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Seriously? You Have To Provide Your Own Water Bottle For The Windshield Washer?

zelio

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Windshield Wiper Bottle

A traditional vehicle has a thick plastic windshield wiper bottle, designed to last for at least 10 years and work well at -40 F to 140 F. In addition, when you buy windshield wiper fluid, you have to pour it in (usually spilling some on your shoes), and then a little bit remains that you don’t want to throw away and you don’t want to store. The actual cost of the well-designed windshield wiper bottle in today’s vehicle costs about $8.00. The Elio system is another simple but highly effective example; there is a depression in the engine compartment to put a 1-gallon jug of wiper fluid securely in place. The cap has the hose from the wiper fluid pump in the middle so all that is needed is to open the jug and screw on the cap. The cost of the bottle is free — it is included when you buy windshield wiper fluid.
Source: Elio Motors Tech Talk v22 - 6/18/14

Seems that September 2013 article was right!:cool:
I think this is a great idea. When I first heard about it I thought they meant the small drinking water bottle and that didn't make a lot of sense at all. However, 1 gallon bottle in the engine compartment is great. I always wasted almost as much of the fluid as I managed to get in the reservoir. Also when mine was topped off at oil changes, it wasn't always with the cleanest fluid - of course they insisted it was because the fluid in my container was already dirty. Yeh, right! It hadn't look dirty before the addition. Obviously we don't have to buy a proprietary brand of washer fluid. Yeah Elio Team!!!! :-) Z
 

fpelsdca

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Now - back to the more serious issue at hand, at least for us guys... Why not just run the catheter directly to the washer fluid bottle so it can remain full??? We just have to remember to keep using it before it overflows. We could even use something like this: http://www.topcathetersupplies.com/....&utm_campaign=Male&utm_adgroup=Ad Extensions

I can not imagine anyone sitting in the Elio driving 12 hours without stopping. When my wife and I drive cross country we stop every 45 minutes to 1.5 hours so I can top off the tank while she empties hers. Plus it is good to walk around a little to get the blood circulation flowing nicely. We loose a little time, but always better to keep the wife happy, lol, makes it a much more pleasurable trip.
 

DScott

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Windshield Wiper Bottle

A traditional vehicle has a thick plastic windshield wiper bottle, designed to last for at least 10 years and work well at -40 F to 140 F. In addition, when you buy windshield wiper fluid, you have to pour it in (usually spilling some on your shoes), and then a little bit remains that you don’t want to throw away and you don’t want to store. The actual cost of the well-designed windshield wiper bottle in today’s vehicle costs about $8.00. The Elio system is another simple but highly effective example; there is a depression in the engine compartment to put a 1-gallon jug of wiper fluid securely in place. The cap has the hose from the wiper fluid pump in the middle so all that is needed is to open the jug and screw on the cap. The cost of the bottle is free — it is included when you buy windshield wiper fluid.
Source: Elio Motors Tech Talk v22 - 6/18/14

Seems that September 2013 article was right!:cool:
I just saw that in the blog.. I was under the false impression they were talking about something like a soda bottle. this clearly makes more sense.
 

Lil4X

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Yeah, me too. I thought it was a regular "designer water" bottle. But a standard washer fluid bottle makes more sense. Ought to get about two years use out of a bottle on the Elio, unlike the gallon bottle on our van that has to service a huge windshield and the rear glass too. My last Lexus had a bottle that - had you been able to extract it - could have been a piece of modern sculpture, with odd bends, twists, wide spots, and strange shapes all over. I think the engineers found a space to put a cap, then filled whatever space was available below it with foam. Once it had set up they cut the front end of the car apart to see their "model" for constructing the water reservoir.

The result was a black cap on what appeared to be a 2" X 2" tank under the hood - you poured fluid into it while looking under the car to see where it was running out. It wasn't. It had to be going somewhere. A gallon and a half later, it was suddenly full. With washers for the windshield, back glass and the headlights, that thing could consume washer fluid and needed a BIG tank. Their engineers got one by using every available space between the right front fender well, the engine block, and the right headlight. If it ever had to be replaced, you'd probably have to disassemble a good part of the car.

