Review: CarPro CeriGlass

[CEE DOG]

Review: CarPro CeriGlass

Product Description:

Formulated with mild abrasives, CeriGlass deep cleans and polishes all glass surfaces with ease. It quickly removes acid rain spots, hard water spots, road film, stubborn bird stains, and interior glass film. CeriGlass is so effective; it even removes fine to medium scratches from glass! It leaves glass crystal clear and sparkling.

Introduction:

Until now I`ve never tried to polish glass with the object of actually removing scratches. I do however regularly use M105 or M205 to clean the glass when polishing a car. As you may know this works fine for cleaning the glass but paint polishes are designed to cut paint not glass, therefore they won’t remove scratches. It would be like trying to cut concrete with a plastic knife.

Until this product came along I had not had the inclination to attempt removal of scratches from glass. I considered it for my daily driver but the thought of polishing glass and the things I had read about its difficulty dissuaded me from placing it among my priorities. Not to say my windshield doesn’t seriously need to be either polished or replaced (as you will soon see).

There was a time when the last thing I ever thought about was caring for my vehicle. Years ago while in school and working a full time job my priorities consisted of working, studying, eating, and sleeping in that order. When you get 4 hours of sleep a night for an extended period of time you’re lucky if you even remember how you got from one point to another.

So back to the point! Years of not washing this poor soul allowed the sand under the wipers to drag against the glass and cause the damage at an accelerated rate. Many windshields have these types of scratches but on a lesser scale.

The chemical compound “silicone dioxide” (silica) is extremely hard and is used to make glass. In its natural state it’s found in quartz and of course sand. Therefore sand is often as hard as glass giving it the capability to leave scratches. By the time I started washing my vehicle regularly the damage was done and I lived with it… until now.

CarPros new product Ceri Glass is a water-based product, which contains no oils and utilizes the chemical compound Cerium Oxide along with other nano components.

Cerium Oxide is an off white colored powder that comes from a rare metal called Cerium. It’s used for polishing glass, polishing gemstones, and in self-cleaning ovens among other things.


Details:

1.- Packaging: Plastic bottle with well designed applicator nozzle and screw off lid
2.- Kit Option: Contains CeriGlass, 2 hand applicators, and a CarPro terry weave mf towel
3.- Viscosity: On the thinner side for a polish
4.- Color: Off White
5.- Scent: Didn’t detect any
6A.- Intro Price: 5.1 oz. (150ml) = $8.99
6B.- Regular Price: 5.1 oz. (150ml) = $10.99
7A.- Intro Price: Kit - $11.99.
7B - Regular Price: Kit – $14.99
8.-Manufacturer: CarPro
9.-Made in: Korea



Product

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Small & Precise Applicator Nozzle

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Precautions:

1.- Not for use on aftermarket window tint or painted glass
2.- For best results apply in the shade on cool glass
3.- Wear a facemask to prevent inhalation of polish powder
4.- Always try a test spot first

Instructions:

1.- Cover neighboring body panels and seals to avoid dust cleanup
2.- Shake the bottle well
3.- Apply small amount on the glass polish pad or hand glass applicator
4.- Buff thoroughly in circular motion
5.- Rinse the surface, wipe with mf towel and check results
6.- Repeat if necessary


Rotary Application:

For rotary application CarPro recommends a speed between 800-1000 rpm. I didn’t know this until some time after I first used the product so this led to some exciting experimentation on my part, which leads to the beginning of my adventure with CeriGlass.

Honestly my windshield was nothing short of a hazard that I’ve lived with for far too long. You can imagine what it looked like when aimed into the sun!

This was what I started with.

Video: Before

Before CeriGlass.wmv - YouTube



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I had no glass polishing pads the first time I used CeriGlass but I was determined to give it a go so I retrieved my Flex PE-14 Rotary, a 6 1/2" Cyan HT pad and my CeriGlass. I had just finished washing all the cars so the glass was ready to be polished.

Cyan Hydrotech pad

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With no knowledge of how much product to use and the logical thought that foam cannot cut glass on its own I used an ample amount of product to start with. After spreading the product across the section I bumped the speed up to about 1800 rpm. (Note: CarPro recommends 800-1000 rpm) I applied fairly heavy pressure and slowly polished the surface until the polish started to dry up. At this point I misted my pad with water from a bottle and continued until once again it began to dry up. Finally I slowed the machine to about 1500 rpm and with one more mist of water and less pressure I finished it off.

