Cautions

[GM – 99/4/12] Warning: Don’t use harsh abrasives or sharp items on your windshield. This piece of glass is a laminate of plastic and glass and you can scratch the soft outer layer permanently. I learned this when I ruined a CRX windshield trying to clean it years ago.

 How Should I Clean The Glass?

[TP] While traditional glass cleaners such as Windex will work [to clean the outside of the front windshield], many people recommend Bon Ami cleanser to thoroughly clean the windshield. Products such as Meguires Auto Polish can also be used to help remove imperfections in the glass; apply, rub lightly in circular motions, let haze, wipe off.

[GM] Glass Plus, Griot’s. Try diluting either 1:1 with water. Use cotton towels instead of paper to reduce lint. I’ve tried Griot’s lint free towels, pretty mediocre IMO. Rain X Pre Cleaner 2000 for stains. I don’t like Zymol’s window cleaner, it seems to have some sort of Rain X type of chemical in it along with the cleaner.

If you can’t see out, you can’t see your car! Rain-X has two products that work very well and compliment each other. The first is the renowned Rain-X windshield protectant that everyone knows about. This is the SECOND step.. the one that no one seems to realize is out there is Rain-X Glass-Care 2000. Dorky name, fantastic product! It’s the cleaner for your glass that makes all the difference. Some people report that they have a problem with distortion/coloration/film on their cars when they use Rain-X. The problem isn’t the product itslef, but the product being applied over contaminated surfaces.

You can wash your windshield 20x with Glass Plus and it won’t take away the petroleum film you get from driving down the road. Ever been behind a tractor trailer and gotten that oily film? Sorry guys, but Glass Plus won’t help that much. The Glass-Care acts like the Fine Cut Cleaner but is specialized for windshields. Read the directions carefully and keep a hose nearby. Apply it with a wet applicator (soaked in distilled water is preferable) and work the product in overlapping circles. If you have a spare extra pad handy you can use a buffer to get pretty good results. Keep doing this until it starts to dry then rinse it until most of it is gone. Re-apply it another time and then wipe it down with a clean dry cloth. Make sure you get the side-windows, rear window, and the mirrors as well. I also use this on the headlights to clean the bugs, etc. off.

Time to Rain-X the windows! Apply this with a soft paper towel and work it in firmly until it dries to a haze. Buff it down with a clean dry towel and reapply it. Two or three light coats again go farther than one heavy coat. Get the side windows, mirrors, and headlights at the same time.

Eagle vision 20/20 will clean ANYTHING. This stuff is even safe for tined windows.

 What About Rain-X Type Products?

[KS] No problems have been reported with Rain-X and many users swear by it. Water will stick (rather than roll off) if there are any spots from bug splats and such. However, if you then wash the car, the Rain-X recovers its water-beading properties.

[HPA] I tried two new products that work. One’s the STP Vision Blade (like RainX, but lasts much longer). (Cost about $7.) The other is Eagle’s 20/20 glass cleaner. (Cost about $3.) Both work great. When I got caught in a downpour a few days back I only had to flick the wipers on a few times. The Windex is now gone thanks to the 20/20 glass cleaner (no streaks, hazing or fog residue). It even removes dog nose slime from the interior glass. Passengers have commented about how great the visibility is so it wasn’t just me thinking that. Besides, it beats the residual smell of "Summer’s Eve" as a glass cleaner.

 How Can I Remove Light Scratches In The Glass?

Rain-X makes a product specifically for this.

[MAE] 3M makes the product "Perfect-it swril mark remover for dark or light" cars. In my case my car is Red, so I went with the dark. It even seems to have cut down on headlight glare.

 
Apply it to the glass with a PAPER TOWEL, fold it in half,then again to make it thick,      put the wax the size of a dime in the center of the towel,apply more as needed.

 
In a counter clockwise turn,start applying it until it covers the whole glass area,      using some pressure if needed.

 
Use a piece of 100% flannel to take it off in a back and forth motion. Some pressure      might be needed. Flannel works best so no wax dust goes anywere.

 
Now get a new piece of flannel and buff it out. Use a fast motion, back and forth or      clockwise as if you were to shine a pair of shoes.

Reposted from the Alfa Digest – Glass polishing

Try Cerium oxide. Make a slurry paste with water and polish the glass with a random orbiter polisher (not sander). Make your glass absolutely clean and your polishing pad new (foam ok) and washed in a mild detergent. The polishing works best as the slurry begins to dry. Then add a little water and keep going. Don’t stay in one area too long. Be random and you won’t end up with any distortions.

Its important to be absolutely clean as one grain of sand caught in the pad will give you many thousands of fine scratches.( or one very long fine scratch depending on your point of view). Be ready to work for a number of hours before you see the results. This should remove the scratches.

Simon advised me to get Cerium Oxide for the glass as 10,000 grit Aluminum Oxide was too gritty for the glass – but it FELT really fine to me. I checked around the Net a little and found that Cerium is the stuff used to polish lenses and for other industrial glass applications – Aluminum oxide is NOT recommended for polishing only rougher cutting.

So I got myself some at my local friendly glass suppliers – it only comes in industrial sized tubs and they sold me some real cheap, along with some advice on mixing it. Anyway, a little mixed in water to form a reddish slurry on a cotton buffing pad with a drill gun (actually they used a kind of felt) and an hour later, the haze/scratches were gone.

I drove at night and the dazzle and glare was gone too. It will not remove deep cuts though. I figure that the glass on my car is at least 15 years old and so some pitting was acceptable but most importantly the optical clarity was back and improved. I will continue to do more polishing on the glass – wonder what it will do on my Swiss army knife and Casio…

 How Can I Remove Stubborn Adhesive From Glass?

[KP] Anybody use 3M’s General Purpose Adhesive Remover? I finally picked some up after I heard several positive claims. I used it to get the really tough adhesive of a glass mount cellular antenna off. It worked great. In the instructions, 3M claims it is safe to use on painted surfaces. I think this stuff is a worthwhile addition to the ol’ chemical shelf.

Car Care