Windscreen washer fluid - polycarbonates & methanol?

[muddyboots]

They don't really wash as much as spray and soak pedestrians and cyclists.

Accidentally of course...

[Sporky McGuffin]

I find that the Xenon headlights help in this respect, the lenses don't get as warm as those of halogen units, and don't dry the salt on as much.

 

I hadn't thought of that, but it does make sense.

[dieselV6]

Methanol is quite toxic, I would never use it in the screenwash for that reason alone.  After clearing the windscreen there is often a strong whiff of screenwash in the cabin and I'd rather not stuff my lungs full of methanol vapour. I use 10%-40% isopropanol depending on time of year and whether I drive to real winter :p  + water and some detergent (aka 100:1 screenwash). Works very well.

[andyspan]

I only use the VW recommended stuff, not cheap, but don't want to risk blocking those fan jets!

[g6zru]

Huskoda, on 09 Jan 2015 - 07:40, said:

They don't really wash as much as spray and soak pedestrians and cyclists.

Accidentally of course..

 

Thanks, I hadn't noticed that.......................

 

BTW I've tried counting and I think the washers every fifteenth time you use the screen washers but I think it's buried in the unintelligible manual somewhere.

[Sporky McGuffin]

Ah - I know this one, having asked a few months back. If the headlights are on the washers go every 3 goes of the main washers, starting on the first.

[Urrell]

 

BTW I've tried counting and I think the washers every fifteenth time you use the screen washers but I think it's buried in the unintelligible manual somewhere.

 

From the manual ""After the ignition is switched on, the headlights are always cleaned at the first and after every tenth spray of the windscreen""

Manual is easy to use if saved as a PDF. Easier to search for a word and then you can click to follow instructions and "backup" to come back to where you were.

[yetiscot]

TFM on page 169 which refers to the cleaning of the car says," Never wipe the headlights dry...."

I thought that was a bit weird--I always under the impression that polycarbonate was pretty tough stuff---so what do you do dab them with a piece of cotton wool?

I am aware they have some sort of coating as well but I was wiping away on the last car without any deleterious effect that I could see.

[muddyboots]

You can configure how frequently the headlight washers operate using VCDS if you have it.

From memory, mine was set to either 3 or 5 uses of the windscreen washers; I changed that so they operate less often - in my experience they don't make much difference other than drain your washer bottle more quickly...

[docc]

In a sense, I feel a bit guilty for having started all this - but I do value my polycarbonate headlights, and for that matter the fan jets, quite highly and it seems crazy to put them at risk of hefty repair bils for a few quid saved on screenwash.

 

I was planning to switch to the VAG/Quantum product until I discovered it contains the potentially damaging Methanol, so it looks like having to be the official VAG/Skoda stuff ( G052164M2) at around £4 a litre.  Makes 3 litres of fluid (down to -16C) and 5 litres for the summer.

 

The most expensive screenwash I've ever bought - but a small price to pay for peace of mind, I suppose.  Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated.

[Sporky McGuffin]

 

I thought that was a bit weird--I always under the impression that polycarbonate was pretty tough stuff-

 

 

It is, but it scratches easily. The coating is probably scratch-resistant, but if you sprayed on a dilute methanol solution and then wiped it off you could conceivably end up wiping off the coating and leaving the lenses prone to being scratched by road dirt and so on.

 

That'd be my guess anyway.

[speedsport]

The plastics used in clear headlamp covers have improved considerably over the last 10 years. Previously, they were very badly affected by UV in sunlight and would go opaque.

Just have a look at early Vauxhall Corsas or Mk 2 Polos, and no doubt other cars too. You'll find there are a lot which have "weathered" covers that really shouldn't pass an MOT.... but that's another can of worms!

