Road trip ready? Yup. What's your secret sauce?

"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
07/24/2017 at 15:42 • Filed to: None

Mine is Rain-X. Before a road trip I do all the normal things, top off oil, check tire pressure including the spare, hide a few tools in the tire well for emergencies etc. But the most important thing I do is clean all of the glass, and Rain-X ALL of the exterior windows, even the mirrors.

It seems like no matter where we go, if it’s a long drive we will hit at least one heavy downpour, or one grey day of drizzle. Rain-X all around is a godsend. I even rain-X the mirrors, taillight and headlight covers.

What do you do before a road trip, Oppo?

(editing to add - that’s what I did last night, Rain-X all over the place and cleaning all the glass in the car)

DISCUSSION (34)

CalzoneGolem > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 15:46

Make sure there is enough usb cables for everyone’s device.

TheRealBicycleBuck > CalzoneGolem
07/24/2017 at 15:49

Micro-USB cables for the Android devices, lightning cables for the Apple devices, windshield mount for my phone, and one power inverter for the laptop that usually makes the trip.

deekster_caddy > CalzoneGolem
07/24/2017 at 15:50

Absolutely - but that’s all the time for us these days.

CalzoneGolem > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 15:52

My daily carry only includes enough for my devices.

Milky > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 15:53

Almost every damn weekend = jerky, Arnold Palmer and a 3 hour set of BBC radio house music.

deekster_caddy > CalzoneGolem
07/24/2017 at 15:54

Yeah, we mine too. But we are taking my wife’s car where my kids usually ride, so it’s always loaded with cables and a bunch of other crap too. So add “vacuum entire car” to the pre-trip checklist ;)

deekster_caddy > Milky
07/24/2017 at 15:55

Arnold Palmer - alcoholic or no? (for when you arrive, or while you are driving?)

Milky > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 16:02

Ha, non alcoholic. I’m just on a kick of it lately. I find thats it a good size to sip on for a few hours and not too big that I’ll need a bathroom break.

I guess more to your actual question I don’t do anything to my car. Thats if 600 mile weekend, roundtrips count as road trips.

Dave the car guy , still here > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 16:10

For any road trip I now throw in the tire plug kit and small compressor. I usually wash, Rain-X, air tires and top fluids but the plug kit has saved the day 3 times in the past 10 years. Once when I was 600 miles from home in a back woods section of NC. I could almost hear the banjo music as I yanked out a nail, plugged the tire and pumped it up. Fastest I’ve ever repaired a tire in my life.

I also preload all travel destinations into Waze and take the radar detector for long trips.

deekster_caddy > Milky
07/24/2017 at 16:42

Yeah, 600 miles is like a normal weekend!

deekster_caddy > Dave the car guy , still here
07/24/2017 at 16:44

I do use Waze, but on this trip we are heading through Canada and into parts of northern michigan where last time I was there a lot of dead zones with no service. So I load up maps on my Navigon app for offline use.

Good call on the tire plug and compressor - I have a compressor but not a plug kit.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 16:47

Does any company make something like Rainx but for bugs? Like Bugx or something haha. I find it to be crazy how many bugs will end up plastered all over my Miata any time I take it on a long trip.

I don’t like rainx on the side windows, it tends to make the water fly off and end up inside the car. Of course this is driving in the rain with the top down lol.

Textured Soy Protein > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 16:47

I use the Prestone equivalent of Rain-X washer fluid because I used to use the actual Rain-X stuff but I read somewhere that people had problems with the Rain-X fluid and washer fluid level sensors. I’ve never had such a problem, and whatever ingredient in the Rain-X stuff that causes the problems is also in the Prestone stuff, and the Prestone is like 50 cents more for a gallon jug at Walmart. But, fear is a powerful compelling reason to needlessly spend an extra 50 cents a gallon on washer fluid.

Dave the car guy , still here > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 16:53

Plug kits are cheap insurance. Preload any destinations anyway for when you do have no dead spots. Its nice to pic a location and see the approximate time you’ll arrive and if there are any problem areas on the route. I’ve had the same problem with dead zones. I’ll use it to preview the drive, write down the main highway numbers for a drive and then turn off the app. Also put in any restaurants, hotels, etc so you don’t have to look up the address later. It takes me very little time if I search on my laptop for where we will be going and load all the places the night before the trip into the phone. Its easier than having to go in and out of the phone apps.

Urambo Tauro > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/24/2017 at 17:12

If anything like that exists, my guess is that it would be the same formula, but with a different label and maybe different coloring & price.

Rain-X doesn’t specifically target water to repel it. It simply smooths out the surface of the glass so that water, dirt, bugs, etc. don’t stick as well.

BobintheMtns > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 18:13

Weed. Lots of weed.

I just want to reply from my phone. > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 19:12

Never using rainx again! In the early morning dew sticks to it and reflects sun like an IMAX bulb to the face. Wipers? Fuck your wipers. Parking in the sun so dew doesn’t form? Still forms. Literally wipe off rainx by hand as best as possible with dawn soap? Fuck you it’s still there.

