Windscreen washer bottle

[vs-lover]

The reason why they all generally fail is because early in life they always had windscreen cleaning additive put in when they went back to the dealers for service. It was standard practice back then. The additive actually attacks the plastic and takes the oil out of it, thus making it brittle and then all it takes is a stone to be picked up by the LHF wheel and shot straight at the unprotected bottle, thus shattering it.

What I did years ago is used some rubber sheeting that had adhesive backing on it and peeled the paper off it and neatly stuck it to the side of the bottle that faces the wheel and thus no more impact from any rocks or stones etc.

I was always surprised that there was never some sort of protector shield placed in the wheel housing so as to protect it.

 

[losh1971]

I find the bottles get brittle on the filler neck, just above where it meets the body. The rest of the bottle seems to be ok.

 

[vs-lover]

That'll be from the engine heat being inflicted to it, but the lower sections also cop it from years of additive being used. I guess that the cars that only ever had their one 1500km service done at a dealership and then went to doing it themselves or at some other garage where the additives weren't added would've had a bottle that lasted much longer and had all the problems inflicted on the neck only due to heat opposed to becoming brittle at the lower end.

 

[VS_Pete]

I have a mate who may be able to manufacture the bottle. I'd have to enquire on a min order and it might be 1000 units, not sure until I ask. But he makes thousands of car parts for various makes.

I think if he can do the wiper area plastic plemem (spelling sorry) would be a good seller

 

[losh1971]

He may be able to but they would be exi and hard to ship. Again the amount of units the Co would want as a min would be the difficult part. He makes parts for Range Rover and other prestige cars but the parts he makes normally are for brand new vehicles that the are installed on the assembly line.