<MISC> How RainX Works <gag>

[ingraham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Curtis A. Ingraham)]

In BMW Digest v09.n884 Paul Drawmer <paul@domain.elided>
wrote of using RainX:

> However, as it loses its' effectiveness (depressingly quickly) I 
> find it is gets to a stage where it is worse than nothing.
> [1] ... can anyone explain ... how it works.
> [2] ... Why is there the instruction to apply 2 coats?
> [3] How important is it to clean the screen before applying it? 

[1] My personal (and completely unsupported) theory is that RainX 
works really well when applied according to its instructions mainly 
because of their emphasis on the step noted in [3] above.  You can 
test this for yourself by cleaning the entire windscreen according 
to the RainX instructions, applying RainX to *half* of it, then 
observing the results.  I think it loses its effectiveness as the 
windscreen gets dirty again.  (A thorough cleaning usually cures 
chattering wipers, too.)

I attribute item [2] to astute marketing.

RainX reminds me of the mail order ad for a 25-dollar device 
guaranteed to kill bugs.  You get two blocks of wood with the 
instructions, "Place bug on block A; strike sharply with Block B."

Curt Ingraham
'72 2002tii
Oakland, California

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