I just have to vent because every morning now on the way to work the sun is in just the right position to show off every smudge and chip on the windshield. There are way way way to many nick's in a windshield with only 9,000 miles on it. What the hell kinda glass are they using???

 

Borosilicate (btw, borosilicate is cheap, disposible glass)

 

I guess they've been using this junk for a while cause my '94 had ton's of chips also. I wonder if BMW and companies like Mercedes use this junk?

 

Tell me about it. My windshield looks like it has 100k miles on it. Here are two ways out of it. Goto www.zainobros.com and get yourself some windshield polish. Or here's the second way that worked for me. Clean your windshield real nice and sit in your car on a sunny day. Now look all around your windshield while moving your head left to right and up and down (I'm not joking). You will see some blotches where the clear coat was dripped on and is not too thick. If this falls where your wipers go then your set. Goto the dealer and tell them that this distorts your view of the road while driving and it falls within your "field of view." After the rep comes out you will get a nice shinny new windshield.

Paul

 

if you drive on the highway or tailgate people, or drive on roads w/ lots of debris, you will have chips, BMW, AUdi, mercedes, or nissan. It doesn't matter.

 

I'm impressed that you knew what the name of the material was.



[QUOTE]Originally posted by Maximum Velocity


Borosilicate (btw, borosilicate is cheap, disposible glass) [/QUOTE

 

I thought I was the only one that felt this way! i have about 5 chips in my windshield. I was thinking about replacing it w/ an aftermarkte windshield.


[QUOTE]Originally posted by silvermaxd
I'm impressed that you knew what the name of the material was.

Quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Velocity


Borosilicate (btw, borosilicate is cheap, disposible glass) [/QUOTE

 

Guess how much they charge for that piece of junk windshield? 765.00 dollars. I guess paying 60 bucks for a rock chip repair isn't so bad now.

 

Check with your insurance company. Some companies will replace windshields due to chips and such because it is a hazard to drive with. Company paying for a windshield is better than paying for a whole wrecked car cause you crashed due to the fact that you couldn't see.

 

I was sitting in my parked Maxima waiting for the signal to change green and my windshield just cracked about the size of grain of sand. I heard some Altimas and 84-94 Mercedes having the same problem. Apparently the glass manufactuer must have left a weak air space in the glass. When the intensity of the sun hits the space at just the right angle and intensity, the refraction of the energy will excite the electrons in the space and cause a crack. I think that's what my AP Physics teacher told us years back.

As far as aftermarket goes, there are a lot of cheap Taiwan made windshields that will give you more problems. Most importantly, you have to find a shatter-proof windshield. In an accident, you want the glass to hold together and not spray you.

 

I know this for sure. The windshield on my old 89 SE was far better and thicker.
Besides the chips, the new glass also scratches if you look at it wrong.

I've also noticed that in a rain storm going above 50 mph the noise is unbelievably loud from the rain drops. My old car was much quieter. I attribute this to the new glass being thinner to save weight and $$$ to manufacture.

When I replace mine I will try and get an aftermarket glass which is thicker and better.

Next time it rains, turn down the tunes and see what I mean - it's bloody obnoxious!

 

just about all insurance companies will pay for one free windshield install per yr (or every 2 yrs).

 

http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jht...D=4526&BQ=jcw2

They got a windshield polishing kit for $28 and it works great, all you need is a drill. I used it plently of times on my other cars, great job for $28.

Dixit

 

you can polish the glass? how abrasive is that stuff?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by silvermaxd
I'm impressed that you knew what the name of the material was.

Quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Velocity


Borosilicate (btw, borosilicate is cheap, disposible glass) [/QUOTE

Nah, I don't actually know what the windshield is made of. But I was thinking borosilicate because it is of such cheap quality. However, you never know what it's made of...could actually be borosilicate! lol

 

It is not abrassive at all, it is just enough to get wiper marks and very light light scratches out. I mean if you move your fingernail across the windshield and it does not catch on the scratch, then this thing will take it out.

Very nice, Restoration shops use it all the time on ol' school cars cause they cant find the windshields half the time

 

how about the zaino bros stuff. will remove those light 'scratches' too? or will it just clean out the stuff inside making them look clear?

 

This is a bit more abrasive and will take out more scratches. The Zanio bros polish is like a light polish to make the glass shimmer and seem like it aint even there. It also helps in removing tar, bugs, and what not. This thing that JC Whitney sells is a totally different thing. It is a straight professional style polisher. Believe me you wont mess up the windshield.

