Detailing - glass wont come clean!

ive tried EVERYTHING! soup and water, windex, 4 differnt types of glass cleaner, rain-x, wax!, glass stove top cleaner, and i used plently of elbow grease with every method and they still have water spots. the glass in some angles look like a photograph of what its next to due to its cleanliness, but in the straight on view that everyone sees you can see the spots... are tehy etched in teh glass somehow? anyone kno? if they are how much are new windows, because its really annoying

I had the same problem. Go to a true value, pick up some "Dirtex" . Spray on heavy. Let sit ofr 30 seconds to a minute, and take a rag and put elbow grease in it.

Sounds like hard water spots on the glass. Give clay a try. If you're not sure what "claying" a car means, search around this forum or Autopia for more answers. The short of it is that the clay removes bonded contaminants from the surface of paint and glass. If it's hard water spots it'll remove them. If it's etched you'll either need to polish the glass or get new windows, but I'd bet it's hard water spots.

awe yes....you gots to love water spots!...nothing like coming out to you car only to find out that the sprinklers had turned on and got hard water spots all over you car! [:@]

after you wash your car try getting some newspaper and drying the windows before the water starts drying up..it works amazing, the wax from the newspaper does it, this is a old trick that ALOT of people use

One of my dealerships accounts a few years ago brought me like a dozen cars they bought down south with acid rain damage (water spots). as far as the paint we had to claybar and buff that...and for the glass the we took a wheel cleaner (acid) and fine steel whool and that got it off. Was not a fun job but at $300 a car I didn't mind :D

I've always had good luck with vinegar. Good luck getting rid of them.. They are an eye sore.

yo i used "stoner" window cleaner and it got all that nasty grime off my windows

i have stoner, didnt work... news paper didnt work either... i tried vinegar and clr, didnt work... i think its time for new windows guys. its such a horrible eyesore. anyone kno how much taht will run me?

Didnt you see my Dirtex advice?

I have the same issue with my hatchy, and I've already tried vinegar, Lime-Away, and even Mothers Mag-n-Wheel polish. I'll be giving the Dirtex trick a try. Thanks for the tip!

Invisable Glass... works WONDERS!!!

Where does one score some Invisible Glass, anyway? I'll try anything once. Especially since I inherited the same problem when we bought my wife's '01 Grand Prix GT.

Nice hatchy, BTW. Looks like mine - only much nicer.

they actually make a hard water spot remover. it's about $20 a bottle, but it'll last you a while. call you're local glass shop and ask them if they carry it.

another cheap thing to try is one of the "mr. clean magic eraser's". those things work wonders on windows.

clay should put a good dent in it too


after you do get all the water spots off be sure and coat your windows with rain-x. and then be sure and wipe them dry after you wash the car to keep them from coming back

ya im having the same problem on my hatch too, its a pain in the ass to keep the whole car clean

shouldn't be. you should only have to clean it really good a few times a year. all the rest of the time it should go pretty smooth and quick

The glass shop is my next step. In fact, it's about the only thing left. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe the glass is etched with the hard water 'spots'. I'm pretty sure rubbing clay on glass won't do much either - sorry, but if Mother's Mag & Wheel Polish does nothing...

Today I tried: Invisible Glass, Dirtex, Eagle One wheel cleaner, and Easy-Off 'BAM!' Oven Cleaner (says it removes lime & rust too).

Nada.

Glass shop it is.

I've got the same thing but fortunately it is only onmy moon-roof, thanks for the recommendations!

i didnt know it was possible for invisible glass not to work... try doing it in the garage where the windows wont be hot that usually works for me.

water spot are the worst , I had them on my car for 2 months before I new how to get rid of them now it's like new :)

ORIGINAL: johnb

i didnt know it was possible for invisible glass not to work... try doing it in the garage where the windows wont be hot that usually works for me.


unless you're talking about some type of invisible glass i'm not familiar with invisible glass is nothing more than you're average glass cleaner. good for removing a good majority of stuff on glass, but definately not the best thing you can use

I have a carport that I park the car under - so it's not a 'hot window from the sun' issue And the air blowing through the carport actually keeps the temps cooler than inside the closed garage as well.

Like matts said, this is a bigger problem than Invisible Glass can handle. I'm not unhappy I bought the product though - it cleans the glass like nobody's business. So once I get these 'deposits' taken care of, I'll be using it to keep 'em clean.

dude someone already said the key

fine steel wool. You can move that stuff all across the glass without scratching it, when i worked at the body shop we used that for everything... overspray, and anything else we encountered.
get a little liquid cleaner on it first and then just go over it real fast with the fine steel woool

just found this site not sure if its what your looking for.

http://www.jracenstein.com/Store/items.asp?Cc=00016&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

I've used razor blades and a window cleaner. But not for the same as what you've got. just my input

wash the inside of the window too haha

^^+1 lol

ORIGINAL: bp4131017

dude someone already said the key

fine steel wool. You can move that stuff all across the glass without scratching it, when i worked at the body shop we used that for everything... overspray, and anything else we encountered.
get a little liquid cleaner on it first and then just go over it real fast with the fine steel woool


Yeah - here's the thing. Steel Wool: 0, Hard Water Deposits: 12

Did I mention this car has lived in West Texas most of its life?


