Glaco Australia | Every Glaco Compared | Alpha Details Melbourne
The rain repellent Australia keeps searching for, explained properly
Glaco is Soft99's family of glass water repellents. Alpha Details is an authorised Australian Soft99 stockist and carries every Glaco product available in the Australian market: Ultra Glaco, Glaco DX, all three sizes of Roll On, Glaco Blave, Mirror Coat Zero, and the Glass Compound prep. This page is the short course in what each one is, which one to buy, and why they sometimes fail — written by a chemist, with every instruction taken from Soft99's own product pages.
What Glaco actually is
Glaco is not a wiper additive and it does not treat the water — it coats the glass. Automotive glass is a silicate network, and its surface is naturally water-loving: rain wets out across it in a sheet, which is exactly what you do not want in front of your eyes at 100 km/h. A Glaco layer lowers the surface energy of the glass, so water can no longer spread and pulls itself into beads instead.
The chemistry is not the same across the family. Soft99 lists Ultra Glaco as a fluorine-based water repellent using its Fusso technology (a fluoropolymer chemistry, per Soft99's European sheet). Blave lists silicones and alcohols, DX lists alcohols, siloxanes and acids, and the Roll On Large and MAX list silicones, acids and alcohols. Mirror Coat Zero is different again: a spray that leaves a layer of silica crystals. Soft99 does not publish the formulation of the standard Roll On. We quote the ingredient lists as Soft99 gives them and go no further.
On speed: Soft99 says that once you are driving at 45 km/h or more, water flies off a Roll On-treated windscreen, and its European sheet says Ultra Glaco repels water at speeds as low as 45–60 km/h.
Which Glaco should you buy?
The Glaco liquids all do the same basic job — repel water from glass — but they differ in chemistry, durability and which surfaces they are allowed on. Pick on those, and follow Soft99's directions for the exact product in your hand.
Ultra Glaco — the flagship. Fluorine-based, rated by Soft99 for up to a year of water repellency per application — the longest durability figure Soft99 gives in the family. It goes onto clean, dry glass, dries for 5–10 minutes, wipes off with a damp towel, and then needs to stay dry for 12 hours. Glass only: Soft99 says not to use it on the inside of glass, on transparent plastics or on glass that is already coated. If you buy one Glaco, buy this one.
Glaco DX — the strong mid-tier. Soft99 calls it the most powerfully repellent glass coating in the Glaco series and rates it at 4 months. The routine is the same: clean, dry glass, a criss-cross application, 5–10 minutes to dry and a damp-towel wipe-off. Glass only — not for plastic, interior surfaces, specially coated glass or side mirrors.
Glaco Roll On — the felt-applicator original. Press the felt applicator to clean, dry glass, rub it in, let it dry for 5–10 minutes, then wipe off the residue with a damp, wrung-out towel. Soft99 gives no durability figure for it. Also in Large (120ml) and MAX (300ml) for bigger glass or repeat treatments.
Glaco Blave — glass and plastic. Soft99 calls it the first Glaco suitable for both plastic and glass, and suggests headlight lenses, lamp covers, wind guards, helmet shields and goggles as well as glass. It is not a wash-in product: apply it to a clean, dry surface and wipe it straight off with the supplied cloth — no waiting.
Glaco Mirror Coat Zero — side mirrors only. A spray that leaves a layer of microscopic silica crystals on a thoroughly cleaned, dry mirror. It needs about an hour to dry in summer and two in winter, and Soft99 says never to touch or wipe the coated mirror. Not for window glass, transparent plastics or repainted cars.
Why Glaco "didn't last" — it is almost always the prep
Every Glaco liquid is meant for clean, dry glass. Soft99 says other coatings, traffic film or excess liquid make the liquid repel instead of spreading, and its DX sheet says to remove any existing coating or film with an abrasive cleaner first. In our experience the usual culprits are old wax overspray, silicone residue from previous dressings and the mineral film left by evaporated water spots. Apply over that layer and the coating won't take evenly, so it fails early. This is the single most common reason people report a Glaco not lasting, and it is not the coating's fault.
The fix is in the same family. Glaco Glass Compound Roll On is Soft99's glass prep: an abrasive compound with a felt pad that removes stubborn stains and traffic film and, per Soft99, remnants of Ultra Glaco. You polish until the water repellency is completely gone, rinse well with water and dry the glass. For heavier mineral marks, Glass Stain Cleaner is the stronger option. Strip first, then coat.
What we will not claim about Glaco
Alpha Details is run by a chemist who will not publish a claim he cannot source, so three things belong here in plain words.
The durability figures are Soft99's own. Up to a year on Ultra Glaco and four months on DX are Soft99's figures, measured in Japan, not independent Australian testing. Soft99 gives no figure for the Roll On range or Blave, and says durability depends on usage. Australian UV, long commutes and hard wiper use all pull against a coating.
The Glaco Wiper range is not available in Australia. Soft99 makes wiper blades it recommends for Glaco-treated glass, because ordinary wiper rubber can be damaged by Glaco or rattle on treated glass. All nine of those SKUs are unavailable in this market and we do not expect them back, so we do not list them. If your wipers start to judder after treating the glass, make sure every trace of residue has been wiped off, and replace worn blades.
Rain Drop and Tornado Vortex are not Glaco. They are a different Soft99 chemistry (the G-RAS shield) that coats body and glass in one pass — around five months of gloss and beading on paint and roughly three months of rain repellence on glass. Genuinely useful, but a different tool. Several stores file them under Glaco; they are not, and the distinction matters if you are buying for the windscreen specifically.
Frequently asked questions — Glaco in Australia
Where can I buy Glaco in Australia?
Here. Alpha Details carries every Glaco product available in the Australian market, stocked in Melbourne and shipped Australia-wide, free over A$95, with same or next business day dispatch on in-stock lines.
Which Glaco lasts the longest?
Ultra Glaco — Soft99 rates it at up to a year per application. Glaco DX is rated at 4 months, and Soft99 gives no durability figure for the Roll On range or Blave.
Why did my Glaco stop beading after a few weeks?
Almost always the prep. Soft99 says to apply only to clean, dry glass, and an existing coating, traffic film or excess liquid makes the liquid repel. Strip the glass with Glaco Glass Compound Roll On first, then re-coat.
Can I use my wipers over Glaco?
Yes, but Soft99 warns that ordinary wiper rubber can be damaged by Glaco or rattle on treated glass, and recommends its own Glaco wipers, which are not sold in Australia. If your blades judder, wipe off any residue and replace worn rubber.
Can I use Glaco on plastic?
Only Blave, per Soft99. Ultra Glaco and DX are glass only, and Soft99 says not to use them on transparent plastics such as headlights.
Is Glaco a ceramic coating for glass?
No. The Glaco liquids are water-repellent treatments — fluorine-based in Ultra Glaco's case, silicones in Blave and the larger Roll On sizes, siloxanes in DX — rather than a ceramic coating. Mirror Coat Zero is a separate silica-crystal spray for side mirrors only.
What is the difference between Glaco and Fusso Coat?
Glaco is the glass line; Fusso Coat is the paint line — a fluoropolymer (PTFE) sealant for clearcoat. Same company, different surfaces. The full story is on our Soft99 Australia page.
Buy Glaco in Australia
The whole family is stocked and shipping from our Heidelberg West, Melbourne studio — free delivery over A$95.
Want the wider story of the company behind it — the 1954 Osaka wax house, the vending machines, the Tokyo Stock Exchange listing? It is in our Soft99 brand piece and on the Soft99 Australia page. Not sure which Glaco suits your car? Ask us — that conversation is free.