2006 Film on Windshield and misc.

emmab

Anyone have any idea why I have a nice weird film showing up on my interior windshield?
If you rub it off, you dont get any real dirt on the rag. There is just a weird film there.
Other than that, my gas mileage is very good, my seats stain from rain like everyone else is saying (we own a carpet cleaning company so we can keep them clean but really.......).
And there is a slight problem with the vehicle jumping or bucking when at a red light.
One day I also put it in reverse and it jumped on me, I hope that doesnt happen again because it was odd.
It sure doesnt have many perks in it, but I like the handling and color.

kuberra

I had the same problem with a Honda and my Liberty. I was informed by a Honda Rep that is was attributed to the fumes of the plastics in the interior. Hope this helps. :shades:

caribou1

I confirm it's the out gassing of softening and de-molding agents used in plastics. When you no can longer smell them, your windows stay clean

If you do need to get rid of the smell rapidly, a steam cleaner does a wonderful job. Use the type that sends steam through a 'pocket' made of thick fabric. The hot fabric will collect the volatile substance and rinses easily. The same applies to tobacco smell: you just need to do it twice :shades:

stever

Here's a few cleaning tips gathered from around the forum - the last one has a pretty good thread about why the film forms too:

pekelopd, "Hyundai Sonata Maintenance and Repair" #1981, 14 Apr 2007 8:21 pm

circlew, "BMW 3-Series Maintenance and Repair" #3146, 18 Dec 2006 12:33 pm

magrezza, "Toyota Avalon - Interior" #140, 19 Aug 2006 3:42 pm

caribou1

Funny world we live in:
- here we clean leather with a soft brush plus natural olive oil soap and water. Lanolin cream will give the shiny aspect.
- we clean fabric with plenty of soap and water, sometimes we let stained fabric dry under a thick layer of salt. Salt absorbs many stains. A hard brush will get rid of the residue left on the fabric once dry,
- we clean plastics with steam or methanol mixed with deionized water,
- we clean glass with tap water and white vinegar,

In fact, we seem to use fewer commercial products. How long and how well do you expect to live when spraying and breathing silicon compounds?

stever

Great point. Some of the film seems to be resistant to the vinegar treatment. Haven't heard of the salt trick before.

caribou1

When a film is resistant to acetic acid (white vinegar), a caustic solution can be used (diluted NaOH). This is fine for glass but plastic and paint will loose their glossy aspect.

Table salt chemically "absorbs water + it's coloration substance" (wet stain) and the steam fabric pocket works by capillarity.

There are cases where you need to freeze a stain in order to "break it off" the fabric: chewing gum, chocolate, toffee...

sisaminah

I am puzzled as to why my windshield wiper fluid has thickened like milkshake. Could hard freeze temps be the reason? I live in Mobile, AL, so I expect warmer weather soon.