[s-cars] Winterizing Windhshield Washer Fluid

[Kirby Smith]

Igor Kessel wrote:

>>
>>> The chemical used in the original GM Optikleen (c.a. the '60s) was 
>>> methanol.  This is also used in the blue stuff I bought from the 
>>> "Auto Palace" recently.  It may be used in all blue stuff for all I 
>>> know.
>>>
>>> Methanol at the concentrations used does not affect paint (at least 
>>> acrylic lacquer, and I've seen no problem on my Pearl S6).  It 
>>> disolves bug goo very well.  It would be unwise to ingest it, or keep 
>>> your skin in contact with it for long.  Premixed methanol based 
>>> windshield fluid would probably be a good source of water/alcohol 
>>> injection liquid.
>>>
>>> kirby
>>>
>>>
>>> Igor Aleshin wrote:
>>>
>>>> I don’t know it’s good or not, but I use to make windshield fluid
>>>> myself. This is mix: Isopropyl 70% Alcohol (~80c) and water. Alcohol
>>>> shouldn’t be less then 35-40% ;). Finally I use to put half cup of
>>>> car wash soap – after that mix smells much better ;). It works fine
>>>> already second winter and didn’t have yet any frizzing issues.
> 
> 
> Finally someone found an appropriate application for the "I want to bear 
> a cool Russian name despite the fact that I am made from Kentucky corn" 
> 40% CH2COOH solution in tap water.
> :)
> 
> Kirby, if I were you I'd stay away from methanol as far as I could. It 
> may cause brain damage if inhaled long enough. I am dead serious here. 
> The same goes for ethanol, BTW.
> 
> Last year Igor Aleshin and I had toyed with the isopropyl alcohol idea 
> on a certain Russian automotive forum. The isopropyl alcohol solution 
> suggested above by Igor did indeed work very well. However with the 
> climate control on auto the inside of my car would stink like I had just 
> shattered a bottle of vodka inside, and actually I would get high after 
> inhaling it for half an hour. Eventually I dropped the idea largely 
> under the influence of my mother-in-law who was a retired chemist.
> 
> These days I use the pink Rain-X stuff and I tend to agree with Taka 
> that this is prolly the best windshield washer fluid that I have tried 
> to date.
> 
Igor:

I have to note that I don't smell the methanol in the quantities used to 
clean the windshield at the dilution used.  (And I can smell a smoker in 
a car 100m ahead, 200m if its a cigar.)  You must have been really 
drenching your windshield to get so much isopropyl smell.  Anyway, one 
shouldn't get high from isopropyl alocohol.  If it were good for a high, 
it would be taxed.  :)

So what is in this pink Rain-X solution?

kirby