Screenwash Test - Post up the good stuff

[B'stard Child]

In winter I always try to use the concentrated stuff and vary dilution according to the conditions (1 part SW to 3 parts water is supposed to be good to -8 deg C and it's been fine during the recent cold snap) I keep the cans behind my wheelie bin and so far despite nightime temps dropping down to -12 deg c they have remained unfrozen in either neat or diluted to recomended concentrations.

When I bought a case (4 x 5L it worked out at £1.50 per can)

I do add a good squirt of washing up liquid now to reduce the smear effect.





100 mile drive last night (at -5 deg according to the car) from seeing my brothers family and I had no issues with frozen washers BTW headlight washers make a pretty pattern in frozen screenwash - soon as we stopped it started melting and running of the wings so snapped this picture pronto.





Incidently this stuff (supermarket ready to use was utter rubbish) but I had to get something from a garage at the end of a 500 mile round trip as their water pipe was frozen solid



note the rating - 2 deg C



PS I've been using the can to dilute the other stuff

Edited by B'stard Child on Sunday 26th December 13:00

[John D.]

TheLurker said:

Tesco pink for me. Concentrated. Never had it freeze, latst winter or this. Difficult to get hold of though.

What I started using this winter after I was suffering frozen washer nozzles. It works. Not had that much trouble getting hold of it, although they didn't have any when I went to Tescos Christmas Eve. Think its only about £3 a bottle too.

[B'stard Child]

John D. said:

TheLurker said:

Tesco pink for me. Concentrated. Never had it freeze, latst winter or this. Difficult to get hold of though.

What I started using this winter after I was suffering frozen washer nozzles. It works. Not had that much trouble getting hold of it, although they didn't have any when I went to Tescos Christmas Eve. Think its only about £3 a bottle too.

5L or 1L never tried it but it would be good if people quoted prices per L

[EDLT]

I've got a mix of different (mostly cheap) screenwashes, my pump has frozen solid again

[Dog Star]

paddyhasneeds said:

VAG at £3/L or so hasn't let me down yet - I think there's something in the UK psyche that makes the average (i.e. non PH'er) motorist consider £3 to get them through the winter to somehow be expensive.

A litre - or even 10 litres isn't going to get you through the winter though, is it? We go Rossendale <-> Leeds almost daily via the M62 - 34 miles each way and at the moment use 2 litres of screenwash per trip. So it can work out a tad expensive (that's a Merc C or SL class, screen (not headlights) only)

I keep popping into Lidl and have yet to find their stuff which everyone recommends.

[jatinder]

Tea Pot One said:

Flintstone said:

I give you -70C.


Allegedly.

Quite ... but likely to be better than most I would hope

I think you can get that stuff at Euro car parts.

[John D.]

B'stard Child said:

John D. said:

TheLurker said:

Tesco pink for me. Concentrated. Never had it freeze, latst winter or this. Difficult to get hold of though.

What I started using this winter after I was suffering frozen washer nozzles. It works. Not had that much trouble getting hold of it, although they didn't have any when I went to Tescos Christmas Eve. Think its only about £3 a bottle too.

5L or 1L never tried it but it would be good if people quoted prices per L

5L I think. Certainly not 1L.

[Wills2]

I use Shell winter screenwash in concentrated form and it hasn't frozen in temps down to -13c, any ready mixed stuff is useless in these conditions.

[B'stard Child]

Wills2 said:

I use Shell winter screenwash in concentrated form and it hasn't frozen in temps down to -13c, any ready mixed stuff is useless in these conditions.

As in concentrated/neat or diluted to instructions?

I think that thats the key to the thread - are these products any good when you use them as recomended

I tried one last year and followed the dillution instructions and washers constantly froze up and ended up using in almost neat - gets bloody expensive then

[Ranger 6]

baz1985 said:

I use the VAG screenwash. It's rated to glacial temperatures and has not frozen.

I use the BMW stuff, similar capability I think.

[John D.]

B'stard Child said:

Wills2 said:

I use Shell winter screenwash in concentrated form and it hasn't frozen in temps down to -13c, any ready mixed stuff is useless in these conditions.

As in concentrated/neat or diluted to instructions?

I think that thats the key to the thread - are these products any good when you use them as recomended

I tried one last year and followed the dillution instructions and washers constantly froze up and ended up using in almost neat - gets bloody expensive then

Whats the price of a screen not caked in salt/road grime for 580 miles a week? A £3 bottle lasts me a week and a half at a guess.

