Lubricating windshield wipers with silicone - anything wrong with it?

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick "know it all" owners,

One of the few advantages of living in drought ravaged California is that windshield wipers usually can last the entire wet season.  However, they will start chattering if you don't lubricate them periodically.  Somewhere around 1980, I started applying silicone lubricant.  This works well enough that most years I replace the wiper rubber only in the autumn.  Back in 1980, there was a brand of vinyl gutters called RainGo and there was a silicone oil that was applied to the rubber seals between gutter sections.  That bottle of RainGo silicone oil lasted a good long time but eventually I ran out.  That forced me to apply silicone from an aerosol can which is a hassle.

It boggles my mind that there is no specially formulated windshield wiper lubricant.  Apparently 303 products had one for a while but it has been discontinued.  In frustration, I have done some world wide web searches on how to reduce wiper shatter and about the best I’ve found is this Wiki-how article.

http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Windshield-Wiper-Blades-from-Squeaking

This article suggest trying WD-40 to soften the rubber, but says nothing about silicone.  The WD-40 technique seems darn right dangerous since the intent is to weaken the rubber.

I double-checked and sure enough, silicone is known to be a rubber preservative.  So I can’t for the life of me understand why silicone isn’t recommended for lubricating the rubber of windshield wipers.  I recently further refined my technique.  I started by repeatedly cleaning the rubber using mineral spirits and allowing the solvent to evaporate.  I then applied silicone lubricant as I have before by spraying the product onto a paper towel and then applying the lube from the paper to the rubber.  It was extremely effective on our two modern cars.  Since I cannot find a speciality product to lubricate wipers, I was considering purchasing this silicone oil:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OBV1JC2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2UDNPGKURPVSY

The reviews are particularly positive.  However, before I make this investment I thought I should toss out the question.  Does anybody know why silicone isn't recommended for lubricating wipers?  Am I missing something obvious?

A curious mind would like to know! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[gearhead46]

I use Rain-X on my wiper blades about twice a year.  I put it on the windshield, then squirting some on the blades a rub it on the blade with a rag.  Works well for me.

[elagache]

Dear good Professor and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

I use Rain-X on my wiper blades about twice a year.  I put it on the windshield, then squirting some on the blades a rub it on the blade with a rag.  Works well for me.

That's interesting because Rain-X is a silicone-based product, so you are simply using a variation on my strategy.  Rain-X binds very strongly to glass, but I don't know how well it would adhere to rubber.

Still that is an indirect confirmation of my general strategy.

Thanks for sharing,

Edouard

[option B9]

 I also use Rain-X on my wiper blades when I take the Buicks out of winter hibernation, March/April here in the northeast. I treat the windshield & drivers door rear view mirror then I put the Rain-X on a soft cloth & wipe the blades with it.. been doing it for many years with good results, Specially this year when I was returning to NYC from the Buick National meet In Allentown I drove all the way home in a record rainfall and the Rain-X worked great. No chatter from the blades..    Tony

[elagache]

Dear Tony and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

I also use Rain-X on my wiper blades when I take the Buicks out of winter hibernation, March/April here in the northeast.

I've used Rain-X for literally decades, but it is harder to apply and if you get it wrong it leaves a haze that is difficult to remove.  For both the Buicks that remain in the garage I have switched to Aquapel:

http://www.aquapel.com/

It is expensive, but it is much easier to apply and at least in California it will last the entire wet season.  Rain-X would have to be applied at least 3 times to last all winter.

We have one car that is kept outside.  For that car I have been trying to use Rain-X 2-in-1 cleaner:

https://www.rainx.com/product/glass-water-repellents-cleaners/rainx-2in1-glass-cleaner-rain-repellent/#.WGRPvZISoX8

It seemed like a good idea because the windshield gets dirty all the time, so putting more Rain-X when cleaning seemed like a good idea.  However, I'm once more having trouble with the wipers leaving a cloudy trail as they sweep.  I was going to try to put that car also on Aquapel, but I can't do that before removing the Rain-X and that turns out to be extremely difficult to do.  The only product that appears to able to reliably remove it is another product from Rain-X: Rain-X Xtreme Clean:

https://www.rainx.com/product/glass-water-repellents-cleaners/rainx-xtreme-clean/#.WGRQY5ISoX8

I'm wondering at this point whether my problem is simply an excessive build up of Rain-X and I should simply remove the old and go back to the 2-in-1 cleaner.

