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BMW Washer Fluid Sucks!

22K views 53 replies 30 participants last post by  Pacifico 
#1 ·
What’s up with the windshield washer fluid that BMW uses? Every time you spray your windshield it’s like squirting soap that doesn't dry all over the place including the back window if you are at speed. Once it dry’s the entire back window is coated with soapy water spots. I can’t wait until my washer tank is empty. Funny part is the CSR manager where I work has the same issue with her new Bimmer. OK 3 months of ownership and only one rant. :D
 
#2 ·
In 38 months of ownership, I've never had an issue with the washer fluid the dealership puts in my car. And I use it a lot, +45" of rain in 8 months this season alone...
 
#4 ·
What's up with the windshield washer fluid that BMW uses? Every time you spray your windshield it's like squirting soap that doesn't dry all over the place including the back window if you are at speed. Once it dry's the entire back window is coated with soapy water spots. I can't wait until my washer tank is empty. Funny part is the CSR manager where I work has the same issue with her new Bimmer. OK 3 months of ownership and only one rant. :D
its so cheap that you should just buy a gallon at your local autostore and store it in your garage..
 
#5 ·
its so cheap that you should just buy a gallon at your local autostore and store it in your garage..
It's about time to add for my car. So can I just buy a blue washer fluid from Target to use my 328i then?
 
#10 ·
You make a great point about being concentrated. That's exactly what it looks like. It is weird that two people with the same car from two different dealers would have the same issue. Every time the overspray hits the back window it drys spotty. The windshield is perfect because the wipers clean it off.
 
#15 ·
Have your washers adjusted so they don't spray over the roof. None of my 3 BMW's exhibit(ed) this annoying behavior. I can't stand driving behind some car when the guy starts washing the windshield non-stop and all the spray goes all over my hood.
 
#17 ·
Windshield Washer Fluid MSDS

Aside from the cleaning issues, most windshield washer fluid is NASTY stuff. Keep it away from the kids and pets. Google: MSDS windshield washer fluid. You may be shocked at the information.
(MSDS = Material Safety Data Sheet). I was surprised how toxic it is (depending on formulation), and some forumulations seem to be bad for metal if I've read the MSDSs correctly. This convinced me to stick to BMW approved fluid.
 
#18 ·
just go to a gas station, pay $3.19 for a gallon of washer fluid.

its perfectly fine for your car, your windows, your metal, your windshield.

obviously dont drink it, dont feed it to your kids, and dont feed it to your dog.

you know what else is poisonous? motor oil. coolant. too much salt. too much water. laundry detergent. too much alcohol. going out camping and getting bit by an infected tick. going out camping and drinking parasite infested waters.
 
#19 ·
just go to a gas station, pay $3.19 for a gallon of washer fluid.

its perfectly fine for your car, your windows, your metal, your windshield.

obviously dont drink it, dont feed it to your kids, and dont feed it to your dog.

you know what else is poisonous? motor oil. coolant. too much salt. too much water. laundry detergent. too much alcohol. going out camping and getting bit by an infected tick. going out camping and drinking parasite infested waters.
So, you've checked the MSDS? I doubt it. Motor oil is sealed, not sprayed all over the car, nor do we soak our car in laundry detergent...nor do we drink pond water. Washer fluid and its vapors ARE inhaled by us, however. Where are you coming from? Certainly you've read about other automotive fluid hazards such as anti-freeze and its sweet taste to pets? It kills/poisons them (driveway spills). Why are you so dismissive of these hazards? TOO MUCH WATER? Give me a break.
 
#20 ·
I'm saying that we are exposed to way more toxic things on a daily basis and most of us are fine... as long as we take precautions and not feed it to our kids and pets. Just because coolant is poisonous to my dogs, I'm not gonna not keep a couple gallons in my garage. Prolonged skin exposure to laundry detergent to our skin is not good either.

I feel like the whole "use bmw washer fluid only!" and "omg this stuff is poison!" is way over the top and everyone is making too big of a deal about which washer fluid to use. I understand if people want to stick to a certain brand of oil, but this is only washer fluid.

To make you happy, I googled MSDS Washer fluid and clicked the first link, which was to a pdf file to walmart's brand of washer fluid. The only hazardous ingredient listed is methanol (I figured it would be some kind of alcohol). Yes, methanol is toxic, and it can cause blindness and death. Drinking a small CONCENTRATED amount will attack the central nervous system and kill the patient. Btw, if they drink enough ethanol it will kill in the same manner. Many college and high school kids come close to this. Another way concentrated methanol will kill is through the metabolic pathway. It gets converted to formaldehyde, which is a embalming agent. The amount of methanol that is inhaled from evaporating washer fluid being sucked in via the vents is not enough to get someone blind, let alone die from it. It might make someone slightly high, which lasts for about 10 minutes max, but wont affect judgment or anything. The quick cure for methanol ingestion is drinking enough.... ethanol. Unless someone chugs this stuff out of the container, or somehow concentrates this stuff and inhales it because they are too poor to buy beer or smokes, or bathes in it because they cant afford soap, it is harmless.

Also if you note in that MSDS page, in Section 8 page 4:

MSDS Windshield Washer Fluid - Supertech said:
Respiratory Protection: Under normal use conditions (outdoor windshield cleaning), respiratory protection is not justified.
This is why I dismissed those so-called hazards.
 
#22 ·
I'm saying that we are exposed to way more toxic things on a daily basis and most of us are fine... as long as we take precautions and not feed it to our kids and pets. Just because coolant is poisonous to my dogs, I'm not gonna not keep a couple gallons in my garage. Prolonged skin exposure to laundry detergent to our skin is not good either.