Video: Rotary and Cyan HT pad in use

CeriGlass Rotary & HT foam pad.wmv - YouTube

For cleanup I used a wet mf towel and to my surprise found a big difference in the scratches on the side of the tapeline I had polished. I believe the fact that this is closed cell foam probably made a difference in its ability to remove scratches relative to an open cell foam pad.

It did not remove the scratches completely but the huge difference made it clear to me that with additional passes that could be achieved. I also figured (at the time) that if the foam pad had done this a glass polishing pad should do even better…

While the scratches were improved by probably about 80-95% this was difficult to see in the shade. What was obvious right away was the delineation where I had polished. The glass itself looked as though it was a different color, far more clean and transparent. When I did apply light to the subject the difference in the scratches really popped out at me!


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Video: Results Rotary and Cyan HT pad

CarPro Ceriglass Results 1.wmv - YouTube


After many futile attempts at photographing the scratches I decided to wait till later to take some 50/50 photos (and the video above) when a satisfactory light source in the correct location would present itself. Here are some 50/50 photos that were taken over the following days. Please excuse any dirt and dust on the glass.

50/50

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In my first go round with glass polishing I had really put an excessive amount of speed and pressure down and I had also neglected to spray water except for twice on the pad if I recall correctly. Checking the heat of the glass with my hand confirmed this. It was very hot! The heat generated by foam pads is certainly at least part of the reason CarPro recommends using a shorthaired wool pad such as this one.


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CarPro mentions to rinse with water after completion of polishing. If by chance you did not follow their directions and (based on the pad, speed, and pressure you use) you end up heating the glass more than you should have I would allow the glass to cool a bit before applying a large amount of cool water to the surface. Just to note, you should not be allowing the glass to get that hot!

This brings me to an important subject which is keeping the surface of the glass as cool as possible. If you use glass polishing pads or the pads CarPro recommends heat should not be an issue but if you decide otherwise you should bring along a bottle of water to spray on the glass occasionally or as needed. In fact even with the use of the gpp which ran much cooler than foam I found a timely mist of water to be useful to keep the product from drying up and the machine running smoothly.

What you don’t want is to spray so much water that you start spinning slop all across the vehicle and yourself.

[CEE DOG]

Random Orbital (Dual Action) Application:

Tuesday I saw AG announce the release of CeriGlass in the store so I hoped to get my review up asap. I rushed home after work to get some time with my new glass polishing pads and to see if I could remove scratches with a D/A. With the sunlight quickly leaving me, and no invitation from Sky to use her garage I got straight to it.

Unfortunately my glass polishing pads were smaller than my backing plate. But hey, who doesn’t like an adventure! :rockon So, off I went with a tapeline across the windscreen, some Ceri on my new glass polishing pad, and my Flex 3401 quickly cranked up to 6… That is, after spreading the product of course.

Lake Country Glass polishing pad

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I made multiple passes and wet the pad with a spray of water each time it started to get too dry. Finally I worked the polish through and applied a few more bits of CeriGlass to my pad for another round.

Video: D/A polishing:

CeriGlass with DA.wmv - YouTube

In total I spent about 10 minutes on the D/A section. By the time I was finished it was too dark to see so I cleaned up and put everything away for the night. Proper examination and pictures would have to wait until today…

Again there was a huge difference in the scratches as shown in the 50/50 images and video to follow.

Video: 3401 Dual Action Results:

CarPro Ceriglass Results with Flex 3401.wmv - YouTube


50/50

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Hand Application:

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I decided to get back at it before work this morning. After completing another section with the glass polishing pad (this time on the rotary) I thought it was time to try out the hand applicators.

CeriGlass can be purchased separately or as a kit. The kit contains the (2) hand polishing applicators as well as a “terry weave” microfiber towel.


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Hand application cannot be expected to remove scratches. It may be possible with enough strength and determination but in my estimation scratch removal on glass should be left to a rotary or D/A. That doesn’t mean hand application doesn’t have its place however.

After you polish out every bit of the windshield or windows you are able to reach with your machine you ultimately come to a place where the corners of the glass are now a shade darker than the rest of the glass. Don’t worry! There’s an app for that! :D The hand applicators come in handy for this application but I assume other hand applicators would fit the bill in a pinch.


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While the hand applicators don’t allow you to remove scratches they do allow you to remove water spots and leave the glass very clean without the need for a machine.



