Teflon windshield washer antifreeze - bogus?

Canadian Tire in Canada sells Teflon-based windshield washer antifreeze for about twice the regular price. Supposedly it has better properties or something (lubrication?). For years, all I've ever done is use the regular alcohol-based stuff and squirt a bit of dishwashing (not dishwasher - edit) detergent in it to give it a bit of cleaning and wetting properties. Since I live in the Maritimes where it's relatively mild, I also dilute it by about 50% with water to stretch it and save some bucks (loonies).

From what I understand, Teflon is extremely long-lasting in the environment, taking decades or hundreds of years to decompose. Having chlorine in it, it certainly can't be good, I'd think -- particularly for a high-volume, one-time application.

Is this stuff a good idea? Bogus? Bad for the environment? Opinions or experiences anyone?

Is it supposed to act like Rain-X on your windshield or something? If so, Rain-X makes an additive that you add to the washer tank to treat the windshield every time you wash it.

I think it's supposed to work just like regular windshield washer antifreeze -- you pour it into the reservoir under your hood, close it and carry on from there, no special instructions, etc. I can't see why it's about twice the price though. Dish detergent works great for me: cheaper, bio-degradable and effective.

Teflon contains fluorine, not clorine, and everybody knows that fluorine is good for your teeth.

Salt contains chlorine, and at last count the oceans contained 50 quadrillion tons of it. I don't know why the government doesn't make whoever dumped it there to clean it up.

Duh, I blew it, I wrote chlorine when I meant fluorine. Check this page:

DuPont Suppresses Teflon Blood Study

http://www.ewg.org/issues/PFCs/20041117/index.php

"NOVEMBER 17, 2004 — The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has uncovered evidence that DuPont is suppressing new study results that show significant health risks from their Teflon ingredient PFOA (C8) (Exhibit A, B). The results, reported below, show what appear to be the highest blood levels of the Teflon chemical ever found outside of the workplace in the United States (Exhibit A).

News Release

DuPont's apparent suppression of critical health information occurs in the midst of the company's legal battle with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over their failure to disclose health risks from previous studies, with charges that carry a fine of up to $313 million.

Today EWG is petitioning the federal government to conduct a full investigation of this apparent violation of federal reporting requirements for toxic chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. § 2607(e). DuPont's new, suppressed study obtained by EWG shows that DuPont found PFOA in the blood of people living near their West Virginia Teflon plant at levels 12 times higher than U.S. background blood levels of the pollutant (Exhibit A, B)."

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If you Google around a bit, you can find a lot of pages that cast signficant doubt about the safety of Teflon. I don't think we should be needlessly dumping significant amounts of it into the environment at this point in time.

No comments on the above stuff, but the pink/orange RainX windshield washer fluid is the greatest stuff on the planet. I absolutely swear by it and its some of the best use you can find for a dollar sixty.

Mark

Does the RainX stuff contain Teflon?

Rain-x is something I can swear by, not at. Try it!

chiphead

i dont think rainx and its ilk contain teflon; they are hydrophobic surfactants, not a "nonstick" coating.

Rain-X has silicone compounds in it, and some Ethanol as I recall.

I like the dish detergent in my antifreeze because of its wetting properties. Instead of beading up and streaking, the water spreads as clear sheets on the windshield, masking a lot of the imperfections of the wiper blades, plus cleaning the surface as well. Visibility at night is improved also.

what i do; filtered tap water plus a couple drops of dishwashing fluid. i have read about teflon fluid on canadian sites, no idea what it is, but i do know some wiper blades have teflon coatings to glide over glass, the low cost alternative being graphite powder as found on some other wipers.

AFAIK, dish detergent is very abrasive. While I use it occationally to break down all the gunk that builds up on my windshield, I suspect long term use would damage your windshield. The last car Ihad for 10 years had etching from normal grime on the blades.

-john

the liquid stuff used for handwashing dishes is abrasive?

I would like to know if it's ok to use dishwashing material as well and ok for the lines, etc. I assume you don't need much, also does it do ok in zero, subzero temps. If it does indeed help with the streaking I'll try it. I'm extremely nightblind and look for any edge I get. I have nice wipers but swear, it cleans better in a harder rain then soft, due to streaking.

sounds like snake oil.
like slick 50.
if you want something that works use rain x.

Yeah, I know for a fact that my local fire department uses Rain-X on their trucks. I've seen mechanics and pilots putting it on airplane windows too. If you're going to use something extra, Rain-X is it. .

[ QUOTE ]
geepondy said:
I would like to know if it's ok to use dishwashing material as well and ok for the lines, etc. I assume you don't need much, also does it do ok in zero, subzero temps. If it does indeed help with the streaking I'll try it. I'm extremely nightblind and look for any edge I get. I have nice wipers but swear, it cleans better in a harder rain then soft, due to streaking.

[/ QUOTE ]

me too...i wear glasses, and am extremely sensitive to glare from streaky/foggy/dirty windows at night.

looking for the holy grail of wiper/washer technology!

Bob

I've been using the Rain-X Orange/Pink washer fluid for a couple of years, and it is a great product. In Denver they are using liquid MgCl as a de-icer on the roads, and the Rain-X definately helps. I also really like the Permatex Glass Glaze. It reduces the need for wipers by allowing the rain drops to slide off without sticking. Simolar to Rain-X, but it works better for me FWIW.

I've been googling a bit and it's possible that the Canadian Tire stuff might be an in-house brand of the Rain-X formula with antifreeze. I'm assuming here that Rain-X contains teflon, so the same questions about its use and environmental impact would apply.

Also, if you use regular wax (not the type sprayed on by car washes), you might want to stay away from the use of dish washing detergent; it could/might strip the wax away (slowly) in the areas where it contacts the car. If you spray the windshield while you're driving at higher speeds, the overspray tends to fly over the windshield and stream back over the roof and onto the trunk. YMMV.