Dixit

 

so go with the rotary polishing kit then finish it off with zaino huh? sounds good to me.
i gotta get some of that zaino stuff, tho. their stuff must be amazing.

 

That will probably do the trick. Great combo idea Serin..........

 

I've watched a pro polish out deep scratches in my rear window, thanks to the tinters cutting the film on the glass.
The secret is be patient, keep it wet and let the glass cool off every 20-30 seconds of polishing.
Too much heat and you'll remove the temper and crack the glass.
My guy worked for 3 hours to minimize about 12 inches of scratches which could be felt with a finger nail. The scratches were about 85% removed and I got tired of how long it took and told him it was good enough.

 

You can polish with that orbital set up but be real careful...today's glass is softer than that of 10+ years ago (when that polisher was designed). You may very easily over-polish a section of the glass which in turn will distort your field of view. In other words try not to put a flat spot in your curvature. THIS IS THE REASON WHY YOU CANNOT FIND A GLASS SHOP ANYWHERE THAT IS WILLING TO BUFF YOUR GLASS ANYMORE.

Try the polish available at zaino...
http://www.zainobros.com/files/info.htm#anchor38917
So far it's the only glass polish I've seen that works.

Paul

 

There is another company (Eastwood) that makes a product to polish glass. But from what I have seen on Autopia, the Zaino is a much better choice.

 

Ditto

 

my windshield is a junk too, like its been scratched by wiper blades. Whoever tries this Zaimo stuff or whatever please post a thread. Would there be a group deal? Is that stuff sold in stores?

 

Pretty good Keegs! Never heard of that before but maybe your right.



Shadou

 

http://www.zainobros.com/files/info.htm#anchor38917

If you live in Jersey you can purchase it in Howell. Otherwise there are distributers listed on the site. I just got the stuff yesterday and I'll be using it this weekend. My buddy got it for his car and it did wonders so I have no doubt as to the products abilities. The wax's are great and the guy on the phone is even better...he'll help you out as to which products to choose and how to use them. It's hard to find such a great line of products with such service backing them up.

Paul

 

Paul, let us know how that works out for you, ok? And how much $ is this staff?

 

It's $13 a bottle. They have whole bunch of other products and I just spent about $75 on all of them (they sure got me). The stuff does look good though (at least on my buddies passat). I will give a full update as soon as I work over the whole car. I'll post it to this thread and to a new one under 5th gens (cuz you know how that 5th gen paint is...). Speaking of which...it seems that as my car gets older the paint is getting tougher!!!! I haven't gotten a new chip in about 30k miles (yeah I just broke 41k on my 2000.0). I did get a whole bunch in the first 7.5k though. Is nissan's paint not adhering/drying for 7500 miles???? Anyone else have similar results? Otherwise the car is tight as it was the day I picked it up.

Paul

 

I have 18K miles on mine...my bumper is all covered with nicks I cant even see what scratches are recent which ones are not. Like someone said, the clearcoat layer is too thin. Someone hit my car so it gets repainted.

 

Had to replace the windshield on my 2000 Maxima GLE with only 5250 miles on it-a small rock barely pinged the glass-cracked it about 1 inch-dead center. $765.00 is about what I had to pay (the insurance paid $200.00).

Had my 1978 280Z until 1999-122,000 miles, never replaced or repaired the windshield. Glass wasn't even scratched

 

Should have gotten full windshield coverage. I believe it only ranges about 20-50bucks a year on a policy.

 

Not sure if it's offered in NM; also, this is the first time I've ever cracked a windshield. I'll check with my agent. Muchas gracias!

 

I had a chip on my Maxima, I fixed it up, but the fix up kit fukckked up and it left all this crap on my windshield and i gota find a way to get rid of it

 

and I thought it was just my windshield that got those scrathes from nowhere...

 

I don't know if the windshield filling agent was the same as the one that was used on my friend's windshield, but there is a way to get that stuff out. The stuff that my friend used was similar to a surf board filling agent, if you're familiar with that product. Basically, it's a liquid goo that dries hard and glassy. One way to get this out is to sand it down, but very carefully so that you don't scratch the windshield around the fill/crack. The sanding will leave a little blemish but looks better. What was the stuff that you used, and where did you buy it? Either way, I hope this helps.