On my wife's 97 Maxima, whenever I wash the car the road rash on the windscreen is very visible. Tiny spots that look like the windscreen has been sandblasted in a few spots.

How can I get rid of this short of replacing the windscreen?

 

If it's actual pitting of the glass, there's not a lot you can do about it short of seeking out a glass specialist.
Eastwood sells a kit;

http://www.eastwoodco.com/Department...plagla&SKW=FPG

For polishing glass etc. it's probably your only DIY alternative. Whether or not it would solve the problems your experiencing is anyone's guess.

Good luck.

 

I think everyone knows the kind of damage to which you're referring, and perhaps no one knows how to repair it (if it's at all possible).

If the damage to the glass is indeed "sandblasted" type pitting, I'm not sure if there is a way to fix this. It would seem that since there is a product that can fix cracks, there might be a way to cosmetically conceal pitting.

One thing I've heard mentioned here is that some people use claybar on their windshields to remove contaminants. I know the kinds of contaminants that can get stuck in paint, but I'm not sure if these same things can "stick" in the windshield glass, so I don't know how effective claying the windshield would be. Maybe some of the damage you're seeing is actually on the surface and can be removed via claybar.

 

If they are actual pits from stones, not much you can do. But I like to make sure the windshield is really clean. I have gotten around to the vinegar trick is the only way to really clean it but it gets dirty very quickly. I have found a window cleaner at a health food store that has vinegar in it and when I wash my car, I really lather on the vinegar cleaner and use a bug sponge on it. I don't really try to remove it but let it soak. Then I wash the car and a whole bunch of what I thought was tiny pits, are gone. Tree sap is the bane of my existence.

 

I've had good success in making the glass look better by using 0000 steel wool and autoglym glass polish. It won't FIX the road rash, but it will get rid of any contaminants that are there as well as polish it up nicely to make the pitting less noticable. As a side benefit, this method is also unbelievable in getting out the water spots on the glass. That's why I tried this in the first place and I've been doing it ever since.

If this doesn't get it to where you want it, then glass replacement is the only remedy.


Jeremy

 

Thanks for all the recommendations and suggestions guys! I will probably try the 0000 steel wool with glass polish to reduce the pitting.

 

FYI, you can get 0000 steel wool at Home Depot or Wal-Mart in the paint section.

Good luck,

Jeremy

 

Only problem I have with polishing is at least the 2k1 and after windshields have various coatings on them and I doubt they will stand up to the steel wool or polish tricks.