And the inside of the windows were professionally cleaned when I had the window tint installed - even they said they couldn't do anything for the outside of the glass. ;-)

Next up, some cleaner I got from the detailer that contains about 5 different kinds of acids and must be diluted with 5 parts water to be 'safe' for cleaning wheels.

well watch how much money you spend, you'll eventually get to a point where you've almost spent as much trying to clean upa dirty windshield as it would cost to just replace it.

read this thread http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/88698-how-do-i-fix-windshield-glass.html?highlight=windshield

also try dipping the magic eraser in vinegar.

or if you want to try something like this http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/glass.htm

don't use steel wool. even #0000 will leave scratches on your windows. i messed up a brand new windshield by using steel wool on it to remove some stubborn bug guts because someone said it worked good.....big mistake. i put alot of fine, circular swirls all over my windshield. looked like i had ran through a gazillion spider-webs.

have you tried a "hard water spot remover" yet? http://www.spot-x.net/ i dont think that particular product works very well, but you might have better luck with it. but there are other spot removers on the market

im not trying to criticize, but i find it hard to believe out of everything, even just whatI have, suggested that NOTHING is working the least little bit. you're not going to find a miracle product that you pour/spray on and the spots just vanish. anything you use is going to require a little elbow behind it to really work it in

try washin inside the windsheild if the spots will not come out no matter what haha

ORIGINAL: matts
well watch how much money you spend, you'll eventually get to a point where you've almost spent as much trying to clean up a dirty windshield as it would cost to just replace it.


If it were only just the windshield, I'd completely agree. However, ALL exterior glass on this car (headlight lenses included) suffer from this issue. Once I had the tint installed, it made the problem just that much more obvious. And quite honestly, the visibility is about 20% hindered because of the stains... and I hate not having absolutely clear glass. I can accept normal pitting and whatnot on a windshield considering the age of the car. And once I get it absolutely clean, I have a few tricks to restore the windshield somewhat as well.

ORIGINAL: matts
<snip>
im not trying to criticize, but i find it hard to believe out of everything, even just whatI have, suggested that NOTHING is working the least little bit. you're not going to find a miracle product that you pour/spray on and the spots just vanish. anything you use is going to require a little elbow behind it to really work it in


Surprise! I found the elusive 'spray on - wipe off' product: http://www.hitempinc.com/etw_cleaners/

I snagged a bottle of Hi-Temp HT-709 from the detailer that installed my window tint (only because I've never tried to heat-shrink such a complicated piece as the rear glass on an EG hatchie!). He said he's used it for years (I met him when his shop was still a Conoco Gas Station) with good results. Bonus!

I was anxious and wiped some on straight out of the bottle - no diluting - and let it sit for about 2 minutes (1-3 minute dwell time with standard application), then Windexed it off... and voila! No more water stains. No... really. Gone. Well, the window's not totally done, because of the inconsistency of my wiping, but I plan on putting this stuff in a spray bottle and using it properly this weekend. I'm so stoked. My wife's '01 Grand Prix GT has the same stuff on it, and I can finally get her car squared away once and for all. Even though it claims it's safe for painted wheels, I'm going to have to be ultra careful around the paint anyway - not taking chances... especially on her car with its brand-new Firestorm Red paint from after the hail storms.

Spot-X was actually my next choice, after reading everything on their website a few days ago. But I don't recall anyone in our town that retails it, so I'm glad it worked out like this.

And I had never really given steel wool a second thought - I've actually messed up a windshield using steel wool before as well.

Thanks everybody, for all the input (except for the jokesters that keep insisting I need to clean the inside of the glass - yet again) - believe it or not, I've actually taken everybody's [legitimate] advice - I'll try anything once.

I got a new Car this week and washed it at home the other day because it was a little dirty. I now have water spots on my nice new car. I even took it to a touchless Car wash today; didn't help. I also bought some Invisible Glass which also didn't get it off.

It might be too extreme since my car is new and the spots probably aren't that "set" on my windows yet, but can Clay stuff for windows be bought in stores or do I need to go online?

