Windscreen washer problems

For all you Petrolheads out there...
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Paul
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Windscreen washer problems

Post by Paul »

Try mixing 10% white vinegar into the water and put that in you windscreen washer bottle.

It cleans the jets great!!

Paul
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Devil
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Re: Windscreen washer problems

Post by Devil »

Personally, I would not do this because vinegar is acetic acid, albeit diluted. Even a 10% solution may have a pH of less than 2, making it highly corrosive. Do you know where all that liquid goes after you squirt the windscreen?
jeba
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Re: Windscreen washer problems

Post by jeba »

I´m simply adding a little dishwashing liquid
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Paul
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Re: Windscreen washer problems

Post by Paul »

Using vinegar, I have looked it up and one site recomends the following.

Dilute one part distilled white vinegar to three parts water to ensure that the acidity won't affect your car's paint or mechanical components.

I am diluting at 10 parts water to one part vinegar.

Ho yes it evaporates in this heat and the screen is nice and clean, I am going to use it on the house windows next.

Paul
Uncle D
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Re: Windscreen washer problems

Post by Uncle D »

White vinegar is an amazing cleaner, when you buy a glass spray cleaner that is all you are buying vinegar and water at a hyped up price.
I was watching an episode of Car SOS and one of the cloth seats had a stain of cat mess that gave off a bad smell, the upholstery guy said use this solution of White vinegar/water with a brush to get rid of the stain and to get rid of the lingering smell put a bowl of neat vinegar on the floor near the stain, and overnight the smell will disappear.
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Devil
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Re: Windscreen washer problems

Post by Devil »

Paul & Lesley wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2020 6:20 pm Using vinegar, I have looked it up and one site recomends the following.

Dilute one part distilled white vinegar to three parts water to ensure that the acidity won't affect your car's paint or mechanical components.

I am diluting at 10 parts water to one part vinegar.

Ho yes it evaporates in this heat and the screen is nice and clean, I am going to use it on the house windows next.

Paul
The acidity is loosely expressed as a pH (hydrogen ion concentration) value. The strongest (glacial) is >95% and the pH is immeasurable. Most commercial acetic acid (1M) has a pH of about 2.4. Dilute it by 10 and the acidity drops slightly to about 2.8. Do it again and the pH may be 3.x something. In other words, the pH drops only by small amounts with each 10x dilution. The corrosivity of the diluted acid remains.

Remember, too, that you may have a 1% solution but, as the water evaporates, so the acid becomes stronger.

Vinegar solutions may be OK for windows and suchlike, but wandering about a steel car with many other metals, no, never, thank you!
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