Edited 13 January, 2015 by speedsport

[yoyoman]

I think it has a legal basis; HM Customs and revenue demand that ethanol (and its solutions) is/are 'poisoned' or 'denatured' with something to make it undrinkable or you would pay duty on it. The oldest and cheapest 'denaturant' is methanol. (Hence methylated spirits is ethanol with methanol (plus dye and foul tasting amine) added. )

 

 

You don't know what you're missing:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barrenttine-Products-Ltd-Methylated-Spirit/dp/B0041WAY1I/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1421161805&sr=8-7&keywords=methylated+spirits#customerReviews

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rustins-Methylated-Spirit-250-RUSMS250/dp/B001GU498C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421161805&sr=8-1&keywords=methylated+spirits#customerReviews

[g6zru]

From the manual ""After the ignition is switched on, the headlights are always cleaned at the first and after every tenth spray of the windscreen""

Manual is easy to use if saved as a PDF. Easier to search for a word and then you can click to follow instructions and "backup" to come back to where you were.

Your definition of easy is different to mine.   I'm afraid I was bought up on User Manuals that were in English, not English translated from Czech translated from German.

However your version makes it clear. Thanks for that.

Fred

[crazyj]

Love the Amazon reviews.....

J

[docc]

Don't suppose anyone can find the data sheet for the 'official' VW/Skoda screenwash can they?  Or some other way of determining the actual contents, and whether they're identical to the Quantum product?  If the much cheaper VW/Quantum product is identical (and it could well be) that could be the solution.

[eribaMotters]

Following this post I thought I may try and find a cheaper alternative to the genuine stuff, then I changed my mind.

I used the genuine liquid in my VW Touran for 10 years and was pleased with performance in summer and winter.

As such I tried to find the cheapest supplier, first at my local VW, SEAT and Skoda garages. All wanted £4 + vat, so I bought off e-bay for £40 for 10 x 1L, delivered :- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331437686440?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Colin

[crazyj]

Hi...

A little digging.

From this: http://www.otv-international.de/fileadmin/oelkatalog/otv-oilcatalog-2014-eng.pdf

I guessed that the last two digits of the part number were just pack size.

A search for the 'stem' of the part number gave this msds. Sadly it is in polish but you kind of gather that it's 80% ish ethanol and 10% ish ethylene glycol. Rest will be surfactants and water. No methanol.

Here: http://www.vw-group.pl/cms/att/ekologia/charakterystyka/srodki_myjace/G052164.pdf

If it's right then it's pretty good value as the other stuffs mainly water. Unless this is the industrial ultra conc that gets packed down and diluted for us punters... Either way no methanol.

Also did some reading about polycarbonate. Turns out it is slightly porous and guess what fits nicely into the pores... Methanol!

Also I did find this data sheet that came up with a Google for the terms 'hsds' and the vw part number. Nowt to do with vw and the part number isn't on it but it's from a firm that supplies businesses in the UK..... And it's methanol free....mainly water and propanol.

http://www.hex.co.uk/MSDS/trade/TM015-Screen%20Wash.pdf

Bet they don't supply to the public.

The plot thickens.

Cheers

John

Edited 13 January, 2015 by crazyj

[docc]

Hi...

A little digging.

The plot thickens.

Cheers

John

Thanks for all the research!  There are, as you point out, methanol-free products out there (the VW/Quantum product not being one of them).  They may not, of course, be suitable for the fan jets on the Yeti, and we know that the official VW product is.

 

The data sheet for the 'official' (and extremely expensive, by comparison with all the others) product is highly elusive for some reason.  I suspect that it's identical to the VW/Quantum product, but there seems to be no way of finding out for sure.  If Quantum is identical to the Skoda-badged stuff there seems to be little point paying a premium for it.  But is it?   :wonder:

[crazyj]

I think the polish data sheet is the one for the vw product...or at least the concentrated product. If it is then it's not the same as the quantum product.

I could be wrong but there is an obligation of the supplier/manufacturer to send an msds/hsds following written request. At least for business users.

J

[docc]

I think the polish data sheet is the one for the vw product...or at least the concentrated product. If it is then it's not the same as the quantum product.

I could be wrong but there is an obligation of the supplier/manufacturer to send an msds/hsds following written request. At least for business users.

J

You're right - it seems to be this:

 

http://www.my-gti.com/384/volkswagen-windscreen-clear-concentrate  (Part number G052164)

 

So the official VW/Skoda product is methanol-free, yet the VW/Quantum product contains methanol!  How odd.

 

Looks like it has to be the expensive one, then - thanks for your research.