Windshield question

[Fishroes]

I know everyone has seen how windshields get hundreds of tiny specks, dots or whatever you call them. You really see them this time of the year with the crazy sun angle. Can they be removed. Of course last resort is replace but didn’t want to spend $250 I have a gg6 and HF rotary with 5” backing plate. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
PS. What is the cause

[The Driver]

Windshield pitting can only be fixed buy replacing the glass. There is no way to polish all that out. Glass is literally the toughest thing to polish out.

[rlmccarty2000]

The cause is sand flying in at 100 mph. It just adds up over time. I wish there was an easy way to fix it. I have heard (never tried) that it could be lessened by buffing with cerium oxide. The process is long and hard and probably not worth the effort. If it is bad enough your insurance company may replace it as a safety hazard.

[Stokdgs]

Glass Polishing with a Rotary - which would be the only way to really do it - is going to create heat and too much heat can warp the glass in that spot..
Remember, it safety glass, so its a thin layer, a plastic layer, and another thin layer.. It is not even as thick as some shower glass..

All those little pits, I would never attempt to remove them..

RLMcCarty2000 is spot on.. The most damaging things to glass is sand, which can be the dry type like in Arizona, or the wet sand in water coming up from concrete freeways, etc., hitting your windshield for a few years..

Cerium Oxide is what is recommended by a lot of people but you have to be careful as it is toxic in powder form and goes everywhere.. See if there are some YouTube videos on glass professionals using cerium oxide, etc...

I have seen limited success taking out light wiper trails on glass sometimes, but that is not sand damage that has actually removed a tiny bit of glass there...

Take the Driver`s advice, see about a new windshield if it really bothers you..

Dan F

[Accumulator]

Yep, same opinion here- like it or not, sometimes replacing the windshield is just ongoing maintenance like replacing wiper blades.

And I too shy away from trying Cerium Oxide/etc. Others here have had it work for them, but there`s just no way I`m getting anything that nasty anywhere near my paint, and by "anywhere near" I mean "in my shop".

[skibik]

I would talk to your insurance company. If your glass is covered under comp and if the severity of the pitting impairs you vision your insurance should approve replacement. I never had a problem getting replacement glass for rocks chips but it helped that I had used Rain X on the windshield and the chip repairs apparently don`t adhere when that has been used to treat a windshield.

[DBAILEY]

You`ll never be happy with the end result. You`ll end up chasing your tail. I only polish glass to remove water spots.

[Fishroes]

Thanks for the info. I will leave it be. It’s on a 2004 Buick 189,000k (beater car). I had a $100 comp deductible 5 years ago and had 2 or 3 windshields replaced in 1 year. Insurance company raised deductible to $250. I could probably buy a new one myself for 250 or less. I’ve never replaced one before but have watched them a couple times. Doesn’t look that hard to do. If it was on the tundra or Highlander I would let the pros handle that. Any of you guys and gals ever replaced one

[Accumulator]

I had used Rain X on the windshield and the chip repairs apparently don`t adhere when that has been used to treat a windshield.

I`d wondered about that..the Crown Vic`s windshield has chips and one that really oughta be repaired, but it`s had RainX on it since coming out of Govt. service.

[TheMeanGreen]

Carpro Cergiglass Glass Polish can help cleanup the windshield and take off the sharp edges of those pits. Use the GG6 with designated glass polishing pads. Make sure you Youtube professionals polishing glass, it is a fine line between arm pressure/speed and temperature. Too much temperature and you will either warp the glass OR remove enough material to distort images through the glass. Distorting glass is the main worry with a rotary. Polishing too much in one area and the glass could distort, as well. Watch lots of video`s on this one.

[Accumulator]

TheMeanGreen- Heh heh, that Ceriglass is the exact product I`m afraid to try. I can`t for the life of me figure out how to use it on a (big) windshield without *some* of it getting elsewhere. I never get all that much sling with my rotaries, but I wouldn`t even try that stuff by hand.

NOW...if it were a vehicle that I was gonna correct anyhow, that`d be different. No, I`m not hating on CeriGlass, just saying that I`d never risk having to take off clear/do correction on a vehicle that doesn`t need it. From what I hear, a lot of people have used/liked CeriGlass, which doesn`t surprise me, coming from CarPro.

[Fishroes]

I might give it a try. Still got several weeks before it gets warm enough though. I wouldn’t attempt it on my newer vehicles. Not worried about it on the 04 Lesabre beater car.

[Ron Ketcham]

Cerium oxide is to be used as in a paste for one thing, not the pure powder. Second it is in small percentages in many modern compounds and polishes. Third is if it were toxic, then a health warning would be required on the package of any product containing it.
There is no such warning on any of the products containing it.

[Accumulator]

.. if it were toxic, then a health warning would be required on the package of any product containing it.
There is no such warning on any of the products containing it.

That`s what I would`ve figured, given that even old stuff like 3M PI-II had warnings about the (IIRC) silica-based abrasives.

My only concern is about getting really abrasive stuff on vehicles that aren`t gonna get corrected; I can get a windshield replaced without it preciptating correction.

[mobiledynamics]

I wouldn`t say replacing a windshield is hard....until you get into ones with rain sensors, HUD alignment
However, these guys have all the right chems, primers, cleaners, etc...

Call a decent glass guy. Replacing will probably be cheaper than the time/effort trying to polish it out IMO