I feel like the whole "use bmw washer fluid only!" and "omg this stuff is poison!" is way over the top and everyone is making too big of a deal about which washer fluid to use. I understand if people want to stick to a certain brand of oil, but this is only washer fluid.

To make you happy, I googled MSDS Washer fluid and clicked the first link, which was to a pdf file to walmart's brand of washer fluid. The only hazardous ingredient listed is methanol (I figured it would be some kind of alcohol). Yes, methanol is toxic, and it can cause blindness and death. Drinking a small CONCENTRATED amount will attack the central nervous system and kill the patient. Btw, if they drink enough ethanol it will kill in the same manner. Many college and high school kids come close to this. Another way concentrated methanol will kill is through the metabolic pathway. It gets converted to formaldehyde, which is a embalming agent. The amount of methanol that is inhaled from evaporating washer fluid being sucked in via the vents is not enough to get someone blind, let alone die from it. It might make someone slightly high, which lasts for about 10 minutes max, but wont affect judgment or anything. The quick cure for methanol ingestion is drinking enough.... ethanol. Unless someone chugs this stuff out of the container, or somehow concentrates this stuff and inhales it because they are too poor to buy beer or smokes, or bathes in it because they cant afford soap, it is harmless.

Also if you note in that MSDS page, in Section 8 page 4:

This is why I dismissed those so-called hazards.
Noted!
 
#36 ·
Note that if you live in California, what you can buy depends on where you live and what time of year it is. As you walk down the aisle in the grocery or drug store, pay attention to what blue jug of cheap fluid says on the label. If it says "Protects to 32 degrees", it's basically just blue water with a VERY SMALL amount of alcohol in it, and it means you live in a "non-mountainous" area and/or it's "summer", both as defined by state law. If you see on the label "Protects to 22 degrees (or some lower number)", then it's blue water with a bit more alcohol in it and you must either live in a "mountainous" area or it's "winter".

The reason for this are the state laws on VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions. And don't think this applies only to grocery store products, all resellers and distributors have to abide by these laws as well. Personally, in the past I've made it a point to stock up on the "good stuff" whenever I see it on the shelves because much of the year in the LA area you can't get anything but the blue water.
 
#48 ·
I partially agree - The washer fluid my dealer puts in is a weak orange color and does seem much too concentrated and yes; it's soapy and dries leaving a stain. I mentioned it the last time I was in for an oil change, and the service guy stated that other people had mentioned it - but it's genuine BMW washer fluid; so that's what they are sticking with.

As far as the overspray; I don't have that problem - I'd say it's an adjustment issue.
 
#54 ·
Driving while Anti Freezing

One of the more entertaining threads today. I figured I'd share a funny story.

Once I was driving from Silver Throne, CO back Denver, East on I-70 it was so cold, even the "Protects to -10" (which I had thinned with water to reduce the soap spotting) had froze in the nozzles. Now it had quit snowing but the muddy spray from other vehicles made the windshield basically opaque.

My solution was to use a cardboard Pepsi cup. Living in Colorado, I just left the gallon jug of Wiper Fluid in my car at all times. So I had the full gallon jug riding shot gun and I would pour some into the cup, roll down the window and reach out dump it on the shield and hit the wipers. Worked really quite well.

However this method, proved rather difficult and on the 4th or 5th dump, I spilled a bunch all over the door panel and myself. I started to swerve looking for a towel or sweatshirt to wipe it up, worried the wiper fluid would discolor whatever it had touched.

Thats when.....Colorado Highway Patrol felt it best to see what I was up to.....

The back window was soooo covered in muddy spray, and being busy with my idiotic windshield fiasco, I failed to realize for quite some time I had been invited by red and blue lights to have little chat.

Finally I pulled over, got out the license, proof of insurance, and DMV doc proving I was in the process of getting my plates changed to Colorado plates.

The trooper, already pissed I had driven so long with out acknowledging him, yelled for me to turn of the vehicle and drop my keys out of the window. Fortunately the area in which I had pulled over was not all that snowy and so I did. Thank god because with my luck this day I'm positive the short drop and snow bath would have killed the key-mote.

Anyways, when he got up to the vehicle, (hand on gun) he asked me to put down my license and all the stuff i was holding. And asked, "Are you lost?" , must of been the out of state plates. Then he started this very sarcastic and rehearsed speech about the laws pertaining to driving under the influence in "the great state of Colorado"....wondering where he was going with this he asked, "How much have you had to drink today?" Being 20 at the time, I restricted my drinking to my apartment and was stone sober. I replied "well I had a Pepsi earlier..." Trooper: "Did ya now?, well I could smell alcohol the second I step out of my car, are you sure about your answer?" Me: "Positive"

Still not putting two and two together, I didn't speak up about the wipers and my method. He asked if he could look around the vehicle. By this time, I'm standing by a second cop car, as the second trooper ran my documentation, and all that.

Trooper one walks back with the Pepsi Cup and the Stocking hat I feebly tried to use to clean up the spilled wiper fluid. He sets them down in on the trunk of his car, and asks "So were you drinking or huffing, this ****?"

Finally, I had a chance to explain my idiotic and hilarious story. They ran me through the field sobriety test and gave me a breathizier. "0.0", and educated me of the toxicity of the fumes caused by wiper fluid, just to be sure.

The two troopers had me open the hood and sure enough, the diluted mixture of wiper fluid had frozen solid in the hoses. They told me to not follow anyone too close and pull over to clean the windshield. So I got the windshield clean one last time and the one that pulled me over drove behind me for maybe the next 20 miles to make sure and all was well. I got home and had a stiff drink.

Moral of the story, if its really really cold, don't dilute your wiper fluid, and drink Coke.

Sincerely,
The idiot with a plan.:beerchug:
 
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