Carmate's Xclear Zero Wiper Glass Coating
#1
Posted 02 January 2014 - 10:10 AM
Expensive. RM190 which includes a glass compound bottle, base coat, and top coat, as well as some MF cloths.
Everything is in Japanese, so little idea how to use. But from what I can understand:
1) we start of with washing the windshield
2) apply glass compound, rub until clean, rewash then dry the windshield
3) apply base coat which is soaked in a little piece of cloth (like tissue paper). Wipe glass with this "tissue paper". Let it dry. then wipe clean with MF cloth.
4) apply top coat using a tool that looks like a window cleaner. I think the tool is to ensure an even coverage of the glass with the top coat. Curiously, the tool is such that it leaves about 2 cm uncoated gap between two coated rows. This is not a design flaw, but necessary. Does the coat expand while drying or something? What's with the gap? leave the top coat to dry into a hard shield. Wipe clean with MF cloth.
The top coat can last 10 hours of continuous rain, and the base coat 6 months. Very little review of it on the web. Only one youtube video which show the windshield is very anti-water:
xclear zero wiper video
#2
Posted 02 January 2014 - 10:28 AM
An interesting and impressive product but I think at RM190 its expensive. Nevertheless, thanks for sharing again. By the way, I can't seem to find any shops carrying carmates products here up north. If anyone happens to come across, please share ya..
#3
Posted 02 January 2014 - 08:49 PM
The main differences:
1. Durability.
2. Resistance to juddering.
If you observe closely, most manufacturers of such products never dare mention wipper judder and its link to their products (except for one manufacturer, perhaps)
Both characteristics are highly related.
I have tested the above product before (from Thailand) and like more than 20 such products that I have tested on the same super clean windscreen with brand new Denso blades (each time!) and a properly aligned wiper arm, all of them performed brilliantly. Yes, I'm obsessed with these things!
BUT....after a while, the judder starts, and you'll be swearing that the irritating noise will piss you off more than the rain. Once the windscreen was re-cleaned with glass compound to remove all traces of the repellant, the wiper blades were completely noiseless and so darn smooth.....BLISS.
So, before throwing away good money, pls be careful.
Tip:
Perhaps you can try these steps first:
1. Clay windscreen thoroughly.
2. Use a glass compound (preferably with orbital machine).
3. Then, wash with dishwashing liquid and hose off with loads of water.
4. Final wipedown with undiluted alcohol.
When you spray water, it should be a film of water cascading down.
Sit inside car and use your wipers. 1 noiseless sweep should leave glass completely clear.
For perfection, change wiper blades and ensure the tip of the rubber blade is 100% perpendicular to the glass (90degrees)
This can be adjusted (if necessary) by gently twisting the metal wiper arm. Normal Denso wiper blades will be fine.
You'll be rewarded with a noiseless sweep that pushes away all the water effortlessly.
Very clear vision, with no smudging or haziness that can be caused by certain types of repellants....especially when windscreen becomes cold (during a long drive in the wet with aircond on).
#4
Posted 03 January 2014 - 08:25 AM
#5
Posted 03 January 2014 - 12:05 PM
The main differences:
1. Durability.
2. Resistance to juddering.
If you observe closely, most manufacturers of such products never dare mention wipper judder and its link to their products (except for one manufacturer, perhaps)
Both characteristics are highly related.
I have tested the above product before (from Thailand) and like more than 20 such products that I have tested on the same super clean windscreen with brand new Denso blades (each time!) and a properly aligned wiper arm, all of them performed brilliantly. Yes, I'm obsessed with these things!
BUT....after a while, the judder starts, and you'll be swearing that the irritating noise will piss you off more than the rain. Once the windscreen was re-cleaned with glass compound to remove all traces of the repellant, the wiper blades were completely noiseless and so darn smooth.....BLISS.
So, before throwing away good money, pls be careful.
Tip:
Perhaps you can try these steps first:
1. Clay windscreen thoroughly.
2. Use a glass compound (preferably with orbital machine).
3. Then, wash with dishwashing liquid and hose off with loads of water.
4. Final wipedown with undiluted alcohol.
When you spray water, it should be a film of water cascading down.
Sit inside car and use your wipers. 1 noiseless sweep should leave glass completely clear.
For perfection, change wiper blades and ensure the tip of the rubber blade is 100% perpendicular to the glass (90degrees)
This can be adjusted (if necessary) by gently twisting the metal wiper arm. Normal Denso wiper blades will be fine.
You'll be rewarded with a noiseless sweep that pushes away all the water effortlessly.
Very clear vision, with no smudging or haziness that can be caused by certain types of repellants....especially when windscreen becomes cold (during a long drive in the wet with aircond on).
Thanks for the share. I suppose all water repellants are alike, and I have heard about the white smudge these repellants give when the wipers are turned on.
#6
Posted 03 January 2014 - 06:26 PM
but v silicone wipers cant apply rain-x rite??if not will have serious judder
correct me if i'm wrong
#7
Posted 04 January 2014 - 03:59 AM
correct me if i'm wrong
rain x with silicone wiper can and will sometimes cause judder. Silicon itself will release its own oil and will naturally coat the glass which will cause water beading. Any extra product apart from the natural oil will cause silicone wipers to judder. My fav is PIAA rubber impregnated silicone wiper refills. It gives good beading and is smooth. My mum's car i installed PIAA has 40k km 2yrs and wiper still very good and beading. She just wash the car never apply anything. Point is follow installation method as recommended by piaa. For other silicon wiper blades follow jklow123 method is best with no addition coatings on the screen.
#8
Posted 04 January 2014 - 01:54 PM
correct me if i'm wrong
Once in a while I still do apply rain x. Probably you need to apply more evenly to prevent the judder.
Mine is cheapo silicone....
#9
Posted 04 January 2014 - 10:13 PM
Mine is cheapo silicone....
Got such thing as apply evenly wan meh. Rainx not like wax leh.
#10
Posted 05 January 2014 - 09:36 AM
If u observely closely, any judder after applying Rain X will not happen immediately. Its only after sometime that the mold judder starts and gets progressively worse. Rain X or other water repellents per se will not cause juddering. Problem starts when u also use your wipers. As the wipers work, the Rain X is slowly abraded away...unevenly. This sparks off the judder. When you re-apply, the judder goes away temporarily. The wiper blades are also contaminated with RainX, and the now unevenly hydrophobic rubber tip hydroplanes unevenly across the glass surface which is no longer uniformly coated with water repellant...juddering starts. Regardless of how evenly you apply RainX, if you dont do it consistently, there'll be some form of juddering.