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A cleaner method for debugging windshields

Unlike gasoline-powered cars, my Tesla is rarely at a gas station. The chargers in Tesla's Supercharger network are occasionally located on or near gas stations, but they're more likely to be at a hotel or in an industrial area, meaning you're not going to find a squeegee and water bin for cleaning your windshield.

To solve this problem, I keep a roll of paper towels and a can of Zep Foaming Glass Cleaner in the back of my car. While the car is charging, I spray and wipe the front and side windows. I've found that bug residue easily wipes off; only the largest of bug stains require a bit of elbow grease.

A recent 3,500 mile road trip (more on that in a future post) really put this system to the test, and it worked quite well—each time we charged the car, we left with a nice clear view…which lasted for all of a few miles, of course.

The other advantage to this method is that it's way less messy than water and a squeegee; it's easy to keep the spray exactly where you need it. This works so much better than the old method that we've put another can in the back of our gasoline-powered car—no more squeegees and water (of questionable cleanliness) for us!

This won't work well if you've got a large SUV, though, as you need to be able to reach across at least half the width and the full height of the windshield…another reason to stick with sedans!

6 thoughts on “A cleaner method for debugging windshields”

    1. It's coming in a much longer future post, but I think it was 24 total. Some of these weren't required, but we stopped because of our planned destination or desire for a break, etc.

      -rob.

      1. Thank you, Rob. Also hope you mention the average time for charging on the road.

  1. This is outrageous! You pay top dollar for a car with cutting edge tech.... and you still have to deal with bugs on the windshield.
    Those Tesla engineers better get on this ASAP.

    Thanks for your articles, Rob, always helpful, interesting or both!

    1. I know, right? You'd think they could route some of the battery's power and just electrify the windshield, turning it into a giant bug zapper!

      -rob.

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