Video: Rotary with Glass Polishing Pad followed by Cyan HT pad

As I mentioned above I started my Wednesday morning with a little more time in the driveway before I left for work. I was experimenting on a third section and using different amounts of water and polish. I thought I would throw a video in of that as well. Needless to say there were times when I used a bit too much water, which didn’t end up well for my dress pants. :D

CarPro Ceriglass Rotary 2.wmv - YouTube


CarPro Wool Pad vs. Glass Polishing Pad vs. Cyan HT pad:

The “Lake Country glass polishing pads” I purchased are very flat but do not feel at all abrasive to the touch. As flat as they are I expected them to generate heat fairly fast but they did not generate nearly as much as I had expected. Maybe the cold morning air helped some as well.

They did not seem to correct the glass faster than the cyan HT pad I had used but then again the conditions were much different. With the cyan HT I ran the rotary on 1800 the first time around and used less water than I did with the gpp. The gpp I ran on 800-1400 for the most part.

To summarize my opinion of both options: The gpp is certainly the safer option as it doesn’t generate nearly as much heat as the foam pad. However I rather enjoyed using the cyan HT pad as it conformed to the surface much better. Once again I want to note I am not recommending anyone else use the foam pad since CarPro did not recommend it themselves. I’m only sharing my honest experience with it.

I have not used the wool pad CarPro recommends so I don’t know how well it would work with CeriGlass but I can say it would run cooler than the foam pad and conform to the surface better than the gpp. Next time around I think I’ll try my Tuff Buff wool.


Pros:

1.- Removes scratches from glass when paired with a machine
2.- Will not distort glass
3.- Price
4.- Polishes metals and hard plastic surfaces as well
5.- Applicator Nozzle: I love it and the screw on lid
6.- Water Based



???:

1.- Will AG carry the 16.9 oz. (500ml) in the future?


Cons:

1.- Removing deep scratches from glass would be a very time consuming process


Final Observations & Summary:

CeriGlass - Ceri (not to be confused with Siri) :D is an excellent product that easily removes water spots and cleans the glass by hand or machine. What is of most importance to me is that it removes scratches with the use of a rotary or a suitable D/A. While of course it is not as fast as removing scratches from paint it is faster than I had expected and best of all relatively simple.

It took about 10 minutes of polishing time to remove most of the scratches and achieve those 50/50 shots on any given section. A rotary removes the scratches faster than D/A. I found this morning - Thursday - when driving directly into the sun (after I posted this review) that the section I had done by D/A did not have the scratches removed quite as well as the section with rotary and another go would be needed to catch up. Each section size was 1/4 to 1/6 the size of the total windshield. For fine scratches I assume they could be removed in 5 minutes per section with a rotary and a bit longer with D/A. All in all I thought it was relatively simple compared to what I had expected.

Many people warned me in the past that when dealing with Cerium I could warp my windshield among other things. I was happy to find CeriGlass was created with the right ratios of cerium and whatever other magical compounds they put in there to cause it to both cut glass and still be safe for the windshield on which I tested it.

I would recommend using a bottle of water to stop your pad from drying out but don’t over do it. One spray on the pad from 10” when the product starts to dry up or the machine stops moving as smoothly seems to work for me. And when it comes time, clean your pad and apply just a bit more polish.

CarPro also mentions it can be used for hard plastics and headlights. I’ve never dealt with a headlight that wasn’t easily polished with paint polish. So while I’m sure Ceri works great for that as well I personally have no need to use it that way.

What does excite me (beyond the glass correction function!) is that it can be used as a metal polish, which sounds very promising. I haven’t tried that yet but will be working Sky’s exhaust tips with it this weekend.

Honestly, now that AG has posted their prices I can’t imagine anyone wanting to pass it up for 9 bucks or 12 bucks for the kit. Btw, thanks to AG & CarPro on the pricing. I think that’s a good deal.

I’ll leave you with a before and after shot of the windshield.



BEFORE

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AFTER

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I don’t have the MSDS for CeriGlass but I do have it for one of the components. There didn’t seem to be anything to see there but I figured I’d post it in case anyone wants it.

Cerium (IV) Oxide MSDS - http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923351

[Pats300zx]

Another top notch review Corey. Looks like a another fantastic product from Car Pro.

[Addicted2Bling]

Hey thanks for the review, you sure did a good job of photographing the glass which seems like the hardest thing in the world

[TroyScherer]

Amazing review Corey. The glass looks much better.

And now there is another product I want to try.

