Washer fluid questions

[notaGolfR]

Why would the 2018 Owner manual SPECIFICALLY say not to use distilled water with the washer fluid? It says use clean clear water. Well you can't get any clearer or cleaner water than distilled, and as a chemist this beats me. Is a certain level of electrolytes required?

When using the windscreen washer system (pulling the lever), do your wiper blades grind across the dry screen once before the fluid gets to the glass?

[Spinifex]

Why would the 2018 Owner manual SPECIFICALLY say not to use distilled water with the washer fluid? It says use clean clear water.

When using the windscreen washer system (pulling the lever), do your wiper blades grind across the dry screen once before the fluid gets to the glass?

Not sure about the distilled question, but there's usually about a second delay, so the sprays get to wet the screen before the blades wipe across.

Depends if your washer sprays are directed correctly at the screen though... and a mate of mine told me once that he turns off his auto-wipers, as they usually operate on a barely-wet screen, the first instance a single rain-drop hits it !!! So he waits until the screen is properly wet, before operating the wipers manually.
Sounds good in theory..... and with wiper blades being pretty expensive, I can understand his reasoning.

[woofy]

I used to always buy the genuine stuff until one day, I arrived to pick up my car at the dealer fairly late. I had intended to buy a bottle from the spares department but they were closed so the service advisor then gave me a sachet of the stuff they were using in the service department.......................you guessed it........non genuine!



Cheers

George

I think I missed all this, but from memory there is an issue with using non genuine stuff so if the dealers are doing it then they may be in trouble.

[HPRS230]

Emailed my local Skoda dealer with VW part numbers, came back with

"We stock the Skoda washer fluid bottles that come in 250ml.

It also has a inbuilt dosage cap inbuilt as well.

They are $5.16 each"

Skoda RS230

[notaGolfR]

Not sure about the distilled question, but there's usually about a second delay, so the sprays get to wet the screen before the blades wipe across.

Depends if your washer sprays are directed correctly at the screen though... and a mate of mine told me once that he turns off his auto-wipers, as they usually operate on a barely-wet screen, the first instance a single rain-drop hits it !!! So he waits until the screen is properly wet, before operating the wipers manually.
Sounds good in theory..... and with wiper blades being pretty expensive, I can understand his reasoning.

Useful reply thanks Spinifex. Happy New Year.

[Gerrycan]

Contents of washer are only really important if you live in an area where freezing temperatures occur.
Other than that my wife loves the smell of the 'proper Skoda' washer fluid.
For those who like to give into their ocd then distilled is better than tap water but I settle for water from my reverse osmosis water filter which has 99% of everything removed.
Tap water has too many nutrients so can promote algal growths.
Dishwasher fluid has too many salts and can promote rusting. The same reason you should not wash the car with it.

[woofy]

From memory VAG have some issues with their jets or something which is why they are the only ones that care about the fluid, no other company here does. Its cheap enough to just use genuine really. I never have to top mine up, what they do at the service once a year lasts me the whole year.