Windshield streak problem
10-09-10, 11:14 PM
#16
Pole Position
Here's another possibility... Since your streaking sounds like it may originate from water, I wonder if CLR would work for you. If you don't have this particular brand, it is a neutralizer that act on calcium, lime and rust stains. Since our water is quite soft in the Northwest, we don't encounter this phenomena as much as areas with rains or waters (as used in your windshield cleaning solution) that may have a higher dissolved mineral content.
10-10-10, 04:04 AM
#17
may have the same issue
i see streaks in the pattern of my rear wiper also
i live down a gravel road, so my rear window is usually white w/ dust
therefore i only notice the streaks when it rains & i'm using the rear wiper
thought the wiper was fading, but maybe it's something else
do you notice your streaks all the time, or just when wet ??
i see streaks in the pattern of my rear wiper also
i live down a gravel road, so my rear window is usually white w/ dust
therefore i only notice the streaks when it rains & i'm using the rear wiper
thought the wiper was fading, but maybe it's something else
do you notice your streaks all the time, or just when wet ??
10-10-10, 05:57 AM
#18
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had some streaks on a window caused by WD40 dripping down from the rook rack locks that I had lubed. The streaks occurred over time. I tried many standard cleaning meathods that didn't work. In the end, some California wax/cleaner did the trick.
10-13-10, 09:09 AM
#19
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: CA
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I got too busy this past weekend to continue with project (I live in Canada and we just had Thanksgiving), but will work on it again this coming weekend. I did buy some Invisible Glass and will try it, but don't expect to have great results on these streaks. I really bought it more for general window cleaning - I saw people talking about it in other threads and apparently it's largely streak free.
Here's the thread where I got the glass ceramic cleaner idea from:
http://www.f150online.com/forums/car...ws-help-2.html
jsk - my streaks were noticeable all the time, but much more so after the window was washed.
johnny thanks for CLR idea - I did read about that in a couple of threads as well and I may give it a try in a small area to see if it works. The only issue is I'm not sure if it's safe on paint should some get accidentally spilled. Do you know?
Here's the thread where I got the glass ceramic cleaner idea from:
http://www.f150online.com/forums/car...ws-help-2.html
jsk - my streaks were noticeable all the time, but much more so after the window was washed.
johnny thanks for CLR idea - I did read about that in a couple of threads as well and I may give it a try in a small area to see if it works. The only issue is I'm not sure if it's safe on paint should some get accidentally spilled. Do you know?
10-13-10, 04:58 PM
#21
Henry, with all due respect, material hardness is measured using different methodologies such as the Rockwell scale (Rc) or the Brinnell scale (BHN) to name two. There are others, but these are the most commonly applied. The Rc scale is more suited to very hard materials, and the BHN scale covers a broader range which can include glass and steel. Steel wool is spun from mild steel wire which is about 120 BHN, whereas glass is around 1550 BHN, a significant difference. Tool steel, such as molybdenum steel or carbides approach and do surpass glass, and the range there is 1500-1900 BHN. This is where some folks can get confused - IOW, "If I can scratch a glass surface with a simple glass cutter, surely I shouldn't use steel wool to clean its surface." However, you can easily surmise from above the difference in hardness between steel wool and glass, 120 BHN vs 1550 BHN is quite vast. I certainly would not recommend using it with a heavy hand or power tool - if only because one doesn't need to, and it saves a lot of elbow grease compared to doing it any other way when removing road film, tar or other impurities from windshields or any other glass surface for that matter.
If the dealership did it let them fix it. If you do not trust your dealership to take care of the issue buy a product designed for the task.
DO NOT rub your car's glass with steel wool.
10-13-10, 06:14 PM
#22
Pole Position
To be on the safe side, mask the adjacent painted areas. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
10-27-10, 01:31 PM
#23
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: CA
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here is the denoument to this thread (I know it'll be indexed by google and others will use the info):
I got the car washed this past weekend and finally finished the project with the problem window. Here are the results:
*glass ceramic cleaner worked like a charm. All the nasty streaks are off. It did take about 5 applications and lots of elbow grease, but it worked and the window looks great. I still don't know what the streaks were - window cleaner, hard water stains, a kid throwing an egg at my window, I have NO idea. I still think it was water/window cleaner since streaks were consistent with using the rear wash/wiper.
*I used a WET microfiber, applied the cleaner right on the window, and scrubbed. I then wiped off with a DRY microfiber.
*I finished with Invisible Glass and dry microfiber.
*I also wiped the inside of the window using nothing but a dry microfiber.
*I drove it around and tested it at night, with headlights coming through the window - no problem.
*one lesson for anybody who reads this: I started this project with a razor blade based on a couple of threads I read. My thinking was: hey works great taking paint and gunk off house windows, so I'll try it. Mistake. What it seemed to do was remove a small layer of tint such that the bladed area is a little lighter than the rest of the window. Surprised me because the factory tint is baked in. Glass ceramic gleaner could not get these marks out.
Fortunately I only tried it in one small area, and you can only really see it in direct sunlight with perfectly clean windows - so I'll probably be the only one who knows the imperfection is there. In fact, that's why the imperfection is there - I used the blade out of direct sunlight and didn't notice what it did to window until the sun was much brighter. So don't use a razor!!!!!
BTW, if anybody knows how to fix tint prob. let me know!!!!! (though I might just leave well enough alone!)
I got the car washed this past weekend and finally finished the project with the problem window. Here are the results:
*glass ceramic cleaner worked like a charm. All the nasty streaks are off. It did take about 5 applications and lots of elbow grease, but it worked and the window looks great. I still don't know what the streaks were - window cleaner, hard water stains, a kid throwing an egg at my window, I have NO idea. I still think it was water/window cleaner since streaks were consistent with using the rear wash/wiper.
*I used a WET microfiber, applied the cleaner right on the window, and scrubbed. I then wiped off with a DRY microfiber.
*I finished with Invisible Glass and dry microfiber.
*I also wiped the inside of the window using nothing but a dry microfiber.
*I drove it around and tested it at night, with headlights coming through the window - no problem.
*one lesson for anybody who reads this: I started this project with a razor blade based on a couple of threads I read. My thinking was: hey works great taking paint and gunk off house windows, so I'll try it. Mistake. What it seemed to do was remove a small layer of tint such that the bladed area is a little lighter than the rest of the window. Surprised me because the factory tint is baked in. Glass ceramic gleaner could not get these marks out.
Fortunately I only tried it in one small area, and you can only really see it in direct sunlight with perfectly clean windows - so I'll probably be the only one who knows the imperfection is there. In fact, that's why the imperfection is there - I used the blade out of direct sunlight and didn't notice what it did to window until the sun was much brighter. So don't use a razor!!!!!
BTW, if anybody knows how to fix tint prob. let me know!!!!! (though I might just leave well enough alone!)
Last edited by lexdex; 10-27-10 at 02:00 PM.
10-27-10, 05:33 PM
#24
I noticed some swirls on my windshield this morning, but I'm leaving well enough alone. Once I start playing around with it, I may make more of a problem than what it is.
And I am staying away from the razor blade, or I may take it to my wrist after I get done ruining my windshield. (just kidding)
And I am staying away from the razor blade, or I may take it to my wrist after I get done ruining my windshield. (just kidding)
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
