the Florida west coast has been getting torrential rains for pretty much the last week... I'm talking frog strangler horizontal rain...I just spent $40 on a pair of RainX top of the line wipers... it may not be the best $40 I've ever spent, but it's up there....

An actual application of rain-x is probably cheaper and more functional, for wipers I like those frameless spring design, full contact and no wind lift.

Rain x works really well when above 50 mph or so, better visibility even without wiper on, below that it doesn't do much.

A caution about Rain-X:

Windshield repair outfits won't guarantee a chip or crack repair if you have Rain-X applied. Apparently it goes into the cracks and even with special cleaning the bonding agent may or may not take. It's 50-50 at best.

-Doug, who has saved a small fortune through long-crack repairs

+1 for Rain-X - either the liquid added to your washer reservoir or the orange stuff that is pre-mixed.

Also use the 'titanium' blades that are one piece and curved. Though expensive, they last a long time. I had a set last 18 months here in New England.

That's strange, the carrier (which smells like alcohol) evaporate but silicon doesn't, the only way it comes off is by wearing. I've used it for years and it works perfectly.

Did you follow the instruction exactly? I've seen people who just spray it on and expect it to work. You need to clean the windshield, wipe it on evenly with a rag, wait till dry, then buff till you can't see any swirls only clean windshield.

I like rain-x when it rains, but when it's fog/drizzle-ish the water form tiny beads that the wipers push around, but not always wipe away. Still not sure if it's worth it's money...

Many years ago I tried the regular, concentrated Rain-X treatment. Though I applied it properly it worked for a short while but would then develop smearing. Nowadays I use the orange Rain-X premixed windshield wiper fluid. Every time you use the fluid, you rejuvenate the Rain-X treatment. I get great results when it rains, and I get no smearing, ever.

It has been at least 10 years since I used the original Rain-X, maybe the formulation is better now.

I had the same problem with the original, after a short time it would start streaking bad. I've started using the washer fluid too since it does reapply often.

I've had good luck with Rain-X here in Iowa. When I apply it, I clean the windshield thoroughly, apply the Rain-x, wait for it to "cloud", then buff it off. I do this while the car is in the Garage, out of direct sunlight, and I let it sit overnight.

I've heard good things about the additive for the windshield washers, but have never tried it. I don't use mine enough for it to probably be really effective..

Corn moth season is upon us here in Iowa though, and those things will make a huge mess on your windshield! Rain-X might help get the stuff off... but only good Bug-B-Gone spray cuts the "grease".. so to speak.

Is this your corn moth?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HelicoverpazeaAdultVentral.JPG

My passenger side washer seems to have gotten clogged up so only my drivers side has been working so as we were driving in a severe thunderstorm today the difference was easy to see between the two sides. Wife requested it for her car now

I'm in sodak, we drove from rapid city to Sioux Falls and at sunset the bugs turned suicidal when we went 75+ mph. We had a heck of a time getting them critters off. Turtle wax bug off and a power washer finally did the trick. I'm tempted to use Pam cooking spray on the wind shield, or never wet.

Windshield wipers
I've had great luck with silblade. They have a 5 yr warranty & have lasted over 5yrs in the snow & summer.

Rain-x
Before any storm one of my preps for 10++ yrs is to rain-x my vehicles window's. The 15min it takes does a fantastic job of keeping them from icing over. During torrential down pours you can see the water beading up.

Windshield washer rain-x
I use the orange one that's good below zero °F. Great for ice & bugs.

Rain-x anti fog
Does what it says. I never have breath fog on cold days.
One thing is if you use both the anti fog inside & rain-x outside you need to use different motions to know which side needs to be buffed. Ie, vertical inside & horizontal outside so you know what side has streaks.

Standard disclaimed, very happy customer, no affiliation to either company.

This thread sums up exactly what is awesome about ETS. Real-world, useful advice that keeps the day-to-day disasters at bay. Good job, all!
-Blast

The southwest is extremely hard on wipers. 7 months of no rain, low humidity, and tons of UV exposure. I use self applied rain-X in the yellow bottle (2 step process) with Bosch wipers with great success. Rain X application lasts about 3-4 months. But you've got to use the yellow bottle, not the pre-mixed stuff and not the one you put in your wiper reservoir. Those don't work. This is the way to do it:

Step1: Apply Rain-x liberally with small rag
Step2: Wipe windshield down with semi-wet/damp cloth.
Step3: Dry thoroughly with towel

Using circular motions like waxing a car for best results.