Smelly screenwash
I have a 59-reg Ford Fiesta. Since I have had the car, I get a rotten egg smell when I use the wiper lever to spray screenwash on the front windscreen. I haven’t noticed the smell coming through the back wiper. I have changed to different types of screenwash and it has improved, but only slightly. I am currently using Tesco Ready to Use Screen Wash and it works fine, but there is still a slight odour. I was previously using Home Bargains screenwash, which was worse , so do I need to go to somewhere like Halfords and try screenwash from a company that looks after cars? Robert Foley
The bad smell from the screenwash is probably due to bacteria in the tubes. This is certainly not something you should ignore as a preliminary study by the HPA in 2010 stated that: “Windscreen wiper water may be the cause of 20% of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in England and Wales”. Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially lethal lung infection usually spread by bacteria in water systems. The study went on to say that using a washer additive prevented the problem.
There are a few different solutions for cleaning out the pipes. The easiest is to use sterilising fluid intended for baby bottles. For under £5, you can get a 1-litre bottle of Milton Sterilising Fluid. First drain the washer bottle and top it up with the sterilising fluid, then run the washers for a while to flush the pipes and leave the system overnight. As a precaution, I would rinse the fluid from the vehicle bodywork, even though it should not cause any harm to the paintwork. After the system has been sitting overnight, run the rest of the sterilising fluid through the system and top up with fresh screenwash and water.
Alternatives to using sterilising fluid are either a denture tablet dissolved in warm water or else some white vinegar, although the vinegar may leave a pungent odour.