In my case, with the spots being new, what method above might you all suggest I try?

with the car being brand new i'd try the mildest, cheapest thing first....a magic eraser ($5). then go to a clay bar ($11-25). one of those 2 should take them off. follow up with a liberal coating of rain-x. the rain-x won't keep them from forming per se, but it will make the windows that much easier to clean when they do show up.


when you wash your car ALWAYS dry it completely to keep spots from forming. i know that it's going to be virtually impossible to dry the car off every time it gets wet, but do it as best as possible. i know alot of professional detailers use a water softener system that removes the minerals from the water that cause spots, but they're pretty high (around $300-400 from what i've seen). a little too much to spend for your personal car IMO....unless you've got alot of money burning a hole in your checkbook [8D]

ORIGINAL: Type RB


Surprise! I found the elusive 'spray on - wipe off' product: http://www.hitempinc.com/etw_cleaners/

I snagged a bottle of Hi-Temp HT-709 from the detailer that installed my window tint (only because I've never tried to heat-shrink such a complicated piece as the rear glass on an EG hatchie!). He said he's used it for years (I met him when his shop was still a Conoco Gas Station) with good results. Bonus!


i stand corrected then. glad you found something that works that easily. i've never been that lucky, i've always had to use a little elbow behind it [8D]

I think it's time for the Clay Bar. Where can I find them?

You can find almost all cleaning products mentioned in this thread at any store that carries automotive cleaning supplies

I went to a few auto parts store this morning and realized I dont know what the heck I am looking for. I have never bought a Clay Bar for a car. Hell, I never even HEARD of using clay on a car before 2 days ago.

Is there aa certain type I need for glass specifically or is the general clay bar going to work? Is there a certain brand I should look out for?

Thanks...again!

OK - here's testimony to how well the Hi-Temp HT-709 Acid Wheel Cleaner worked. The water spots remained untouched after everything I had tried so far.

Before (you can see how badly the water spots/mineral deposits distort the reflection - and this is dry after cleaning with Windex):
http://www.mister4x4.net/Cars/Honda/glassbefore.jpg

After (although not a close-up... but you can still see how much clearer the glass is):
http://www.mister4x4.net/Cars/Honda/glassafter.jpg

Did I read that right, you used some kind of WHEEL Cleaner and it worked?

I don't know I can't get the ones off my car. I'm starting to think they were not from me from when I washed the car earlier this week. They are way too permament to of been made so recently. Maybe they were there when I bought it and I simply didn't notice. Maybe the car has been on the lot for awhile. In any case, still trying to get rid of them.

ORIGINAL: Adamation

I went to a few auto parts store this morning and realized I dont know what the heck I am looking for. I have never bought a Clay Bar for a car. Hell, I never even HEARD of using clay on a car before 2 days ago.

Is there aa certain type I need for glass specifically or is the general clay bar going to work? Is there a certain brand I should look out for?

Thanks...again!


clay magic is the cheapest and works just as good as the rest. they all get their clay from the same supplier, just a different color and possibly a couple small things. if they don't have clay magic i get Mother's instead. it's next in line as cheapest, i usually get it at walmart for like $15

and don't buy more of the spray detailer. in fact, dont even use what they give you to clay your car. get a spray bottle, fill it with lukewarm water and fill it with roughly the same amount of car wash soap you would use to wash your car. shake it up, spray generously on your paint, and rub the clay bar in a back and forth motion. if you're car is very old in the least you'll actually feel the clay bar working. as soon as your paint is smooth as glass or you're not picking up any more dirt with the clay move on to the next panel. and work in small sections

I don't know if I forgot to specify, but I'm trying to get water spots off my auto glass specifically. The body of the car doesn't have any. It's a new car, with really bad water spots on the windows I can't seem to get off.

Still wondering if the Clay bar is even the way to go for me. Do any car washing/detailing places take water spots off? Was thinking of looking for one around work this afternoon.

ORIGINAL: Adamation

Did I read that right, you used some kind of WHEEL Cleaner and it worked?

I don't know I can't get the ones off my car. I'm starting to think they were not from me from when I washed the car earlier this week. They are way too permament to of been made so recently. Maybe they were there when I bought it and I simply didn't notice. Maybe the car has been on the lot for awhile. In any case, still trying to get rid of them.


Yes, you read that correctly. It's a professional grade acid-based wheel cleaner called Hi-Temp HT-709. I had actually tried Eagle One hoping for the same results, but got nuthin'. Earlier in this thread, I posted the URL to the company's site.

I had a thought, any chance the dealer i bought the car from would do fix my glass for me? (Without charge.) I'm pretty sure they were already on the car when I got it. No way they could be so embedded so quickly.

ORIGINAL: Adamation

I had a thought, any chance the dealer i bought the car from would do fix my glass for me? (Without charge.) I'm pretty sure they were already on the car when I got it. No way they could be so embedded so quickly.


doubtful, but possible. just try the claybar and go from there. it's less than $20 with a pretty good chance of working. or even the magic eraser, that's less than $10. ANY place that details cars will charge you more than that just to get the stuff out to clean your windows.

