303 on glass

Don

Darth Camaro 12/27/15
Here is an exerpt from an email I got from 303 in response to a few more Q's I had:

I have buffed out my windshield with buffing compound (removes all the water marks, makes the surface COMPLETELY clean). Then, still using the buffer, misted some 303 on the windshield, then spread it with the buffer on low, then turned up the buffer and polished it in. (leaves a SUPER repellent finish). Then, if I hit it with the hose, water just SHEETS. If I mist that same surface lightly or drive into a misting condition or light rain, the water will bead....at least until the speed reaches to where it just blows off.

I know what I'm going to be trying this weekend
 
You know by the sounds of some of the stuff I'm reading from 303 they think 303 is the only product you need to use on your car. They recommend it on paint with a rotary. Now glass. They already recommended it for plastic, vinyl, rubber, leather, and it works great on those. They also recommend it for clear plastic and they suggest spraying your wheels with it to repel brake dust. They are getting ridiculous IMO and I'm starting to question some of the claims they make about UV protection because they are losing credibility fast with me.
 
I've used 3m hand glaze and wax on windows for years, never had one problem. Haven't tried 303.....interesting....D.
 
I've been using 4*UPP on all but the windshield but I was really hoping Don was gonna be the 303 guinea pig so I wouldn't have to. :innocent: I really like 303 and this sounds like it should work well. Guess I'll just have to bite the bullet myself and give it a try.
 
pogo123 said:
I've been using 4*UPP on all but the windshield but I was really hoping Don was gonna be the 303 guinea pig so I wouldn't have to. :innocent: I really like 303 and this sounds like it should work well. Guess I'll just have to bite the bullet myself and give it a try.

I tried it on the interior of my passenger window and found that after you rub the 303 in really well, then buff off with a cloth, it leaves a haze/film...HOWEVER..taking a very lightly damp MF, and giving the glass a quick wipe followed by a light buffing with a dry MF...the glass is crystal clear and fingerprint resistant.

I still have a relatively fresh coat of Rain-X on my exterior glass, so I tried it on the outside of my work car. Following the above methods, the glass was extremely clean, but I couldn't feel the same slickness, but then again the glass on my work car is in really bad shape...it should probably be deep cleaned/machine buffed. Perhaps there's a reason they suggest using the rotary for application... if intense buffing is what's needed to properly bond the 303... Don't worry about being the guinea pig, I'll be doing the wife's car in a day or so... :wink:
 
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Well I tried it on the wife's Jeep. I'm not sure if I did it right or not, but the results are nothing to write home about and I won't be throwing my Rain-X anytime soon. While the glass was very clean afterwards (it may have been more a function of using the rotary than anything else though), I didn't notice any beading or sheeting. I think I was still trying to use too much...I'll try it again by hand using less product.

I tried it on the paint (by hand) in a few spots. There was a definite darkening of the color and after buffing the surface was pretty slick. It didn't appear to put any new swirls in the paint either. There was some water beading, but nothing spectacular, however the surface did seem extremely slick under the cloth. It would be worth seeing how well applying 303 to the front end prevented bugs from sticking afterng trip.

I think I'll give that a try on my car this weekend.

Some of my observations are:

You don't need nearly as much as they say you do.

Using your fingers is a valid way to spread 303 around.

Rubbing the 303 in before (with your fingers or a saturated sponge) buffing it off yields better results

303 does soak into rubber & some plastics and will dry on surfaces it doesn't soak into (paint/glass).

Rubber in poor condition will need multiple applications to 'bring it back.' A lot of the 303 will simply soak into the material and enough needs to be applied to 'saturate' the tire/trim/etc

Allowing 303 to dry on paint/glass requires a second application to remove.

I will be buying more for use/experimenting
 
Thanks Don, looks like you're fast becomming the DC 303 guru. Sounds pretty interesting but I'll probably just stick to rainx for my windshield for now, but I think I'll also experiment with 303 in other areas.
 
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