LOTS of small pitting on my windshield

R

rheostaticsfan

New member
My windshield always looks like it has a layer of dust on it. I spent some significant time with chrome polish this weekend and wasn't able to make a difference at all.



Is there anything I can do to minimize the look of these pits? They drive me nuts when I'm driving.



Thanks for any suggestions!
 
rheostaticsfan- Welcome to Autopia!



Unfortunately, IME the only answer is a new windshield. Which can make for a dilemma on collector cars that oughta be kept original..drives me nuts on some of my older cars.



I've read something (sorry, forget the details) about some effective glass polishes, but I dunno which ones are supposed to be good. The normal ones you see on the market won't do it. IIRC the aggressive ones have to be used via rotary polisher...maybe the dreaded SEARCH would bring something up.



IIRC, Eastwood Company: Auto Tools, Body Repair, Classic Car Restoration, Paint Guns, Powder Coating, Soda Blasters, Fender Rollers sells something along those lines, but I've never tried it.



If you *do* find something that works, please post back so we can know about it.
 
Unfortunately, claying a windshield will not remove pits in the glass. It is much too hard.



TH0001 had a good thread about the LC glass polishing kit, but it apparently got garbled in either the drama surrounding him, or the crash.



But I agree with Acc. Probably the best answer is a new windshield.
 
My pontiac had the same problem from driving i95 every day for 30 minutes. If it is in fact rock chips from highway travel, your only option is new glass. Glass polishing can take out a lot, but to get pits out with it, you will most likely distort the glass to get it perfect again. Cheaper and easier to get new glass.
 
I guess I was hoping there might be a filler product I could use to fill up the pits. Something like the treatment you can get done for large stone chips, but on a much smaller scale.



Am I dreaming?
 
i had the same problem as prix03gt with driving I95 every day for a half hour...the whole front of my Murano is covered in rock chips, and my windshield seems pitted. I'm not sure how to correctly describe it, but it's almost like its overspray from something. What's the best way to get rid of this? I never tried the claying suggestion...is there a certain clay I should use? or a certainn polish? I have a orbital so I can utilize that if needed..
 
Yes glass can be polished, but it takes special tools and products. We do antique windshields every week, and yes it improves them greatly.

 
reparebrise said:
Yes glass can be polished, but it takes special tools and products. We do antique windshields every week, and yes it improves them greatly.
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How does the process differ between older auto glass and the more modern stuff? I don't know the specifics, but newer glass is very different...more "plasticy" if you will, and I'd imagine you polish it differently.



E.g., I still remember how it was a night/day difference when Jaguar changed their glass; one generation of cars had one glass and the next had something completely different that marred *so* easily.



It's like the way you can use steel wool and (metal) razor blades on old glass but those sometimes scratch up more modern stuff.



Can you get the same results on current autoglass that you can on the older stuff?
 
Why not use a compound like M105 and then a fine polish?



I've had some success with Klasse AIO on windshields before.

Minor marring, of course.
 
Balthazarr said:
Why not use a compound like M105 and then a fine polish?
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M105 cleans glass pretty well but doesn't do any correction on it IME. Meguiar's used to recommend their #4 Heavy Cut for this and they didn't expect *it* to correct anything either.



Of course all glass isn't the same so YMMV...



I've had some success with Klasse AIO on windshields before.

Minor marring, of course.
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Heh heh, I can't even correct minor marring on *paint* with KAIO.
 
Balthazarr said:
Why not use a compound like M105 and then a fine polish?



I've had some success with Klasse AIO on windshields before.

Minor marring, of course.
Click to expand...



As Accumulator said, polishes that are meant for paint will do a decent job of cleaning glass, but they aren't capable of doing any abrasive polishing. You need a *real* glass polish that contains abrasives capable of abrading glass. I think Cerium Oxide is used quiet a bit in glass polishes as the abrasive.



rheostaticsfan said:
I guess I was hoping there might be a filler product I could use to fill up the pits. Something like the treatment you can get done for large stone chips, but on a much smaller scale. Am I dreaming?
Click to expand...



I asked that question just last month on a glass repair forum. The answer was that several companies that make glass repair kits and resins are "working on it" and one said "real soon now", but nothing as of yet.



It just seems like today's windshields are not as well-made as they used to be, and are much more susceptible to pits, cracks, and damage in general.



Someone is going to make a fortune with a resin kit that will actually fill in and fix windshield pits. My Charger has barely 10k miles on it, and the windshield is so pitted out I can't stand it.
 
SuperBee364 said:
... My Charger has barely 10k miles on it, and the windshield is so pitted out I can't stand it.
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Heh heh, between that and the door you're gonna be shopping :chuckle:



But seriously, yeah...the S8 has maybe 14.5K on it and its windshield really bugs me too. The A8 (~93K) is on maybe its third one and it's far past due for another replacement. The one on the Jag has needed replaced for twenty-some years now!



Today's glass is lighter! Safer! Better at filtering UV rays! Bah, humbug...
 
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