Rain Repellents

They claim to keep your screen free of rain. But which does the job best?

Auto Express Car Reviews

November 2006

You either love or loathe rain repellents. Essentially, they coat your car’s glass in a super-smooth surface which is designed to allow water to simply bead and roll off. However, the problems start when you use your windscreen wipers, as the coating creates a mist behind the blade as it passes. Although this is irritating rather than dangerous, it puts some drivers off.

Even if you can’t live with a rain repellent on the screen, it has a place on other glass, especially during Britain’s wet winters, as it can dramatically improve visibility on wing mirrors or side and rear windows. And when the temperature drops, treated glass is far less likely to freeze as the super-slippery barrier forces water to roll off. If ice does form, it’s easier to remove, too.

This time of year is the perfect time to apply a rain repellent, but which one gives you a clear advantage? We put seven slippery customers through their paces in a real test of endurance.

Verdict

Both Rain-X and Halfords’ Rain Repellents worked brilliantly. They were easy to apply and gave excellent results in our tests. Halfords takes the top spot for supplying a larger bottle for a lower price, but Rain-X was a close second. Mer’s Rain Away follows in third. It performed reasonably and offers excellent value.

Top 3

Halfords Rain Repellent
Rain-X Special Twin Pack
Mer Rain Away

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3 Comments

You missed the best one...

Ok, so Enduroshield is hard to get in the UK (for now), but it's not the number 1 product in Australia and USA for no reason...

Independent testing of Enduroshield by Trico (the world's largest manufacturer of windscreen wiper blades) rated Enduroshield as number 1 and it's the only protective coating they've staked their reputation on in over 90 years of trading.

The main differences are that Enduroshield lasts much longer and is easier to apply. One application lasts for around 12 months with no need for maintenance. When you do re-apply there's no need to remove the existing product first. This is because Enduroshield uses "nano-technology" to create a chemical bond with the glass, rather than the silicon or polymer layer which the other coatings depend on.

This also makes Enduroshield far easier to apply - it took me less than 5 minutes to do my windscreen - just spray it on, buff it off and that's it. No smearing either.

Not only does Enduroshield repel rain more effectively than other coatings, it makes insect removal a breeze and also repels oil and other corrosive agents.

And that problem with misting when you use your windscreen wipers common with some coatings is not a problem with Enduroshield.

Enduroshield is now available in the UK.

By panman on 20 May, 2010, 11:11am

Great Product

Great product - does "exactly what it says on the tin"... For some reason it's not yet available in retailers but it can be purchased directly from the UK distributors - www.enduroshield.co.uk or (0131) 663 2825. It's also easily available on their Ebay shop - just go to Ebay and search for "Enduroshield".

By Rainman on 28 June, 2010, 9:01pm

Enduroshield on Amazon

I got Enduroshield from Amazon. It is excellent - dead easy to apply, no streaks etc. Lasts a long long time too. Got a leaflet with my order saying the police are using it too now. Not surprised.!

By scotpet on 9 June, 2011, 1:53pm

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