Windshield polishing/restoration

[351stang]

Guys,

My 13 year old windshield is showing it's age, but I don't want to get an aftermarket replacement unless necessary. There are no cracks, but there are little sand sized pits and some haziness.

I've got a porter cable and it did a miracle restoration on my paint with some Meguiars products. (ultimate compound, ultimate wax)

Is there a glass restorer or polishing compound that you can reccomend? I've seen that Eastwood has a kit for like $50, but that is probably not a good investment of money/time over a $150 windshield replacement.

 

[NastyGT500]

You won't be able to get rid of the pits, but the scratches/etc can be removed via polishing.

It is not an easy chore, and it is possible to warp the glass while polishing and you may need to replace it in the end run...

Give it a shot and see how it turns out.

Use PLENTY of water and don't stay in one spot too long or have a lot of heat build up in one area and you will be ok.

Glass is A LOT harder than paint/clearcoat and will not polish as quickly or easily.

It is best suited to a rotary machine or a Flex 3401 (forced rotation), however you can use your DA.

Read up on it/watch some vids prior to doing it.

Use these pads: http://www.autogeek.net/carpro-rayon-glass-polishing-pad.html

Polish: http://www.autogeek.net/carpro-ceriglass-polish.html

 

[351stang]

Thanks for the links.

I don't really have scratches, it's mostly pits. I think I'll clean the best I can and replace the windshield when convenient.

 

[oldmodman]

I was able to polish out a windshield wiper score track on a 2002 Toyota Corolla.
I did this before all the new special glass polishes came out. I used a rotary polisher and a wool bonnet. And a slurry that I made from water and cerium oxide. I already had the cerium oxide because I had made my own telescope mirror way back in the 70's
It took all day to polish out the scratch and then remove the haze caused by the wool pad. I ended up using the rotary and a Meguiars medium pad. The initial polishing took about three hours, and the haze removal took about four hours. During the process I was constantly misting the work area with water from a pump garden sprayer. I kept the slurry in a little squeeze bottle and had to apply it (directly to the pads) about every five minutes.
It was the messiest job I have ever done. The stuff got everywhere. On me, the rotary ploisher, the entire car, the side of the house. EVERYWHERE!
It ended up looking like a new windshield.
Would I EVER do it again? HELL NO!
I would just order a new, replacement windshield.

 

[351stang]

I appreciate the feedback. I'm going to try using 0000 steel wool to remove any surface contaminants and call it a day. I don't want to mask off the car to use cerium oxides.

 

[03cobra#694]

I bought this from Amazon to hopefully get rid of the wiper streaks on the wives car. Haven't tried it yet, but has good reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RAQGXC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[92LX302]

@NastyGT500 - My GT gome some nasty water spots in the windows since I bought it. Would the same process work?

 

[geoffmt]

for $200 for a new windshield installed, its not worth the effort to polish out pits. if you make mistakes it will distort your vision out of the glass. I am changing out my audi A6 windshield for sand and gravel pits.

 

[oldstv]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^good point^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[NastyGT500]

@NastyGT500 - My GT gome some nasty water spots in the windows since I bought it. Would the same process work?

Yes, it would, however I feel that it would be overkill.

You should be able to polish out water spots with a dedicated glass polish, decently aggressive pad and the machine of your choice.

I like this stuff: http://www.autogeek.net/duragloss-nu-glass.html

 

[GT Premi]

Zaino makes a glass polish. It works pretty well.

Sent from my BlackBerry. The blacker the 'Berry, the sweeter the use!

 

[GT Premi]

Just saw that @Russo has "Unofficial Glass Tech" under his avatar. Maybe he can offer some advice.

 

[crazycarlo]

They make glass polishes and special glass pads. I've seen some awesome results. Mike Phillips just posted a how to on Autogeek. It's very very messy!!