Cleaning washer bottle??

[Coalesy]

Hi guys,

went to top my washer fluid up for the first time since i bought the car the other day and noticed that the washer bottle is absultly disgusting inside, a layer of brown gunk is jsut covering the inside of the bottle and obviously i want to get that sorted ASAP so it doesnt wreck my system if it hasnt already and also its spraying dirty water all over my windscreen and car, the little gauze was still in so im not sure where this crap has come from but anyway..

has anyone ever cleaned one out? if so whats the best way of doing it? should i use some sort of solution eg bleech (when its off the car obivously) if its not easy then ill just buy a new one but dont want to be spending money if i dont have to

thanks in advance

 

[Andrewcupra TDI]

can u remove the gauze mesh ??

i would have thought a cheap baby bottle brush would be ok

 

[Coalesy]

yeah you can remove the mesh, yeah that could work, i thought about a toothbrush but dont think it will reach the bottom

i might just get jet wash out and abit of TFR init first, or brake cleaner that should shift it

 

[FR+TDI]

Its mould! For some obscure reason screenwash goes mouldy. Got the same problem with my Altea which is a problem as it fooks the spray jets Tried adding TFR to the screenwash (now using proper VAG stuff) but no difference..... The pipes & jets were all full of this jelly like gunk, took the dealer ages to get most of it out - company car glad I wasnt paying! If anyone knows of a quick fix for this I'd also like to know!

 

[LEE69]

Remove it and place it in the dishwasher (if you have one) or will need a thorough manaul clean.

Price up a new one and let us know

 

[Pat J]

I haven't tried it in my Leon but I remember from a few years back when my dad had a Smart car with the same problem he flushed it through by putting Milton sterilising fluid through mixed with near boiling water for two washer bottles full, and then put the screen wash in again just sat spraying the water/sterilising fluid through the jets and the amount of crud that came out was unreal. Seems this a problem with a lot of newer cars depends on the type of screenwash you use.

 

[Markyboyt]

I rinsed mine out when I got the car, just take it off, put some hot water in, cover the holes and shake away.

Its a common problem with screenwash, ive actually cleaned out 4 bottles in the last week, least the Leon one isn't hidden in the wing lol.

The only fix i've found for it is using BMW screen wash, if you smell it you'll know why, it seems to have a high alcohol content in it.
even the holts screenwash seems to suffer from this, the other fix would be to use it all instead of keeping it topped up

 

[godber225r]

I used a half inch artists brush and bent the metal bit 45 degrees and cleaned the bottle in situ and syphoned the water out of it. just keep doing it till the water in there is clean. took me about half an hour. Steer clear from supermarket screenwashes. i use the vw one and its all good so far

 

[Danzibar9]

Mine didnt get all mucky but it was kicking up. Smelt like egg. So i got some of those Chlorine tablets and every now and then i just pop one in and it sorts it. Stops any mould building up.

 

[Andrewcupra TDI]

wont that effect the paintwork tho , ??

 

[Coalesy]

yea ill give some these ideas ago tonight a think, see how it goes, if it fails ill just buy a new one, there £17.61 retail from dealer so its not all that bad.

cheers for the info!

ill let you know how tit goes lol