Why are screen wash bottles and oil bottles so terrible?
Discussion
I'm getting fed up with bottles of screen wash that leak, you can't just keep them in the boot after you've opened them, it doesn't seem to just be the cheap ones either, and it's the same with oil.
I just don't understand it, I can get a bottle of water in the supermarket for 20p that you could leave bouncing about in a boot for a year and it would not lose a drop. But with an oil or screen wash bottle that you really might want to keep there you need to make sure it's kept upright and wrap it up in a bag.
The only difference seems to be the much bigger lids, but they are pointless, why do they need a bigger lid? They make them more difficult to pour into a small opening, it might save someone a few second by pouring more quickly, but then you usually waste all those seconds and more cleaning up the mess you made when you first tipped it up.
I'm wearing my angry jumper now!
I just don't understand it, I can get a bottle of water in the supermarket for 20p that you could leave bouncing about in a boot for a year and it would not lose a drop. But with an oil or screen wash bottle that you really might want to keep there you need to make sure it's kept upright and wrap it up in a bag.
The only difference seems to be the much bigger lids, but they are pointless, why do they need a bigger lid? They make them more difficult to pour into a small opening, it might save someone a few second by pouring more quickly, but then you usually waste all those seconds and more cleaning up the mess you made when you first tipped it up.
I'm wearing my angry jumper now!
ging84 said:
..I can get a bottle of water in the supermarket for 20p that you could leave bouncing about in a boot for a year and it would not lose a drop. But with an oil or screen wash bottle that you really might want to keep there you need to make sure it's kept upright and wrap it up in a bag.
Isn't the solution obvious? 
Although you shouldn't leave plain water in bottles in the car in winter - it can freeze and burst the bottle.
HustleRussell said:
Would you rather pay more for your oil/screen wash?
No i'd rather pay less, but i don't believe cost is a factor here, i've had the issue with branded oil and over priced screen wash from the petrol station.Surely using the same bottle technology that is used to produce drink bottles in the millions per day would be cheaper not more exspensive
The only thing i can think of is that they may have to be made of a plastic which is more resistant to fire but is not as good
ging84 said:
HustleRussell said:
Would you rather pay more for your oil/screen wash?
No i'd rather pay less, but i don't believe cost is a factor here, i've had the issue with branded oil and over priced screen wash from the petrol station.Surely using the same bottle technology that is used to produce drink bottles in the millions per day would be cheaper not more exspensive
The only thing i can think of is that they may have to be made of a plastic which is more resistant to fire but is not as good
Both screen wash and oil bottles (and brake fluid) tend to have some kind of bonded seal over the top of the bottle which needs to be peirced to get the screen wash or oil out. This is the primary seal, and is bonded on to the bottle. Once this is broken you have to rely on a moulded in face or claw seal on the cap, which will have to work on the top face of the bonded in seal, which may not be flat and smooth due to the bonding process. So a bit leaky.
Drinks bottles on the other hand have very accurately controlled top face and bore, allowing a plug style bore seal or a top face claw seal to work very well. Those drinks products which are sealed by foil (milkshakes for example) also leak like a b
d once the bonded seal is broken.I don't know why bonded seals are used for oil in particular, but I suspect it's a combination of sealing ability and tamper-evidence. It may also be a processing issue - I know milk bottles have to go through a heating process when full that would cause a plastic cap to relax and leak, and there might be some other issue with the process for oil that requires a bonded deal.
In terms of cost the seal design on the cap makes very little difference, but an additional part or process, like bonding on a seal, will be much more expensive - no one does it without good reason.
Check the bottle for a label advising you to store it upright. If there isn't one then contact the customer care line and tell them they cocked up. I know one company that has replaced several car interiors due to leaky bottles, then added a "store upright" label to the bottle.
0a said:
Mine seem fine, but then the merc has a big screenwash tank. O/T I like the fact it warns you when you are running low, the first car that I have had that does this, though being an old car I did get worried when I saw a warning light flash on!
Ha same here. Had a C-class since nov last, and that one made me skip a beat 
monthefish said:
Captain Muppet said:
I used to be a bottle top designer. .
How many years have you waited for this thread?!
Good info though. I buy my oil in 5L, which always seems to have a decent cap because they use another seal further in. Bulky though.
monthefish said:
Captain Muppet said:
I used to be a bottle top designer. .
How many years have you waited for this thread?!Although a similar thread popped up on CTF several years ago.
It's a weird little niche with a tedious product, but the actual design work was surprisingly interesting once you got beyond the basics and started designing the tooling.
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