REMOVAL of Glass Scratches with CarPro and a Griots DA

[waynvision]

Excellent review! Very well written and includes meticulous detail. I appreciate it tremendously. I too have struggled with some hazing trying to remove some scratches on my rear windshield (put there when the foreign tags were badly removed, resulting in many 'brillo' ovals at the left and right corners of the windshield.) I bought the Ceriglass here at AG and tried it with my Griots DA. I too had a problem with the drying... as you say, a much more different technique is required as opposed to regular paint polshing/correction.
Interestingly, I had better results using the Ceriglass by hand, just a much more laborious process. I've recently gotten the 3" and 5" Carpro glass pads and now with your write-up and recommendations, I feel confident that I'll finally be able to remove those scratches. This is why I continue to monitor AG's forum, you can pick up some really good (and much needed) advice.
And thanks for confirming the tremendous reviews I've read about those Fast Glass towels. I'll be sure to pick some of those up.

[ihaveacamaro]

GREAT review!

[Mc'lovin]

Hey,

This is one excellent write up. Usually when I see reviews which are this long I just scroll down rapidly, but you did manage to get my attention all way through - Kudos!

One thing that did bother me (about the process) was that it took you 2.5 hours to do the windshield alone. I mean - 2.5 hours?? Seriously? I very well may be missing something here, but I would like to believe CarPro did not intend of creating a product that would demand this amount of investment by the user?

In any case, thanks for sharing your great tips!

[AutowerxDetailing]

Fantastic write up! The results are night and day! I need to give those CarPro glass pads a shot. I have only used the LC glass cutting pads and TBH wasn't entirely thrilled with them. I had no idea the CarPro pads were so much thicker... Thanks!

One thing that did bother me (about the process) was that it took you 2.5 hours to do the windshield alone. I mean - 2.5 hours?? Seriously? I very well may be missing something here, but I would like to believe CarPro did not intend of creating a product that would demand this amount of investment by the user?

Regarding time spent: It really depends on what the condition of the glass is to begin with and your desired end results that will determine how long it's going to take. If you are simply removing etched water spots you might only spend about 5 minutes per window. Removing wiper marks, haze, and scratches takes MUCH longer.

[Fishincricket]

I've gotta try this, but I've got some pretty funky scratches.. How deep of a scratch can this correct?

[mr.fusion]

I'm impressed with the results shown here, with the products used. 2.5 hours doesn't surprise me at all. lol

Polishing scratches from glass is difficult to say the least, even though some professional systems claim it's fast and easy. I've used a couple very different systems and have researched plenty of others. I've done quite a bit as a side service to my windshield repair business for car dealers, removing scratches, water spots, etched marker writing, etc. It's not something I like to do, though. There is a limit to the damage that can be fixed which a customer never likes to hear, and sometimes you don't know exactly what's possible so some jobs end up being a wasted effort, while others come out better than expected.

There is a reason why most glass shops don't do it.... especially on cars, because it's generally not cost effective compared to replacement. The glass polishing market is in high dollar commercial jobs, where the glass is a lot more expensive. The guys who do it commonly charge $60-100 an hour and sometimes more... a lot more if they are bidding a big job.

But for a DIY or working on a classic car, etc where a replacement glass is expensive or a last resort... it makes sense to take time to try to restore it. Severe damage, deep scratches or pitting... may be possible to fix but would probably require a more aggressive method such as one of the systems that uses abrasive discs to "sand" the surface and then bring it back to a clear finish.

[swanicyouth]

It takes a while, I'm sure others can do it much faster. You could use the set- up to remove water spot or glass contaminants much quicker, but that would be overkill IMHO. As, with the before prep and clean up it takes a bit of time and work, you would likely be better off using the Pinnacle Water Spot Polish for glass. It's impossible to use this polish without slinging it everywhere Reason being, it goes from the consistency of water to dried White Out in no time, so a lot of times you are buffing with something the consistency of water.

Excellent review! Very well written and includes meticulous detail. I appreciate it tremendously. I too have struggled with some hazing trying to remove some scratches on my rear windshield (put there when the foreign tags were badly removed, resulting in many 'brillo' ovals I bought the Ceriglass here at AG and tried it with my Griots DA. I too had a problem with the drying

You will likely be able to fix it. The secret is to keep spraying water and keep the polish wet. You don't want to rinse it away, but you never want it to get pasty or dry. A lot of times I was buffing with a very watery slurry. You want to spray enough to keep it wet, without having the polish all run down the glass. If you do this, you can work it for a very long time and remove some pretty noticeable scratches. Also, the pads or glass won't get hot, as the keep getting cooled by the water. You will also need to re-wet the polish to remove it when you are done.

If you have a Griots, you may want to keep the bale handle on, as I know a lot of guys remove them. You won't necessarily use it while buffing directly, but it came in handy to kind of lean my wrist on while my hand was on the polisher head to grab to water bottle. It really did take out all the scratches (pits will remain).

Believe me, I was as surprised as anyone how well it worked. This isn't the first product it took me a second try to get right.

[VISITOR]

this day & age with all the new pads and different products available (and keeps evolving), there doesn't seem to be much of anything that the DA isn't capable of taking care of. nice write-up, thanks for taking the time to share...

[90sedan]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to do this. Just the info i was looking for, since my first attempt at polishing glass didn't go as well either.

[umi000]

Great write-up, detailing the process taken, usage of the products, and results achieved clearly. I'm bookmarking this in case I ever need to remove scratches from glass