I had tried the Magic Eraser and even with Vinegar, didn't have an effect. Like I said, they're on there badly.

You can see some pics here:

http://www.hondacivicforum.com/fb.asp?m=451957

I'm a little scared to use clay. I basically would have no clue what I'm doing.

ok i know this sounds stupid..........but did you clean the inside of the windows? i have never seen water spots that dont come off with windex and a clean towel

cybeex32 - Where do you live again? This is classic extreme hard water spots/mineral deposits.

And no - they're not on the inside. If you look as his pictures in the other thread, you'll notice that the spots persist even into the black 'trim' areas of the glass... which are most definitely not on the inside. (why does nobody seem to believe it's on the outside, even with pictures? Not trying to be a turd... but I'm pretty sure we figured that much out already.)

Adamation - don't be afraid of the clay. You'll just spray some lubrication onto the surface and rub the clay on the glass... just like you did the Magic Eraser. Who knows - it might work.

But I'm tellin' ya - Hi-Temp HT-709... best $8.95 I ever spent.

clay is so easy to use, that literally, a 6year old could do it. spray the lube on the surface (quick detailer or the home made stuff) and rub the clay back and forth. when the surface feels really smooth, rinse the lube off and move to the next section. it is literally that simple



some of you must have really bad water to get water spots that quick, and be that stuck on there. is the car BRAND new? as in 07? or is it just new to you? i've got an 06 that dont even have any water spots, and a 99 that has very few traces

Matts,

My car is brand new, as in I don't even have the plates yet, and it is an 2007. Got it a week ago yesterday. How long can new cars sit on the lot generally? My only thought is maybe it was on the lot for a little while and got the spots.

I'll look into the clay bar, it does sound easy. Will it come with the spray stuff usually or is that seperate? And again, the general clay for a car will be what I need? (I don't think I saw any glass specific clay when I went looking the other day.)

Type RB - I'll consider the Wheel cleaner too! Didn't I read in another post of yours you actually used it and then used something else to wipe it off afterwards? Was it Invisibble Glass you used after the wheel cleaner, I forgot.

It's just a spray on, let sit, and wipe off kind of thing? No scrubbing? That'd scare me with it being tire cleaner. But I could probably use the cleaner on my tire. I keep noticing my nice new car rims getting gunk and grease on them. Suppose that's normal though.

ORIGINAL: Adamation

Matts,

My car is brand new, as in I don't even have the plates yet, and it is an 2007. Got it a week ago yesterday. How long can new cars sit on the lot generally? My only thought is maybe it was on the lot for a little while and got the spots.

I'll look into the clay bar, it does sound easy. Will it come with the spray stuff usually or is that seperate? And again, the general clay for a car will be what I need? (I don't think I saw any glass specific clay when I went looking the other day.)

they can sit on the lot a while, but since it's an 07 i'd say about the longest it could have been sitting on the lot is around 3rd quarter 06. but i doubt it's been sitting there that long, most car dealers like to rotate their stock more frequently.

no, there's not a specific type of clay you need to buy. since clay is abrasive, there are some that are more abrasive than others

I live in chicago, and i never had a water spot that i couldnt take off. Maybe its all the minerals in the water? try using bottled water. (just giving ideas)

if the arent tinted, use a razor blade, it takes skill but if u go slow, once u get the hang of it, it will get anything off, just use a windex or rubbing alch with it.

it's not the area in which you live, it's due to hard water and minerals that deposit themselves onto the glass.

ORIGINAL: eloplayspolo

if the arent tinted, use a razor blade, it takes skill but if u go slow, once u get the hang of it, it will get anything off, just use a windex or rubbing alch with it.


what?? tint should be on the inside of the car. we're talking about water spots on the outside

You can use a blade on the outside too, but it sounds like its inside the windows for you. a blade would work if its on the surface of the glass.

it's kinda funny, all i did was have someone break into my window, and i got a new passenger side window, so no water marks for me on the passenger window.

Yes - I sprayed it directly onto the windows, and let it sit for about 3 or 4 minutes. I went the extra step and took an already wet paper towel and wiped down the windows, which didn't remove the cleaner - just dispersed it even more, ensuring 100% coverage. Then hosed it off. Once I was done with that, then I Windexed the glass and all is good once again.

The windshield is completely hosed though. You can see the path of the wiper blades quite clearly from the outside, and can barely see through them from the inside.

I'm going to try the entry-level kit from Janvil to attempt restoration of the windshield. http://www.janvil.com/glass_restore.htm If it doesn't work, then I'll most likely employ my trusty ol' ball-peen hammer and claim it for a replacement (Hey - $50 deductable for a $270 windshield is a good trade-off in my book).