I am a new RS 4.0 owner (2 weeks on 5/4) and I have already replaced the windshield. Thankfully, covered under warranty. My new windshield question is, "Does anyone have a problem keeping it clean?"

I have only had the car back since Wednesday and every bug and bit of bird poop hangs on for dear life. The blades and the sprayers do nothing.

Has anyone gotten better blades, or is there a windshield washer solution I should be using? I really love the car and even the missus say she is really pleasantly surprised at how well it handles.

Thanks everyone in advance for the help!

 

sounds like you need to just windex or hose it down... thats the problem with this low tilt window; everything hits it and hits it hard. idk about the poop, execpt ew, and the bugs? windex.

 

I run a clear bug deflector in the summer, it does help alot.

I also carry window cleaner and microfiber rags at all times.

 

I windex mine every other day.. I'm OCD like that... But I notice since we have a really steep angle on our windshield it catches everything....

 

Get yourself a can of Stoner's Invisible Glass--that is the best stuff to keep it clean..........

 

i keep a complete detailing kit in my car at all times also. never know when you might get a scratch, hit a bird, get hit with poop, and need to buff out chips.

 

To answer your original question, no, you're not going crazy. One of the Top Ten Indications You Drive an xB is: You spend more time cleaning the windshield than the entire rest of the car.

I can definitely sympathize. There are entire species of midwestern insects currently on the endangered species list, after I wiped out 80-90% of their numbers with a single road-trip from Chicago to Dubuque.

After a point, I found myself stopping at every gas station - not to fill up, but to use their 40-year-old squeegee to scrub enough bug guts off the windshield that I could actually see through it again.

It's that whole "vertical pane of glass" thing, of course. I'm convinced that not only is it picking more up due to the sheer size, the bugs and birds and other things hit at such an angle that they immediately fuse to the windshield. The sheer impact heading might well explain why bugs are chemically bonded to your windshield glass, along with some other windshield-related concerns that I'M SURE WE'RE ALL SICK OF HEARING ABOUT.

So, unfortunately, you're in for a Summer of Fun. Just carry a spatula, PAM your front end, and ALWAYS ALWAYS travel with at least two extra bottles of windshield solvent, because you're going to be spraying every 15 minutes from now until November.

Why do you think xB owners like the winter so much?

 

Rain X repellant may help stuff from sticking on your windshield

http://www.rainx.com/

http://fuse.tv/feature.php?id=619

 

Right on, man! Groovy!! I use the kind that treats my washer fluid, so every time I wash the windshield, it gets treated . . . .

 

I agree - Rain X - the kind that you mix w/the washer fluid definately helps.
Though you still will be cleaning the windshield more than less vertically challenged windshields.

 

i drive my Xb almost exclusivly on the Interstate at 80mph (33mi to work) and rocks are a big problem here in AZ. 25k and just a couple dings. so far so good. oh yeah, i keep stoners liqued glass onboard too. great stuff. i also wax the glass when i wax the box.

 

Bottle of window cleaning spray, roll of paper towels and box of disposable gloves does the trick. I just keep it all in the trunk compartment.

 

Premium grade washer fluid from an auto parts store helps, if only a little

 

This is the #1 complaint I have with my car. I hate bug deflectors and they're overpriced at $65-$80, but I might buy one anyway. Driving at dusk is a nightmare here in the south. It sounds like rain hitting my windshield, ick.

 

I have the clear bug deflector on my 05 xB and I've debated its usefulness. I still get plenty of bugs on my windshield and the deflector causes my washer spray to disperse and I get almost as much on the hood as I do the windshield. After a round trip from Tucson to Phoenix my hood has a nice blue streaks

 

You're the second person I've heard from who doesn't think the bug shield helps much. Yet another reason not to drop $80 on it. Guess I'll just clean my windshield every other day.

 

I also use RainX on it the day I bought due to the talks about the glass cracking. So I went ahead and put the RainX on the night I brought it home. Of course the slope of the windshield is a bugs deathwish. I drive 28 miles on interstate one way from work, so I tend to clean mine about once every other day. That's just me, I'm pretty particular on how my xB looks at all times. But I truely think RainX does help with a cleaner windshield because it's a bit harder for anything to grab a hold on to it.