Instructions are that its rated to -9 if used neat. Considering I regularly saw -5 at home and work and once -9.5 on commute home, tipping it in straight seemed a worthwhile cost.

Easier than mixing it correctly too

[Wills2]

B'stard Child said:

Wills2 said:

I use Shell winter screenwash in concentrated form and it hasn't frozen in temps down to -13c, any ready mixed stuff is useless in these conditions.

As in concentrated/neat or diluted to instructions?

I think that thats the key to the thread - are these products any good when you use them as recomended

I tried one last year and followed the dillution instructions and washers constantly froze up and ended up using in almost neat - gets bloody expensive then

As I put in my post "in concentrated form" I.e no dilution.

Feels a tad warmer today though!

[blueg33]

baz1985 said:

I use the VAG screenwash. It's rated to glacial temperatures and has not frozen.

This

In my experience no other screen washes are as good. It was recommended to me by a BMW dealer.

[giggity]

+1 for Frostex from Euro Car Parts - http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/...

Also I can recommend Holts High Performance screen wash 5L Conc from Costco.

Both products defo work. Cant deal with ready mix junk.

Edited by giggity on Sunday 26th December 13:36

[B'stard Child]

John D. said:

B'stard Child said:

Wills2 said:

I use Shell winter screenwash in concentrated form and it hasn't frozen in temps down to -13c, any ready mixed stuff is useless in these conditions.

As in concentrated/neat or diluted to instructions?

I think that thats the key to the thread - are these products any good when you use them as recomended

I tried one last year and followed the dillution instructions and washers constantly froze up and ended up using in almost neat - gets bloody expensive then

Whats the price of a screen not caked in salt/road grime for 580 miles a week? A £3 bottle lasts me a week and a half at a guess.

Instructions are that its rated to -9 if used neat. Considering I regularly saw -5 at home and work and once -9.5 on commute home, tipping it in straight seemed a worthwhile cost.

Thats fine if it says it can be used neat - stuff i'm using (and others used previously) cautions against using neat....

I can see what Declan is driving at and I feel the same way - so you are buying 5L at £3 a can and using it neat (and as you say it rated to -9 when used like that)

I'm using stuff rated to -8 when diluted at a 1 part SW to 3 parts water - so the 5L can effectively makes 20L of screenwash that works at just 8 pence per litre cost v yours at 60p per litre cost - dunno about you but thats a difference over winter that can really add up

It's like running your central heating with the windows open

John D. said:

Easier than mixing it correctly too

I'm sure but enviromentally and economically not that clever... ooopps it's PH maybe I shouldn't say that.....

[B'stard Child]

Wills2 said:

B'stard Child said:

Wills2 said:

I use Shell winter screenwash in concentrated form and it hasn't frozen in temps down to -13c, any ready mixed stuff is useless in these conditions.

As in concentrated/neat or diluted to instructions?

I think that thats the key to the thread - are these products any good when you use them as recomended

I tried one last year and followed the dillution instructions and washers constantly froze up and ended up using in almost neat - gets bloody expensive then

As I put in my post "in concentrated form" I.e no dilution.

Feels a tad warmer today though!

Ok that wasn't clear to me - what do the "destructions" say about dilution rates - bottom line pouring in concentrate and ignoring the dilution rates doesn't prove that the product is any when used as recommended so it's not a recommendation at all - no offence but you aren't comparing apples with apples

[Leicesterdave]

I've got the Halfords double concentrate apple. Smells good and rated to -23c.
Tried it up to -20c recently and no bother at all. It shouldn't get much cooler than -23c, wherever you are in the UK.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Edited by Leicesterdave on Sunday 26th December 13:50

[B'stard Child]

Leicesterdave said:

I've got the Halfords double concentrate apple. Smells good and rated to -23c.
Tried it up to -20c recently and no bother at all. It shouldn't get much cooler than -23c, wherever you are in the UK.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Edited by Leicesterdave on Sunday 26th December 13:50

See that one really brings it home to me - sold as "double concentrate" £3.99 for a 1 Litre bottle

So Winter 1:1 = £1.99 per litre made

Extreme Winter Neat = £3.99 per litre

I guess you don't use your car much or are prepared to pay for an apple smell

Edited by B'stard Child on Sunday 26th December 14:02

[mmm-five]

I've been using the Holt's stuff from Costco for years, and seems to do well in all conditions, keeping to the recommended dilution/concentration.

Don't think I'll be needing to use it neat for a while.

[Leicesterdave]

B'stard Child said:

I guess you don't use your car much

I don't- you're right!