[Shane731]

Great review as always Corey! :bigups So which pad do you think should be used with this product? I have the 3401 but I don`t have a rotary. By the way, where did you get the Lake Country glass polishing pads? On both the Autogeek and Autopia stores I only see Lake Country glass cutting pads. Are they the same thing?

[CEE DOG]

Thank you very much for the comments guys :autopia:

Shane, I apologize on the pad naming. They must be the Lake Country cutting pads I used.

I can`t say how well anything else works on the 3401 because I only used the gcp on 3401. I think the cyan would work as well but not positive. Using the 3401 instead of a PE-14 is going to take a bit longer but you should be able to get good results with a little patience. I think the cyan will work, just be sure to keep it separate from paint pads when your done. Move the 3401 very slow and just check with your finger now and again to make sure you dint overheat the glass. I used a good bit of pressure when I used the foam with rotary. When the polish starts to dry hit it with a mist of water directly on the pad and go some more. If it doesn`t work for you then you could always order the gcp.

[Todd@RUPES]

Great review Corey. I have some experience on using cerium oxide based abrasives to polish light marks out of glass. Your review was excellent.

I would add a couple of points from my experience.

Misting the glass with water will extend the play time of the polish (since the abrasive doesn`t really break down) but it also serves an important purpose. It cools the glass. This is important on the windshield because windshields have a piece of plastic in them. Extreme temperatures can melt the plastic and cause serious distortion issues. On side glass the increase in temperature can cause the glass to weaken then shatter under pressure.

Second, it is often better to live with deep scratches. Polishing them can curve the glass creating a lens effect which changes the focus of the glass (like a pair of eye glasses).

[CEE DOG]

Thank you Todd! I agree about the water and it`s a point I made as well.

Tempered vs laminated safety glass this is an excellent point you bring up.

Here are some thoughts and info I posted on that on another forum in response to a reply on my review.

Quote:

The following are two entirely different materials that deserve different thought and treatment.

Tempered glass - Used in the majority of glass windows on the sides and rear of the vehicle.

Tempered glass is easily identifiably by it`s visual appearance when viewed through polarized glasses. That funny pattern you see is the stress the glass is forced to endure which also gives it it`s strength.

The tempering process involves heating the glass to an extreme temperature and cooling it at an extremely accelerated rate.

Tempered glass is much stronger due to that process but this also leaves it fragile to certain actions. If the "skin" is penetrated it can become unstable and shatter easily. This is why tempered glass is formed before the tempering process. Once it has been tempered it is no longer workable. Compromising it`s surface (even with scratches) can leave it in a fragile state.

Laminates or coatings may have been applied to these tempered glass windows as well which further complicates the issue of polishing them.

Laminated Safety Glass - Used for most windshields - two layers of glass with a layer of PVB (plastic) between them.

Here I would expect it unlikely for the PVB to delaminate as it is trapped between glass but I suppose it would be distorted with the use of temperatures that are too high.

Using ceriglass according to the directions won`t get the temperatures any where near high enough to cause an issue like that in my experience. However I too think it`s important people are aware of this factor so they don`t do anything crazy.

While clarity is of course important the PVB layer also serves the purpose being a part of this structural surface. When you get a chip all the way through to the PVB layer this is the type of thing you see where it can easily turn into a domino affect if stress (thermal or otherwise) is induced. To stop the shattering affect they can often inject resin to stabilize this layer as well as the glass when caught early enough.

What some don`t realize is the windshield is an important structural surface that is an important factor in many types of accidents. Without it the vehicle would collapse or crumple differently. That PVB layer also acts to ensure you aren`t ejected through the glass in some types of accidents.

[CEE DOG]

CarPro Ceri-Glass Update: (Night Video)

This is just a quick follow up to my full review:
A couple people asked me why I didn’t have video of the after at night. As I had mentioned before I wanted to hit the glass one more time with Ceriglass to polish the areas I hadn’t touched yet and to go over it one more time. I placed a tapeline in front of the driver side in almost the exact same place as my original line. The idea was to have one line that has not been polished at all.

While I was at it (as promised) I tested Diamondite Re-surfacing Cream out. It was a sample my Dad sent me a month or so ago. Thanks Dad!! Anyway, I kind of expected the DRC to be a lot more aggressive. I used it with the glass pad on my Flex PE-14 and could barely see a difference at all even after a couple passes. I should have probably tried again on some other kind of pad but I did not. I moved back to the CeriGlass and polished out the remaining section on the other side of the tapeline.

What you see in the following video is the results at night about 3 days later.

CarPro Ceriglass Results Final.wmv - YouTube