ran my car too many times thru the drive thru car wash with the wax feature.

Now the windshield never wipes clean due to wax build up etc..

what is the best stuff to remove that crap?

 

windex or similar..

 

Stoner Invisible Glass is the best window cleaner EVER. Cheap too. Available at any car parts store.

 

hot water and good car wash detergent then windex

 

I have friends that swear by using a newspaper and windex. They say the ink doesn't get on the glass or anything.

 

Use windex and #0000 steel wool.

Seriously.

 

Well the best and safest way to remove wax is by using dish soap such as Dawn. I'm surprised car wash wax has built up on your windshield, their wax usually lasts only a couple of days.

Either way, I'd recommend using a little Dawn and warm water, then drying the windshield off. Windex is horrible, and unless you go through a detailing supplies vendor, the best stuff you can buy is Stoner's Invisible Glass. Hit the windshield with that, some steel wool (it's safe) and a lint free rag.

 

lacquer thinner and a rag. use some steel wool for the rough spots.
that'll get anything off!

(don't get the thinner on your paint.)

 

a) As infiniti said, clean the wax off using Dawn or similar
b) Clay the windshield with a decent claybar
c) Check out a decent glass polish (e.g. Zaino Z-12, Autoglym) to remove any imperfections
d) I have used regular washer fluid to clean the wiper blades.

 

Can that get rid of fine scratches? I have a ton of fine scatches and it makes it really hard to see when the sun hits it late in the afternoon. Do I have any hope, or will I have to just suck it up and get a new windshield? Thanks.

 

i had a similar prob.... denatured alcohol is the best or rain-x, rain-x is mostly denatured alcohol and it makes the windshield great in the rain, follow directions exactly!! i cleaned my window with the best glass cleaner like five times and it was still there... iwent to a shop and asked about it he handed me rain-x and said to use it, so i did... eventhough i cleaned it sooo much the rag was black from all the stuff the rain-x took off.

 

I agree with upstatemax,
I always have a bottle of rain-x in my trunk and i am always appying it.
I use the liquid type for my windsheild washer fluid and then the spray or rags ever other week just to get road crap the gets all over.

 

I don’t tailgate or drive close behind trucks and I have the same problem.

What can we do to fix this; I can’t see crap when the sunlight hits the windshield cause of all the spots of etched glass.

Just always figured that the only way to fix this was to replace the windshield.

 

I believe that the only way to fix this is to replace the windshield. Unless I'm missing something, its just caused by tiny chips or imperfections in the glass that show up over time, and they cause the light to be directed in all kinds of weird ways thus limiting your vision.

 

well, I'll never have this problem (hand wash only) I use Stoners.

but how in the world does one clean the interior winshield? everything seems to streak, and it's very difficult with the angle...

 

I started using Autoglym window polish along with a glass cleaner a few months ago. Stuff does make a little bit of a mess when removing after hazeover. Just lots of little bits of it everywhere. Try cleaning, then polishing the windows before washing the car. But it works great. I used to use Rain-X, which was a pain to apply and would wear off in about two weeks. After using this, the rain reacts the same way on your windshield and has no initial streaking appearance. Give it a try.

 

The key is to use two rags, one wet and one dry. The best are lint free rags which are blue and sort of have a thick, rough cotton feel to them but they're hard to find outside of vendors because they're originally used in hospitals. Some people like microfiber as well and there's always the newspaper trick or plain old paper towel.

Use one rag to clean one side of the inside windshield (drivers or passenger side) and use the other dry rag to dry off the leftover glass cleaner. The trick is to rub the glass with the rag with a decent amount of pressure for the right amount of time so that you eliminate streaks in the process of drying. Those hard to reach areas are still reachable, just by changing your angle or grip on the rag. When I first starting detailing professionally, I dried the glass off in a circular motion and it seemed to help a bit.

 

I've noticed I have the same problem that my wipers doesn't wipe very well, since I just put a new blade in it. it was clattering, so I had to wash and clean the windsheild with HOT SOAPY water then rinse it down. Seem to be an improvment.

 

For interior streak-free glass, infinitishock is right on. Buffing with a dry rag is the key to getting rid of streaks.

When applying Rain-X, I do the following to avoid any leftover haze:
1. Clean windows with a window cleaner (Doesn't have to be perfect, just clean)
2. Apply Rain-X with a rag on all exterior glass.
3. Wash car, including windows, like normal.
4. Dry entire car.
Your exterior glass will be treated with Rain-X without the problem of buffing the haze off. I normally get 6+ months of rain beading with each Rain-X application. This may vary for you depending on how often you clean your glass. I clean mine pretty much daily.

A personal observation is that Rain-X lasts longer than Castrol AccuVision. AccuVision is easier to apply, but wears off for me in about a month. Even so, I still use both depending on how much time I've got to detail glass, and use AccuVision for a "quickie".

WalMart has blue microfibers for glass made by Black Magic that work very well. They have a very short nap, don't leave streaks or lint, and have a little "pocket" on one corner for your finger to get tight spots. I also use old white sheets cut in to smaller squares that work really well. Whatever you use, make sure you wash and rinse the cloths thoroughly, and DO NOT use fabric softener of any kind (it causes streaks).

Dave
Dave

 

Just another hint with RainX. If you have a small, low power orbital buffer, its a great way to buff off the RainX and is typically perfect. I also find that RainX lasts a very long time. The first time I used it, I re-applied in 3 months only because I didn't know how long it was going to last and I wanted to have an application for the winter, but there was still good beading on my windows.

Good tip on those blue rags from Walmart -- I like the idea of the finger tip corner.

 

I too have many swirl/small scratches on the outside of my windshield. How effective are products like Z-12 and Autoglym?