Anti-rain: how does it work and what does it protect against?
Every year, nature tests drivers: rain, snow make it difficult to comfortably operate a car, worsen visibility on the road, which increases the level of danger when driving. To improve visibility when driving in bad weather, use special tools - anti-rain.
Antirain is a liquid transparent composition, consisting of organosilicon derivatives, polymers and an organic solvent. In simple terms, anti-rain is a special transparent liquid that has water-repellent properties. Many motorists believe that this tool is just a marketing ploy, and some drivers have not heard at all and have never used it. Let's look at and find out why anti-rain is needed and what it protects against.
How does anti-rain work?
In rainy weather, even good brushes cannot always cope with the flow of water and dirt. After applying the liquid, substances form a completely transparent, smooth film into the microcracks on the glass. The protective coating allows drops to roll off the glass with ease, without leaving streaks that can impair visibility. This happens due to the fact that the drops themselves do not run off in streaks, but in the form of balls, while not changing the light transmission. This is due to silicone and polymer components. Anti-rain is simply necessary in the autumn period and will become an indispensable assistant in case of precipitation.
The water-repellent film remains on glasses from several months to half a year. The service life of the film depends on the composition itself, as well as the intensity of vehicle operation. The effectiveness of anti-rain largely depends not only on the composition itself, but also on the aerodynamics of the car, as well as on the quality of the coating. An incorrectly applied coating will not provide the glass with the declared properties.
How to apply anti-rain?
Before using the product, make sure the glass surface is completely clean. But even washing does not guarantee complete cleanliness, since car shampoo does not degrease the surface. For maximum effect, you can take special waffle cloth and glass cleaners. To understand the need to clean the surface, it is enough to run a damp cloth over the glass, then you will see stains or smudges. It is for this purpose that alcohols and surface-active substances (surfactants) are included in the composition of special cleaners. They effectively cope with dirt, the remnants of the old anti-rain and other contaminants.
After degreasing the surface, let it dry, and then proceed to apply the product:
- We apply the composition and evenly distribute.
- We wait until the product grabs, it becomes a little viscous (as with manual polishing).
- We rub the anti-rain with a dry waffle cloth so that it connects to the skim glass as much as possible.
- When polishing, do not leave streaks, rub with high quality.
- After all these actions, the glass should become slippery on the entire treated surface. You can check this with a dry cloth that will slide easily.
Anti-rain is applied to the windshield, rear and side windows, as well as to the mirrors. If you doubt the effectiveness of the composition or are afraid to immediately apply it to all windows, start with the side windows. If the effect is impressive, then it will be possible to process all the glasses in a circle.
* How to wash off the anti-rain? Such a question among car owners is extremely rare. Any anti-rain agent will eventually be erased by itself: when the wipers work, a layer of the agent is removed over and over again, so you can just wait. But this method does not suit some - here a soft abrasive (for example, powdered dishwashing detergent) comes to the rescue. The agent is simply applied to a wet waffle cloth or sponge, and then the surface is treated with it.
Should I use anti-rain? This can only be verified in practice. As the manufacturers assure, with such a tool, even in heavy rain, you can not use the wipers, because, like drops of water, they themselves will roll down under the influence of the wind.
When choosing an anti-rain, pay attention to the release form: with a spray, the product is easier to apply and easier to control its consumption. It is rather difficult to estimate the duration of the effect, everything here will depend on the temperature, the amount of pollution, as well as the frequency of turning on the wipers, but the effect should be at least three weeks. Also, do not forget that the amount of drag is different for each car, and it also affects the anti-rain. It is possible to determine the effectiveness of the composition only after testing in practice, but as a rule, more expensive products last much longer.