I treat the windshield & drivers door rear view mirror then I put the Rain-X on a soft cloth & wipe the blades with it.

Okay I guess I should give that a try, but I have to admit my suspicions.   I find it hard to believe that Rain-X would make a rubber surface more slippery than a silicone lubricant specifically formulated for rubber.  Just to further muddy the waters, Rain-X has yet another product: Rain?X Plastic Water Repellent:

https://www.rainx.com/product/plastic-water-repellent/rain-x-plastic-water-repellent/#.WGRQ05ISoX8

If regular Rain-X does work on the rubber of wiper blades, Rain?X Plastic Water Repellent might work even better.

I never thought driving in the rain could be so complicated! . . .

Cheers, Edouard 

[WkillGS]

Getting down to the science of it.....
Rain-x works as a hydrophobic coating..... it deposits a layer onto the glass that will repel water, to cause it to bead up so that the water will easily roll off of the glass.
In contrast, water on a perfectly clean glass surface will not bead up but will 'sheet' across it... a thin layer of water with no breaks.

If my understanding of silicon for rubber is correct, it's more of a surface treatment to act as a lubricant or a preservative layer to help prevent oxidation of the rubber.

It appears we are looking at two different treatments here..... one (silicones) to protect and lubricate the rubber wiper, the other is a hydrophobic coating for the glass surface.

My experience is based on my engineering position in the optics industry, more specifically, optical coatings on glass and plastics used in the avionics, medical, military, and other high-end optic displays. We routinely deposit hydrophobic coatings for the additional environmental protection they provide. Application consists of vaporizing the coatings in a vacuum chamber which deposits a layer onto the glass product. We do not deal with wipe-on treatments.

For glass cleaning, I read years ago that one of the major wiper manufacturers used Bon-Ami to clean their windshields to test their wipers. While Bon-Ami can be considered an abrasive, so can cerium oxide, which is considered a 'polish' for glass.

I'll encourage you to do additional research on what I've mentioned.... just trying to lead you in the right direction.

[elagache]

Dear Walt and mid-60s Buick experts on scientific methodology,

Rain-x works as a hydrophobic coating..... it deposits a layer onto the glass that will repel water, to cause it to bead up so that the water will easily roll off of the glass.
In contrast, water on a perfectly clean glass surface will not bead up but will 'sheet' across it... a thin layer of water with no breaks.

Yes this is correct.  The chemistry however is silicone-based.  That's why it is possible that it would also work on wipers as an unintended side-effect.  I don't know what is the chemistry associated with Aquapel, but it was developed by the automotive glass company PPG.

In contrast, water on a perfectly clean glass surface will not bead up but will 'sheet' across it... a thin layer of water with no breaks.

Yes that is also true, but it is basically impossible to keep glass perfectly clean.

For glass cleaning, I read years ago that one of the major wiper manufacturers used Bon-Ami to clean their windshields to test their wipers. While Bon-Ami can be considered an abrasive, so can cerium oxide, which is considered a 'polish' for glass.

I'm sure that will work, but anything with an abrasive is in my mind something to do only as a last resort.  I would much prefer some sort of a cleaner that chemically breaks down the bonds of the silicone in products like Rain-X.

I'll encourage you to do additional research on what I've mentioned.... just trying to lead you in the right direction.

I thought I would run a simple experiment next time I replace wipers.  I would try Rain-X on one blade and use my usual silicone on the other.  Then I would wait to see which wiper chatters first.  Should be simple enough.

Thanks for the feedback!

Cheers, Edouard