Windshield problems in the rain?

[Lazy8s]

I'll do my best to describe it but I have NO idea what the problem is. There are streaks on mine and my g/f's windshield and when it's raining and we turn on the wipers they fog up. I don't know how to describe it but the streaks literally expand into this foggy crap. I tried wiping the streaks off and using windex and all but they won't go away. I also checked and it's not on the inside either.

I really can't figure it out. On my car it's a minor annoyance because it's only a couple spots. My g/f's car however, it's a major problem because it's all over and you can hardly see out of the windshield. Perhaps if needed I can take some video.

Any ideas on problems/solutions?

My car, 2000 corolla
Hers 2001 accord

 

[natto fire]

How old are the wipers? Original?

Old wipers, and really scratched windshields can do this. I would try new wiper blades on one of the cars and see if that stops it. I personally like Bosch wiper blades, but they are pricey. Trico also makes pretty good blades and are usually a bit cheaper. Another thing to try would be Rain-X, if you follow the directions very carefully, this stuff works EXACTLY as advertised. That is at least the case with the original stuff, haven't tried the wipes and easy spray and all the other crap they came out with.

 

[SVT Cobra]

New wipers and rain X. This happens on old windshields with old wipers. It is not fogging up, but it is just spreading out a thin layer of water it leaves behind.

Also make sure to wipe down the inside of your windshield very well, as anything that got baked on from the dash can cause glares and blurryness at night and look fine in the day light.

 

[d3n]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
New wipers and rain X. This happens on old windshields with old wipers. It is not fogging up, but it is just spreading out a thin layer of water it leaves behind.

Also make sure to wipe down the inside of your windshield very well, as anything that got baked on from the dash can cause glares and blurryness at night and look fine in the day light.

Yeah, stuff like armoral evaporating off of the dash or just off-gassing from the material/ac unit will fog up the windshield. You might try a windshield polish that will help remove some of the mineral deposits on the outside of the window.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

wipers should be replaced at least 1 a year if you live in a hot environment

 

[Lazy8s]

Yeah we both use rain-x but we're going to change the blades today. Hopefully that fixes it. I'll post back.

 

[SoulAssassin]

use the defroster?

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
wipers should be replaced at least 1 a year if you live in a hot environment

Yeah we're in georgia. I know my blades haven't been changed recently but hers supposedly have...then again I caught her car hadn't had an oil change in 8k miles even though she swore she got it changed the month prior. :-/

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
use the defroster?

Not that kind of fog. I tried wiping it off the inside and nothing happened.

 

[waitman]

getting car wax on your windshield will do that and denatured alcohol will take it off, the reaplly the raix.

 

[rayjayturbo]

If the wipers are new, try cleaning the outside glass with Comet or Bar Keepers Friend cleanser and rinse well if you don't have glass polish. Another thing that causes this is the RainX needing to be re-applied.