Windshield all HAZY??

[SMITHY]

My neighbor purchased a car and it has the strangest thing going on. His windshield is really hazy and streaked all over the outside of it. Don't know what it is, nor does he.

So far it sounds like he has used everything under the sun to remove it, but it won't come off, including gasoline and vinegar and denatured alcohol.

But the streaking , haze effect is still there.

Now the strange part is if you pour water on it, it like completely disappears until it is dry again.

Any ideas what this can be, or how to successfully remove it?

Thanks.

[SMITHY]

Oh let me add that the vehicle came out of the State of Texas. Not sure that has anything to do with it, but who knows it could.

[mend master]

You mentioned he tried vinegar, but do you know if he used steel wool with it? Triple ought, "000" steel wool or even Four ought, "0000" can be used effectively with white vinegar to remove acid rain and other nasties on glass. Try an area towards the lower corner on the passenger side and see if it makes a difference. If not, I would use my G-Force scratch removal kit from GlasWeld and clean it. If you don't happen to have said tool, Griot's Garage offers 3" glass polishing pads and a compound for their 3" d/a. Have never tried their system, so I can't say whether it will work or not. I am confident my G-Force kit would handle it.
As to what it may be is anybody's guess and wouldn't make much difference to me since running water over it provides a clear view. If it clears up, it is obviously something on the outside surface of the glass and chances are good that it can be dealt with.

[SMITHY]

You mentioned he tried vinegar, but do you know if he used steel wool with it? Triple ought, "000" steel wool or even Four ought, "0000" can be used effectively with white vinegar to remove acid rain and other nasties on glass. Try an area towards the lower corner on the passenger side and see if it makes a difference. If not, I would use my G-Force scratch removal kit from GlasWeld and clean it. If you don't happen to have said tool, Griot's Garage offers 3" glass polishing pads and a compound for their 3" d/a. Have never tried their system, so I can't say whether it will work or not. I am confident my G-Force kit would handle it.
As to what it may be is anybody's guess and wouldn't make much difference to me since running water over it provides a clear view. If it clears up, it is obviously something on the outside surface of the glass and chances are good that it can be dealt with.

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!

[mend master]

You're very welcome!

[Brent Deines]

I've had to replace glass because people tried to use 000 steel wool to clean it and made the damage worse. Same with Scotch Bright pads. If you use steel wool I recommend 0000 only and even then test in a small area. Depending on what is on the glass you could still end up with some fine scratches. Mineral deposits are very common, especially if the car has been washed with hard water and let dry in the sun repeatedly, as is the common practice on car lots. The minerals bond to the glass and are very hard to remove. While the steel wool or polish you use to remove the spots may not scratch the glass, the minerals can once they break loose from the surface. You should still see drastic improvement, but just be aware that you may see some fine scratches as well.

If the damage is from acid rain you may get it off with vinegar and steel wool, but there are some acid based products on the market that may be necessary depending on how extensive the damage is. There are also some good polishes that work a lot better than vinegar in my opinion.

While great for scratch removal and tight areas, I think a 3" buffer is too small to clean the entire surface of the windshield. You will have better luck with a 7" or 9" buffer for large surfaces.

Keep in mind the price to replace the windshield. If the damage is easily removed you will be doing your neighbor a favor to clean and buff it for him, but if the problem is severe enough it is sometimes more cost effective to replace the glass. Factors to consider are the age of the glass, the extent of the damage, the time it will take to restore it, and how good you are able to make it look. Either way it could be good practice for you but like mend master said, try a small area in the corner 1st to make sure you get the desired result with no additional damage before you tackle the entire windshield.

Good luck!

[Clarity Glass]

I'd go with compound and buffer. If that doesn't work, he gets a new ws.

[DryStar]

Picture please!!! It would help eliminate all the speculation.

[SMITHY]

I will see if I can catch him to do that. He works some really weird hours at a Casino here. But it looks as though, someone tried to wash the window, and just left the soap on it. You can see circular motion marks. Kind of like someone just did a poor window cleaning job?? I personally have never seen anything like it.

I am not going to make any money off this or anything, just trying to help out a neighbor.

[DryStar]

I will see if I can catch him to do that. He works some really weird hours at a Casino here. But it looks as though, someone tried to wash the window, and just left the soap on it. You can see circular motion marks. Kind of like someone just did a poor window cleaning job?? I personally have never seen anything like it.

I am not going to make any money off this or anything, just trying to help out a neighbor.

If it's what you described a good retail glass polish might be all that is necessary. But then again it's only speculation.