Quickly remove Rain-X and other hydrophobic coatings from the damage area with Steel Wool Size 4-0 before beginning your windscreen repair. These coatings prevent pit resin from bonding during a windscreen repair, so this is a must-have accessory for your windscreen repair kit.

From the Archives

The Invisible Windscreen Repair Menace

One problem that plagues windscreen repair technicians is the use of various hydrophobic coatings. The coatings cause water to bead up and roll off windshields. The problem they pose for repair technicians is that these coatings prevent repair resins from fully bonding to the glass which may cause the cured pit resin to pop out when scraping a repair flush.

Rain-X® and Aquapel® are probably the most common coating products. It is always a good idea to test the windscreen. See if there is a coating application before starting the repair. To achieve this, cover the area to be repaired with a Chip Saver patch to prevent liquid from infiltrating the break and spray it with water or glass cleaner. The water will bead up on the glass of a  windscreen with this treatment.

The good news is that applying a windscreen coating is done with an applicator or soft cloth. So, the liquid does not penetrate deeply into the damage, but remains mostly on the surface. This makes removal relatively easy one of the two methods recommended by Delta Kits.

Firstly, every Delta Kits car windscreen repair kit includes 4-O steel wool expressly to removing hydrophobic coatings. You simply take the steel wool and rub it vigorously over the repair area to remove the coating.

Secondly, an option utilizes the moisture evaporator which is normally used to remove water from a break. The heat of the moisture evaporator will burn away any coating in a matter of seconds…. Continue Reading