Either I can’t drive until the dew goes away or I’m driving through what feels like a Hollywood spotlight. Never again.

wafflesnfalafel > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 19:35

I could never get Rain-x to work very well. Didn’t bead up well enough to replace wipers and it made using the wipers extra streaky, (though never tried it on side/rear windows, headlamps - good idea.) What am I doing wrong? I’m up here in Seattle - does temp matter?

deekster_caddy > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/24/2017 at 22:10

Wax. But not for the windows. I find RainX is about as good as it gets, and with a fresh coat bugs clean off quite easily.

deekster_caddy > Textured Soy Protein
07/24/2017 at 22:12

Not the fluid - a real coat of rain-X, applied like wax - wipe on, wipe off. The washer fluid is great (but way overpriced), but nothing like applying a full coat.

That said, I only use Rain-X Washer fluid. Never had any problems with it.

deekster_caddy > Dave the car guy , still here
07/24/2017 at 22:14

Yeah, I do preload addresses into the systems. I also put all my hotel reservations in a ‘travel’ folder in my email so I can find them quickly, and add hotel addresses and confirmation numbers to my calendar - it makes them pop up as reminders with locations, very easy to use that way!

deekster_caddy > BobintheMtns
07/24/2017 at 22:14

I think your trips are way more fun than mine!

deekster_caddy > I just want to reply from my phone.
07/24/2017 at 22:17

Wow. You don’t want to use your wipers to clear the dew off in the morning, so you’ll never use it again? Tough logic, but I guess so. Why not use your wipers? What do you mean ‘fuck your wipers’? Because they can hop on the glass? I do find that happens on some cars and not others, but driving in the rain with it on is so good it’s worth the occasional hop.

deekster_caddy > wafflesnfalafel
07/24/2017 at 22:19

Are you using the washer fluid? Get a bottle of Rain-X (not washer fluid) and apply it like wax - on wet in small circles, wipe off after haze (instructions on bottle) until window is clear... water beads up like it was on wax paper and runs off with the slightest breeze. Works with snow too - just a little heat on the windshield and it flies off to the side.

I don’t know what other people are doing wrong, but my wipers don’t streak or anything. You will still need wipers, especially for mist, but you’ll need them a lot less.

Textured Soy Protein > deekster_caddy
07/24/2017 at 22:57

How is it overpriced? It’s like 3 bucks for a gallon.

MyJeepGetsStuckInTheSnow > deekster_caddy
07/25/2017 at 00:03

Hate that stuff. If they can fix the haze after the wiper has passed I might give it another try.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Urambo Tauro
07/25/2017 at 07:55

Yeah, I will just have to try a fresh coat before driving places. Doesnt seem to last too long but works for sure when new.

I just want to reply from my phone. > deekster_caddy
07/25/2017 at 13:45

Haha no I’m fine clearing dew, snow, and ice to drive safely. What I’m saying is I’ve had multiple experiences, with different cars, where the wipers don’t get rid of the dew. Good wipers too. Only things that work is don’t drive towards the sun (not really possible) and don’t drive when dew forms. But I’m up for suggestions.

deekster_caddy > Textured Soy Protein
08/07/2017 at 09:35

Compared to regular washer fluid that used to be 0.99/gal, Rain-X at $4/gal seems expensive. Plus nothing beats a real applied coat of Rain-X, much much better than the washer fluid application. It’s actually pretty hard to find for $3/gal, at least around here.

deekster_caddy > MyJeepGetsStuckInTheSnow
08/07/2017 at 09:37

Maybe you are putting it on wrong? My windshield is always crystal clear. It does need to be polished down well after application, then it stays completely clear.

deekster_caddy > I just want to reply from my phone.
08/07/2017 at 09:39

I’ve seen instances where dew comes back quickly until you get moving and have a good breeze flowing over the window, but the benefit of driving in heavy rain and being able to see clearly outweighs the need to occasionally run the wipers on a dewy morning...

Textured Soy Protein > deekster_caddy
08/07/2017 at 10:35

Rain-X all-season washer fluid is $2.84/gallon at Walmart . It de-ices, it removes bugs, it makes the rain bead up on the windshield. The Prestone version is $3.47 .

In the summer months I suppose I could get away with the cheapie stuff but in Wisconsin it’s very useful to have something to help with bugs in the summer, and you absolutely need to have something that’ll not freeze on your windshield in the winter.

For example, here’s the front of my wife’s car after a ~160 mile round trip on the highway back in May:

Kinja'd!!!

So I just buy the all-season washer fluid that has bug stuff and de-icer and also happens to have Rain-X in it.

I’m too lazy to apply a full coat of Rain-X.

deekster_caddy > Textured Soy Protein
08/07/2017 at 12:18

I’m too lazy to apply a full coat of Rain-X.

Try it sometime. It’s a big difference over the washer fluid application.

MyJeepGetsStuckInTheSnow > deekster_caddy
08/07/2017 at 19:33

I’ll give it a shot on the mother-in-law’s car first.