OT: Car windshield cleaning Q?

[BobMCT]

There are so many DIY'ers here that I thought this would be the best place to ask this car Q?

On one of my vehicles (12 years old - parked outside all the time) the windshield has what appear to be rain streak patterns running down all over it. I've tried scrubbing with various window cleaners including spray invisible glass, windex, zep, etc and although it appears clean and clear when its done, from the inside (and especially when it rains or damp) those marks are still there.

Short of replacing the glass or grinding it down (both unreasonable) has anyone any suggestions as to what I can use to rid the surface of these marks/lines???

Any/all suggestions appreciated.

And Happy New Year everyone.

[philoÂÂ]

Did you wash /both/ the inside and the outside?

[DanG]

This requires EXTREME care. Acetone will cut the film left by RainX and other crud. It will also eat paint. I would try to clean the glass with acetone on a white cloth. Keep going until the cloth remains white. Then wash with the ammonia or alcohol mix.

Whenever you're doing any kind of windows, do the outside with vetical strokes and the inside with horizontal strokes. This is so that when you see streaks or whatever, you will know which side to spend the time cleaning again.

[bob haller]

in the past i have used gasoline to clean windows in vehicles.

although i have no idea what the new forumlation of gasoline would do. since they never evaporate

[RobertMacy]

Not sure the surrounding rubber will srvive gasoline on it.

Back in the late 50's, I've seen service station attendants [yes, they did exist once] use a bottle of coke. Just poured it on the windshield then washed normally. They swore it took off all the old road 'scuz'.

I just use Walmart Window Cleaner. Very cheap. That's stuff's good for removing latex paint, too.

[willshak]

The thread has morphed into the use and cleaning of Rain-X even though you did not mention having used Rain-X on your windshield. If you did, I use Rain-X and when the streaks appear I reapply Rain-X.

[Moe DeLoughan]

Same here. I've found Rain-X helps reduce the glare effect from scratches and pits on windshields, as if it fills them in and smooths the windshield out a little bit.

As for cleaning the windshield, be aware that the inside of the windshield will gradually accumulate a greasy film, and the exterior will often get streaks of mineral deposits from dirt/dust/mud and dirty rain. Standard window cleaning solutions don't do very well against the greasy film and mineral deposits. It's more helpful to periodically clean inside and out with a strong detergent or detergent/ammonia solution, rinse very well, then carefully dry. Lay the wet washrag on the exterior windshield for a minutes before scrubbing, to help soften the dirt so it'll wash off with less effort.

[willshak]

Before all these commercial spray window cleaners were introduced, people used to clean their windows with vinegar and water, and wiped and dried with newspaper.

[notbob]

It might interest some of you to know that greasy film is due to outgassing of the preservatives in the plastics used in the dashboard. Newer cars are the worst offenders and by time the plastic stops all outgassing, that's when cracks sometimes appear in the dashboard. And we wonder why the incidence of cancers keeps increasing.

Breath deep the gathering doom.... (apologies to The Moody Blues ;)

nb

[Paul Drahn]

Actually, before that they used a bag of Bull Durham tobacco, wet, to clean the windows. Worked good, never tried to smoke it.

Paul

[Moe DeLoughan]

Sure, but vinegar doesn't work nearly as well as commercial cleaning products. Vinegar is quite good at disinfecting, but not cleaning:

"The results indicate that compared to commercial cleaners, the alternative cleaners as a group are less effective in both microbial reduction and soil removal. However, the alternatives vary in their effectiveness. Two alternative cleaners - borax and ammonia - were more effective in soil removal than the other altemative cleaners. However, borax was not at all effective in reducing microbial contamination. Vinegar was more effective in reducing microbial contamination than the other alternative cleaners but was least effective in removing soil."

[IGot2P]

On my 2014 KIA Cadenza the front side windows have a water-repelling Hydrophobic coating that helps improve visibility. It is like Rain-X on steroids. Don't know why they didn't put it on the windshield.

Anyone else have any experience with Hydrophobic coating?

Don

[krw]

Those things are disgusting! We drove to Destin for a week, in September. The car was caked in those things, by the time we got there. We're told that they do a lot of damage to the paint if they're not cleaned off immediately, too. Wife was not happy with them coating her new convertible.

[krw]

I find that cleaning them with dish detergent, then something like Windex works pretty well. The plasticizers from all the vinyl in the cars, today, can be hard to get off, completely. What isn't removed will just streak.

[krw]

I have it on my glasses (have tried oleophobic, too). I think the issue is hardness. The coatings tend to be soft, so scratches easily.

[krw]

I've seen them before, but not like that (US 431 down the right side of Alabama). We saw a state trooper car covered with what must have been 1/2" of the things. Really amazing swarms.

Well, she was born a Texan but lived in Yankeeland over forty years. She still claims the right of return if Texas secedes, though. ;-)

[Ed Pawlowski]

I use window cleaner, but for best results I follow with a wet microfiber cloth. I hate doing the windshield inside, but that works great for me.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Cadenza is a nice car. Could be my next one.

I've seen a demo of the coating and is sure seems to work well. Shower doors can be coated with it and I'm going to ask about it next week. I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel and that is the next step. Shower tile is up as of today so the door can be measured.

[gregz]

Acid rain ?

Greg

[clare]

There is window cleaner, and there is window cleaner. Phantom glass cleaner will do the job if used as directed, and Wynnes Xtreme always did a good job too. We used Pantom at the dealership all the time.