year coating and you can do about 10 vehicles with 1 bottle. That makes it a little cheaper than Aquapel with a 2 to 4 times longer durability. So when I run low on Aquapel applicators, I think I will give it a try.
 
MarkD51 said:
With all of them, of course the faster you go, the better they work.

Rake angle of the glass plays a part to a point, and the type of rain. A fine mist drizzle will not clear as quickly as a torrential downpour.

In any case, and not using the wipers, you surely aren't going to have perfect clear vision, but Rain-X surely hands down beats no rain repellant at all.
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I think the best way to use Rain-X is to buy they windshield fluid. It usually cost about a 1$ or 2$ more than cheap brands but the product is re-applied every time you use the wipers. That is what I do on my vehicules now. Not as good as a coating but no installation time required.
 
minirips2 said:
I'm using the GTechniq glass coating. Hydrophobicity is excellent, and three months in, it's holding up well. I give it a shot of Pinnacle Black Label coating detailer after a wash, though, so I'd bet that is boosting longevity. I wouldn't recommend the GTechniq, though, because it was a royal pain to install. I think my issue was that I applied too much product, and I ran out of the "residue remover". I ended up using IPA to finish the job. The stuff is pricey, too. I don't regret doing it, however.
Click to expand...

The remover is 71% isopropyl alcohol. So you can just grab a cheap bottle at the local pharmacy. As for application, you simply need to rub it in very well, apply twice if you can and let haze for 15-30 minutes. Then buff off with a microfiber towel and 71% IPA. Never done it, but I have watched it done and it looks simple enough. Only thing is you need to factor in time for hazing. I would do it before dressing the tires and trim most likelly, takes me about 15 mins to do that so it would fit perfectly.
 
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