Glass restoration

[Spawne32]

So the glass on my car has lots of fine line scratches and overall is in pretty poor condition no matter how well you clean it, ive tried every solvent known to man to try to get it clean but it appears that its just the glass it self that is just difficult to see out of, so i did some searching online for ways to restore automotive glass, and i came upon this....



Amazon.com: Professional Glass Polishing System: Automotive



and i was wondering if anyone has ever used anything similar to this to restore glass?

[black bart]

I have a local glass shop that was doing that but I don't know if it was the one you found but it worked.
They stopped doing it because it was time consuming and so they just install new glass but for a DIY it should work just be patient it is slow.

[Big Leegr]

That looks pretty much like the one AutoGeek sells:
Professional Glass Polishing System

I haven't tried it, but have heard that it does have some merits.

(Edit: well shoot...Your link is from PBM anyway! Guess I should have clicked first.)

Most of the comments I've heard/read about glass polishing (especially the windshield) is to leave it alone unless you are fairly experienced as you can warp the clarity.

[9D4E420]

I have that kit pictured above. It works excellent when paired with a rotary. It cleans hazes very well. The polish is user friendly and I don't think it is stong enough to warp the glass. As for drill use I have not tried it.

[Mr. Clean]

I have never attempted to peform any mechanically assisted windshield restoration other than trying the DP Glass Restorer product from AG (by hand). It is my understanding the the possibility of damage would come not from the polishing product, but from the heat generated by the polishing machine itself.

[Spawne32]

sounds good, guess ill give it a shot, will the cold weather have any adverse effects on this? Or should i wait until the spring?

[JohnZ3MC]

Originally Posted by Spawne32

sounds good, guess ill give it a shot, will the cold weather have any adverse effects on this? Or should i wait until the spring?

Cold weather, warm weather shouldn't matter much.
A few years ago I used a similar kit to remove really bad wiper scratches from the wife's windshield.
My kit included a felt mandrel for a corded electric drill and cerium oxide.

The cerium oxide/water slurry kept the glass cool so heat damage/cracking never entered into the picture. I'm thinking the same will apply to your situation.

It did take considerable time and patience but did an admirable job. I can see how a professional would just replace the windshield though. For them, time is money.

In your case, I'd just do it asap and end the viewing misery. Crystal clear is good, especially during gray winter nights.
-John C.

[Spawne32]

well i bought the it and used it with my PC, but it did absolutely nothing at all, everyone was laughin sayin it wouldnt work and sure enough, it didnt even take the very fine scratches out, very dissapointed. The pads were absolutely horrible, the velcro hookit system wouldnt hold anything, 4 or 5 times i started the machine up and the pad just flew half way across the shop.

[Big Leegr]

Maybe you could get some tips on how to get better results for it if you posted on the AutoGeek sponsored sub-forum.

Autogeek.net Sponsored Forum - DetailCity.org - Auto Detailing & Car Detailing Forum

[99tl]

I had good results with the kit on my 10 year old windshield. I wish i had pictures. It did take about 2 hours from start to finish to complete the entire windshield including wash, clay. setup and taping everything.
The only issues I had was that the backing plate ripped apart. LC sent me a second backing plate and the same thing happened. After some discussion with LC. I was told to only use a rotary with the discs.
Also make sure to tape everything. Since the mix turns into a slurry. It flies everwhere.

	Lake Country Pads Lake Country buffing pads is at the top of their game! If you know anything about foam polishing pads, you’re no doubt familiar with this company. They’ve been designing and manufacturing polisher accessories since 1977 and we’d be willing to bet they know a thing or two about car care. In fact, we’re so confident in their expertise, Max enlisted their help to design pads for Palm Beach Motoring Accessories.

[Spawne32]

Originally Posted by 99tl

I had good results with the kit on my 10 year old windshield. I wish i had pictures. It did take about 2 hours from start to finish to complete the entire windshield including wash, clay. setup and taping everything.
The only issues I had was that the backing plate ripped apart. LC sent me a second backing plate and the same thing happened. After some discussion with LC. I was told to only use a rotary with the discs.
Also make sure to tape everything. Since the mix turns into a slurry. It flies everwhere.

i did it with the detailer i was working with, with the pc set between 3-4 per the instructions, stuff didnt work at all, and the backing plate and pads were horrible. very crappy product.

	Lake Country Pads Lake Country buffing pads is at the top of their game! If you know anything about foam polishing pads, you’re no doubt familiar with this company. They’ve been designing and manufacturing polisher accessories since 1977 and we’d be willing to bet they know a thing or two about car care. In fact, we’re so confident in their expertise, Max enlisted their help to design pads for Palm Beach Motoring Accessories.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally Posted by Spawne32

i did it with the detailer i was working with, with the pc set between 3-4 per the instructions, stuff didnt work at all, and the backing plate and pads were horrible. very crappy product.

Hi Spawne32,

Got your PM and am posting here,

I have a very condensed week because I'm getting ready for the Mobile Tech Expo so no extra time to do any in-depth checking.

I will say this though, you can remove water spots, that is a mineral deposit, off glass using a tool with a Free Rotating Spindle Assembly, (Tools like the Porter Cable Dual Action Polisher), but you cannot remove scratches that are "in" the glass using a tool with a Free Rotating Spindle Assembly because you really need the powerful rotating power of a rotary buffer to remove small particles of glass in an effort to level the surface.

So when I get back from the Mobile Tech Expo I'll look into this in-depth.

Sorry, just not enough time between now and next Saturday to do much else but prepare.

[Mike Phillips]

This article here discusses the drive mechanism for DA Polishers and Rotary Buffers...

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project

Drive Mechanism - Free Rotating Spindle Assemble

From left to right...
Porter Cable 7424XP - Meguiar's G110v2 - Griot's Garage ROP - Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher


Close-ups...




Rotary Buffers are Direct Drive tools and offer a lot more power via a much different mechanism.