Scratches and mini pits in glass

[jlift]

What`s the best product and procedure to use to take care of those little tiny gouges that nick and scratch up your windshield?. I do have what I think is called cerium oxide. This is a 2006 model car and I am wondering if the windshields these days have some kind of coating on them from the factory that I could possible polish off with the cerium oxide? The nicks of the windshield are extremely tiny and I really have to staring to see them when I am driving. Can anybody instruct me on the pros and cons of do it yourself gouge/nick removal? Is this something better left to the pros? What are the "hidden" dangers? Can I just do one area of a windshield with the cerium oxide, or once I start do I need to do the whole windshield?

:confused:

[GearHead_1]

What`s the best product and procedure to use to take care of those little tiny gouges that nick and scratch up your windshield?. I do have what I think is called cerium oxide. This is a 2006 model car and I am wondering if the windshields these days have some kind of coating on them from the factory that I could possible polish off with the cerium oxide? The nicks of the windshield are extremely tiny and I really have to staring to see them when I am driving. Can anybody instruct me on the pros and cons of do it yourself gouge/nick removal? Is this something better left to the pros? What are the "hidden" dangers? Can I just do one area of a windshield with the cerium oxide, or once I start do I need to do the whole windshield?

:confused:Polishing glass is a difficult prospect at best. There are a few polishes out there that will help very minor problems but putting a flat spot in glass is a real problem. It doesn`t take much to screw up a wind screen and make it almost unbearable to look through.

[TiredNGrouchy]

What`s the best product and procedure to use to take care of those little tiny gouges that nick and scratch up your windshield?.

I think it`s called "a new windshield". :D

[Surfer]

Grab your hammer and call your insurance company :D

[jlift]

I think it`s called "a new windshield". :D


LOL. that`s a good one. I`ll keep researching it though. I am sure that I am not the only who has a very minor scratch or nick from rock debris? Surely, replacing windshields would be cost prohibitive? This is a truck.

Thanks!

:drive:

[AL-53]

There are a few glass polishing kits available ..one place is Eastwoods..they have a couple kits ..I did a windshield last summer for a friend they had wiper scrape on it..I used a kit from Norton Abrasives I believe..it had Cerium Oxide polish..it did a great job of polishing the glass..it took the wiper trail out and made the glass look real good...some pits remained as it does not get the deep pit like marks...the shallow ones will be lessened..

the kit is around 40-50 dollars...includes a pad..cleaner..polish and some other stuff..I forget..

also Diamondite sells a kit also...

Call your local auto glass places and ask what they recommend...

it will not be like new..but will be a Improvement...

one thing...like paint..if you can catch your nail on a scratch in the glass..you will improve it but not fully remove it...

Al

[JohnZ3MC]

It`s not all gloom and doom.
I did what AL-53 did on the wife`s windshield on her Camaro. (My wife`s Camaro, not Al-53s wife`s Camaro) Bad wiper scratches.
I used a kit from JC-Whitney but it`s the same kit as the Eastwood kit. It removed the scratches perfectly, no optical distortions, no flat spots, and I only did the part with the scratches, not the whole window.
The kit had the cerium oxide and a thick felt pad with a built-in mandrel for a power drill. Simple instructions were included.
The only down side was the time involved. Considerable time was spent polishing, anywhere from 40 min to 1.25 hrs if memory serves. Even with the time involved, it was still much less than organizing a new windsheld. That would have been the 2nd. option if the polishing hadn`t worked.
My advice would be twofold: do it and stick with it, don`t give up early.
-John C.