Interior Exterior
Q:
In the 1950s people used to use a glass cleaner that looked like a white pasty wax. Rub it in with a cloth and then wipe it down. Not only does it get the glass much much cleaner than windex, but it also seems to prevent the glass from getting fogged up for a really long time. I bought some of this stuff in restoration hardware.
Paraffin?
A:
Put 303 Aerospace Protectant on your dash. It is like sunscreen for your plastic and vinyl parts. It blocks the UV that breaks down the dash and causes it to off-gas.
A:
I kept a rag under the passenger seat and wiped the inside windshield every morning when it fogged up.
It eventually stopped fogging up!
A:
In my 2nd summer, things are still the same. Once the outside temps are above 100 degrees, the windshield fogs from outgassing and the outgassing doesn't seem to be getting any better. It was enjoyable this past winter, where I didn't have to wipe the inside of the windshield daily.
I've used 303 protectant and other products, parking in the garage, in the shade, the elemental shower cap, nothing seems to help when it gets hot.
A:
I've had good performance from Armorall Glass Wipes for this outgassing film(they come already wet, seem to leave less residue than Windex by far).
Chuck
A:
I’ve had this issue with my car for the two summers I’ve owned it. It seems to be a certain combination of factors that lead up to the issue. First, it happens in a lot of newer vehicles here in Minnesota, not just the Elise. It’s hot and humid here in the summer, combined with the curvature of the window the dash gets quite toasty even with the top off.
Using all the suggestions on the forum, I have not permanently solved the issue. 303 doesn’t work entirely although either aging of the plastic or repeated use of this product on the dash has diminished the need to clean the inside so frequently.
I tried the clay bar and soapy water and this worked wonders for cleaning the windshield inside and out but didn’t have any more or less of an effect (in my opinion) than using a micro fiber towel and Eagle 20/20 auto glass cleaner with moderate pressure. Hard though it may be to achieve higher pressure near the base of the inside, in my experience it produces the same results.
I refuse to use RainX or Armorall products from bad experience with them in the past. They work great if you continue to coat the surface with the same products. It’s as though the surface becomes addicted to the coating. I’ve seen bad streaking after running out of RainX and trying to clean it with any other products (on other vehicles). Armorall products that I’ve used always left a waxy-like residue behind that I just don’t appreciate. To each their own though, if these products work for you in your climate then more power to you.
I’ve just resorted to cleaning the windshield every week or when needed. I keep a small spray bottle of the 20/20 in the trunk along with a micro fiber towel. My hope is that eventually the gassing will stop. Until then I’ll just keep cleaning the thing by hand.
It might be interesting to know how much money in car-care-products I use on the Elise over the course of a year.
A:
Also consider a car cover (California Car Cover, Los Angeles) or something to cover your windows during the day!
http://www.calcarcover.com/
A:
I've been covering my dash with a towel when I leave the car and it has solved the fogged windscreen.
Does anyone know if any of the vendors makes one of those custom fitted dash sun covers for the Elise?
That should do the trick and be a bit better than a towel.
A:
I've been covering my dash with a towel when I leave the car and it has solved the fogged windscreen.
Does anyone know if any of the vendors makes one of those custom fitted dash sun covers for the Elise?
That should do the trick and be a bit better than a towel.
http://elisetalk.com/forums/showpost...5&postcount=11
Mine should be showing up tomorrow.
A:
Got it! Works out very nice. It rolls up and I can stick neatly behind the drivers seat. It covers the whole windscreen very nicely.
A:
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the heads up.
I'm actually looking for the kind that stays on the surface
of the dash and does not need to be removed to drive the car.
A:
Ah, gotcha. Sorry, can't help there.