[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Many friends tell me to use a sachet of Jhonson's baby shampoo if the windscreen stuff is not available. Is it a good idea? Also, can we use good quality distilled water to fill the reservoir as well as top up the coolant reservoir? I always have a couple of litres of Diet Aqua distilled water at home to top up the inverter battery.

I would say yes to both! If it is good for a baby, I am sure that the car is able to deal with it well, with zero after effects! Ditto for the distilled water, if it is genuinely so. Although for the coolant, if the level has dipped to below min, then topping up with just water alone may not be a good idea. And if you have to do that too often, you probably have a leak, the closed systems these days hardly need any topping up.
Other than Johnson, Colin is available all over these days, I think. It works well too.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Many friends tell me to use a sachet of Jhonson's baby shampoo if the windscreen stuff is not available. Is it a good idea? Also, can we use good quality distilled water to fill the reservoir as well as top up the coolant reservoir? I always have a couple of litres of Diet Aqua distilled water at home to top up the inverter battery.

Johnson's shampoo might be ok for baby hair, and not as washer fluid! This thread has some amazing ideas about what can go into the wiper fluid tank. NO telling what effect all these things have. And baby shampoo just does not make sense - it will very likely be more expensive than any wiper fluid! And they are easily available!!

Whats this Diet Aqua distilled water? Is it potable? I'm wondering what the word "Diet" reffering to! Using distilled waster in the washer fluid tank would be good... but might be a bit of an overkill unless the water in your tap is a bit hard. For the coolant tank, you should really be mixing dist. water with the recommended amount of coolant before pouring.

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Recently I found out that I had bought a Automotive Glass Cleaner which is an MGA & is lying at home sothis time I mixed some portion of this with water & using it & am getting satisfactory results. It had costed me some 69 bucks for a liter

That's amazingly cheap. What is the product called. I need to pick up some of this. Till now I had only seen the sachets.

[bnzjon]

During my recent visit to the TATA Service centre, i found they using Clinic Plus shampoo in the wash wiper fluid tank. When enquired with the manager, he said, any shampoo is good enough provided the usage is only one sachet of shampoo for one full tank of water.

Wurth has a glass cleaner which has to be poured into the wash wiper tank mixed with water. It acts as an anti reflecting coat as well on the windscreen.

The cost per sachet (50 ml) is Rs. 90

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Johnson's shampoo might be ok for baby hair, and not as washer fluid! This thread has some amazing ideas about what can go into the wiper fluid tank. NO telling what effect all these things have. And baby shampoo just does not make sense - it will very likely be more expensive than any wiper fluid! And they are easily available!!

Whats this Diet Aqua distilled water? Is it potable? I'm wondering what the word "Diet" reffering to! Using distilled waster in the washer fluid tank would be good... but might be a bit of an overkill unless the water in your tap is a bit hard. For the coolant tank, you should really be mixing dist. water with the recommended amount of coolant before pouring.

Baby shampoo may be Rs 2 - 3 per sachet! And the logic is if it can't hurt the baby's eyes (it doesn't!) it can't hurt the car either! They have filled this MGA stuff for wind screen during my first service but refused to sell it to me. If I deplete the washer liquid, I have to run to them again for a refill.
I saw a Wurth concentrate which should be added 3-4 drops to a litre of water and then filled in the reservoir. Costs Rs 85 for a small bottle. Anybody used this before?

Diet Aqua is a brand of distilled water I buy from the Shell fuel station. Costs Rs 15.00 per litre. The label says it is for lab,automotive and battery applications. I don't think it is potable.

As for the coolant, it was between max and min levels right from the date of delievry (but at a constant level, not going down). When I requested them to top up, they said it will be done in first service. During the first service, I was eagerly watching but the guy simply topped up with water, and said that was it!

[Raccoon]

And the logic is if it can't hurt the baby's eyes (it doesn't!) it can't hurt the car either!

I wouldn't buy that logic at all... anyway its upto you.

Strange that they refused to sell you the sachets. I picked up half a dozen of them from my MASS last time I was there. Anyway, you can try Sonax, Waxpol, etc., instead. They may even be better than the MGO stuff anyway.

As for the coolant, it was between max and min levels right from the date of delievry (but at a constant level, not going down). When I requested them to top up, they said it will be done in first service. During the first service, I was eagerly watching but the guy simply topped up with water, and said that was it!

Using only distilled water will change the recommended water - coolant ratio. Service guys will do it because it saves them time... but its upto you to accept it.

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

That's amazingly cheap. What is the product called. I need to pick up some of this. Till now I had only seen the sachets.

Well all the label says is "Automotive Glass Cleaner" + MGA. & sorry for the typo its 500 ml & not liter. It comes in spray can type of bottle.

[archat68]

I use clinic plus for a long time - 2 sachet in a tankful of water - no problem so far.

[bj96]

Originally Posted by archat68

I use clinic plus for a long time ...

Soaps are known to form colloidal suspension of dust/dirt etc. If the water used in tank has some SPMs or other impurities these can coagulate in soap, choking the tiny nozzles in the spray. My wagonr had suffered this due to ignorance of MASS (and me), during my initial ownership.

Clogged nozzle is not a big issue- you can clean them with a needle or pin, but, doing that disturbs the angle of the nozzle and water will splash all over. Worse you will not know that jet angle is distorted unless you use them. Its quite a chore to DIY the wiper jets' angle correct, if you are alone.

[O.T.]
Happened with me, I was at Devaka beach in Daman when a gentleman from Indian Navy parked his car next to mine. Came out, opened the rear door and started to collect his bag, when I pulled that lever in my car to clean the dusty screen. The gentleman had a rain dance in white uniform...

Most wiper tank fluids are acetone/spirit based which are nicely miscible in water. Plus, they can dissolve some organic stains too which clinic+ probably can't.

I would stay away from all soap/shampoo in wiper tank.

-BJ

[archat68]

The trick is to use not too much of shampoo and diluting the shampoo with water before pouring in the tank. Also use cheaper shampoos which are without any conditioners.
If you follow these you should get any clogs - the nozzles get clogged usually due to dust getting into them if you don't use them for a long time .

[Thad E Ginathom]

I think that, if I had to, I'd rather use use washing up liquid than shampoo!

Shampoos contain stuff to make hair shine; they do that by leaving a layer on the hair.

They are also (the better ones, at least) fairly gentle; one does not want all the natural oils washed out of one's hair, whereas one does want any oily or greasy film removed from the windscreen.