Factory Washer Fluid

magilly00 · 06-06-2009, 08:21 PM

The washer fluid in my 2008 smart car has little bubbles in it and you can even smell the fragrance inside the car when you spray the windshield. I asked at the dealer and they don't have it but thought it was an alcohol and soap mix.Does anyone know what exactly this solution is or where it can be purchased ?

Fuse 11 · 06-07-2009, 02:24 AM

Be aware that the OEM washer fluid does not tolerate extremely cold temperatures (definitely below zero, possibly not even that cold) and will freeze in the lines and at the spray nozzles. At the least, it'll render the washer system unusable, at worst it could rupture the hose leading to the rear washer sprayer (a very time-consuming repair).

You should replace it with washer fluid appropriate to winter temperatures in your area.

-Rusty
(Don't ask how I know this, or how I know it's a 7 hour job by the book...)

Old smart · 06-07-2009, 03:26 AM

Assuming that smart is in lockstep with M-B (even with windshield washer fluid), this is what M-B says:

“MB Summerwash Formula
MB P/N 001 986 80 71 10 (40ml)
Suggested mixing ratio (1:100)
...
Summer (above 32F) 40ml Added to 1 Gallon Water
Winter (below 32F) 40ml Added to 1 Gallon Solvent (1)
...

(1) Pre-mixed windshield washer solvent (commercially available blue concentrate with freeze protection in 1 gallon container)”

The ratio of 40ml to 1 U.S. gallon is 1:95 (40ml = 8 teaspoons).

Allargando DiFortissimo · 06-07-2009, 04:48 AM

...

NOW FOR THE REAL INFO:
I used a product called "303" to protect all the rubber, vinyl & plastic on all my cars. It's not shiny-greasy stuff, rather, it's made to simply serve and protect. It's kinda pricey but I like it and use it... even on under-chassis parts like C/V joint boots and rack-&-pinion steering rack bellows. Anywhoo, they also make a washer fluid that's... uh... different.

Up front, it's in tablet form, and is only a glass cleaner. As such, it has no "anti-freeze" qualities. If you need the anti-freeze properties, you plunk one 303 tablet into a gallon of regular $0.99 Wal-Mart washer fluid. Paying twice for washer fluid may sound like gilding the lily (or, for the Shakespeare-challenged, "wasting the Washington"), but it's much better at the glass-cleaning part than the regular blue rotgut liquid.

I kinda like the 303 stuff, but I realize there is no compelling reason to buy it. I bought the 303 washer tablets from a website that offered free shipping on orders over $100. My two-gallon order of 303 protectant came to (wouldn't you know it?), $99 and change. So, I bought the washer tablets free. Sort of.

The website where I got the 303 is:
First Choice Marine

...and that URL includes the "303" search because, if there's one thing I've learned (lately), it's that search is your friend. The washer tablets are at the top of the search list, should anyone want to try some. Or, you could send me a dollar and I'll mail a couple of pills to you (PM me for contact info, though I don't expect to be overwhelmed with response).

As per the usual disclaimers, I have absolutely no interest in the marine website. I Googled 303 protectant and they were the cheapest. Then, seeing the free shipping offer, I doubled my 303 protectant order and added the washer "pills" for semi-free. Since using the 303 washer fluid pills, my wife has come back home, my dog likes me again, my arthritis is healed, the nightmares are gone, my anal warts are clearing up, my testicular goiter has shrunk to 1/2 its normal size (no longer must I wear bell-bottom pants! yeah!), and I sit here before you today, clothed and (almost) in my right mind.

Also, since switching to 303 washer fluid, my windshield is so clean that helplessly-impressed 19-year old bikini models follow me down the street throwing their undergarments and motel keys at me as I drive by, and my smart's power and gas mileage also have doubled. But who cares about the unimportant stuff, right?

ADiF (removing tongue from cheek and noticing April 1st has long-since passed us by)

Smart Enuf · 06-07-2009, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuse 11

Be aware that the OEM washer fluid does not tolerate extremely cold temperatures (definitely below zero, possibly not even that cold) and will freeze in the lines and at the spray nozzles. At the least, it'll render the washer system unusable, at worst it could rupture the hose leading to the rear washer sprayer (a very time-consuming repair).

You should replace it with washer fluid appropriate to winter temperatures in your area.

-Rusty
(Don't ask how I know this, or how I know it's a 7 hour job by the book...)

If your washer fluid line was ruptured due to frozen fluid, your vehicle (not clear if this was a smart) either does not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 104 or it was built before that standard took effect. FMVSS 104 references Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Recommended Practice J942, Passenger Car Windshield Washer Systems, November 1965, which requires the washer system to withstand operation in a completely frozen state. If I recall, the procedure requires the car manufacturer to freeze the washer system for 4 hrs with water and then actuate the system repeatedly for 1 minute. The manufacturer then must demonstrate that the system remains undamaged if the driver attempts to use it while the system is frozen and after the system is thawed. See 49 CFR Part 571.104 - Standard No. 104, Windshield wiping and washing systems.

**JPaul** · 06-07-2009, 08:44 AM

Loophole for the REAR window?

Smart Enuf · 06-07-2009, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPaul

Loophole for the REAR window?

Good point; I'm not sure. Standard 104 strictly applies only to the front windshield, and rear windshield clearance systems are not required. So Standard 104 might not apply explicitly to portions of the washer system that extend to the rear windshield, including the tubing. However, a manufacturer of a car with a rear windshield washer system who fails to document compliance with Standard 104 is, in my opinion, just asking to be sued for negligence and strict liability for a defective product. A reasonable driver who purchases a car with a rear washer system arguably has a reasonable expectation that the entire washer system, including the rear portion, would not be inoperable after freezing, especially if there are no prominent safety warnings to indicate otherwise.

jefferios · 06-07-2009, 09:44 AM

It was a nice and foamy liquid, but I use this stuff now:

It keeps the bugs dissolved in the summer, and best of all keeps it super clear in the winter. This gallon will last me over a year. We had a winter morning where it was -31*F, I didn't test or open the hood due to the cold possibly stressing the plastic, but there were no issues with the system when it warmed up. I'd be less confident with the factory stuff.