Elio's solution may not have the showy engineering elegance, but it's a WHOLE lot more practical. At this point in my life, that's a lot more impressive. :cool:
 

Lil4X

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I can not imagine anyone sitting in the Elio driving 12 hours without stopping. When my wife and I drive cross country we stop every 45 minutes to 1.5 hours so I can top off the tank while she empties hers. Plus it is good to walk around a little to get the blood circulation flowing nicely. We loose a little time, but always better to keep the wife happy, lol, makes it a much more pleasurable trip.
True, while I used to bore on toward the horizon, I've learned the fun is the passage as much as the destination. My lovely wife is always on me about stopping and walking around for a few minutes every hour or so. She's right - as is too often the case - because it not only gives me a break from driving, but gives me a chance to enjoy the scenery without scanning the road ahead, instruments and mirrors. Her point is that it helps prevent DVT (deep vein thrombosis - Google it), something that all of us over 40 need to consider.
 

fpelsdca

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DVT, exactly. My wife also uses that excuse so she is not always having to use the bladder excuse. However, I have learned to never let a good potty break be wasted. I did that once on one of our cross country trips. Did not feel like I needed to go, but about 20 minutes later I wish I had. For me, I just held on to the pain until she said to stop again.
 

ThreeWheelBurnin

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Now - back to the more serious issue at hand, at least for us guys... Why not just run the catheter directly to the washer fluid bottle so it can remain full??? We just have to remember to keep using it before it overflows. We could even use something like this: http://www.topcathetersupplies.com/index.php?landing=top2&utm_source=BingAds&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=catheters men&utm_title=Save Money On Condom Catheters&utm_content=Best Condom Catheters Get the one with the Leak-Free Seal. Paid for by your Insurance.&utm_campaign=Male&utm_adgroup=Ad Extensions

I can not imagine anyone sitting in the Elio driving 12 hours without stopping. When my wife and I drive cross country we stop every 45 minutes to 1.5 hours so I can top off the tank while she empties hers. Plus it is good to walk around a little to get the blood circulation flowing nicely. We loose a little time, but always better to keep the wife happy, lol, makes it a much more pleasurable trip.

Hmmm. Sounds like a good reason to hope for a yellow color option.:p
 

DScott

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Yeah, me too. I thought it was a regular "designer water" bottle. But a standard washer fluid bottle makes more sense. Ought to get about two years use out of a bottle on the Elio, unlike the gallon bottle on our van that has to service a huge windshield and the rear glass too. My last Lexus had a bottle that - had you been able to extract it - could have been a piece of modern sculpture, with odd bends, twists, wide spots, and strange shapes all over. I think the engineers found a space to put a cap, then filled whatever space was available below it with foam. Once it had set up they cut the front end of the car apart to see their "model" for constructing the water reservoir.

The result was a black cap on what appeared to be a 2" X 2" tank under the hood - you poured fluid into it while looking under the car to see where it was running out. It wasn't. It had to be going somewhere. A gallon and a half later, it was suddenly full. With washers for the windshield, back glass and the headlights, that thing could consume washer fluid and needed a BIG tank. Their engineers got one by using every available space between the right front fender well, the engine block, and the right headlight. If it ever had to be replaced, you'd probably have to disassemble a good part of the car.

Elio's solution may not have the showy engineering elegance, but it's a WHOLE lot more practical. At this point in my life, that's a lot more impressive. :cool:
I dunno about the 2 year thing, with the milage the Elio is supposed to get, I'm thinking more roads trips ahead....
and more bug splatter . Same thing here on the reservoir.. my '95 Jeep has the motor built into it.. when the motor burned out ( or stopped working for whatever reason) the replacement cost was over $100. I said hell no. so now I have a water bottle inside the car and splash it on the windshield when needed.
 
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