Windshield Marks

[chadcj7]

So I have done some searching and I really couldn't find what I was looking for. I have noticed that on my windshield I have marks of where my windshield wipers travel. The mark seems the worse where they stop at the highest point.

I have tried washing my truck, using a big scrub brush on it, using stoners glass spray and even claying it with no success. I have some Meguiar's Ultimate Polish i was going to try but I am not sure if it would work or not to get rid of this?

Also I will mention that i have no machines at this point so everything will be done by hand. Let me know if you have suggestions. Also once fixed what should I put on the windshield to help prevent this from happening? Thanks

[Setec Astronomy]

If these are just surface rubber marks, you can try the UP or even Ultimate Compound, it won't harm the glass.

However, it sounds like you have what are known as "wiper trails" which are fine scratches in the glass caused by sand etc. particles becoming trapped between the wiper blade and the glass. Asian cars seem to have really soft glass which is particularly prone to this. If that is the case nothing but a machine is going to remove them.

[Mike Phillips]

If you're talking about a film of road grime on the glass you can remove this by hand using a glass water spot remover.

If you're talking about actual scratches IN the glass then you're going to need at a minimum a dual action polisher like a Porter Cable or Griot's Garage dual action polisher.


Wiper Marks or Wiper Scratches

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/ScratchesINGlass003.jpg




Full step-by-step process with lots of pictures and links to what you need on the AG store


Glass polishing - How to remove scratches in glass (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/78934-glass-polishing-how-remove-scratches-glass.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/2360/Cerium_Oxide_Glass_Polishing_Tools.jpg


:)

[chadcj7]

I don't think it is scratches. Have a ford truck so no soft asian glass. I will work to get a picture of this and see if that helps

[Mike Phillips]

Have a ford truck so no soft asian glass.




I'm not a glass expert nor a chemist nor an engineer, but I think glass is glass. I don't think Asian glass is softer than any other glass used by any other car manufacturer anywhere in the world.

The hard/soft discussion is about paint.


:)

[Setec Astronomy]

I'm not a glass expert nor a chemist nor an engineer, but I think glass is glass. I don't think Asian glass is softer than any other glass used by any other car manufacturer anywhere in the world.

Well, I'm not a glass expert or a chemist either, but car companies do have their own unique specifications for things, and anecdotally I can tell you that I see a difference between my Japanese and Detroit iron (er...glass), and I have particularly noted that Hyundai's are prone to wiper trails. Now, that could be driver habits and environment, but Todd Helme even used his wife's Hyundai for a glass polishing thread (back when he used to start those kinds of threads and had a wife).

I also remember Accumulator over on the other forum also noting that Asian glass seemed to scratch more easily. So maybe it's our imagination or other factors, but who knows.

[Mike Phillips]

So maybe it's our imagination or other factors, but who knows.




Next time I'm around a "Glass Person", I get their take.

I seem to meet guys that work in the glass industry at SEMA.


:)

[Eldorado2k]

I read through this thread a day or two ago and it got me thinking about this "soft Asian glass" [it sounds kinda catchy doesn't it? Lol]
Well anyways, I couldn't help but think to myself "hey I could've swore I read something simliar to this somewhere"
But I couldn't remember where.. Just now, while skimming through some threads on another forum I stumbled upon that thread again where someone mentioned that "Todays auto glass is mostly plastic"

This is the quote from his whole post: [btw it turns out it's from the same guy that Setec Astronomy mentioned in his post. I happened to find it by accident though]

Re: Rain-X
"I wouldn`t use steel wool on auto glass these days, not even copper/brass wool. Remember that today`s autoglass is mostly plastic and it can be amazingly easy to scratch up.

I have/use some *OLD* RainX on the Crown Vic`s windshield just because the previous owner did and I don`t want to bother polishing it off (yeah, I coulda/woulda/shoulda done it when I did the new-to-me detail but that wasn`t in the cards). No issues at all. So I dunno if it`s really the RainX gone bad.

I`d probably do the Glass Pad w/appropriate Polish (though I`ve done fine just polishing glass with the same stuff I use on paint).

Welcome to Autopia jsuper, wish I had a better answer for you."

Here's the link to the actual post. I hope I'm doing this right, I'm a total noob when it comes to this kinda stuff + I'm doing this on a phone.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/car-detailing-product-discussion/185583-rain-post2069068.html#post2069068

For the record: I think glass is glass. I don't believe in "soft Asian glass" I haven't done any research on the subject, and I could be wrong but I just don't see how it could be true that some automotive glass could be "mostly plastic". I know there's a plastic film lining the inside of the glass to prevent it from shattering during a collision, but that's the inside.. Anyways, just thought I'd post and maybe someone can provide a definitive answer about it.