New Member - question about windshields...

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imported_Rebelranger

New member
Hello all - great forum!



My car is only a year old, with 25,000 miles on it (yes, I drive a lot!), and my windshield is already "speckled" and pitted pretty badly from sand and such. I am quite shocked at how quickly this would happen to a brand new car - the "sparkling" when driving into the sun is already becoming quite annoying.



Before I complain to Mazda about the crappy glass and try to worm a warranty replacement out of them - is there anything I can do about this?



Are there any products that can restore my windshield - even a little bit? Like polishing it out? These are not cracks or real stone chips, mind you - it's the "sandblasted" look that is usually on older cars.



So can anything take these out? I will eventually replace the glass (who ever thought a windshield could be a routine maintenance item:(?) - are there any products that can help to prevent or minimize the effects of the "sandblasting" on my windshield?



I'm looking forward to everyone's knowledge on this board - and hopfully contributing some of my own.



Thanks!



~HH
 
Whatever you try come back to this thread to report the results. I have the same problem PLUS I have scratches from a scrubbing I gave my windshield with one of those sponges with the green scotch brite stuff on one side.



I understand that there is a polishing compound - ceramic oxide I think ? - for this purpose but I have never tried it. I have also heard that it is possible to crack the windshield buffing it if you let the heat build up.



I have an old A4 with a 120k+ miles on it with a spotless windshield and a Mercedes with 18k miles on it with tons of specs and small chips. I guess that the susceptibility to chipping varies by manufacturer.



I have also thought about trying something like rain X or plexus on the windshield on the theory that it probably repells rain by filling in some of the small imperfections.
 
SL, you are referring to Cesium Oxide.



Many folks here have tried Zaino Z12 Glass Polish or AutoGlym's glass Polish. Some have tried 3M's. Others have tried really fine steel wool. I have Z12 and I will be polishing the windows on the Maxima when I get my PC. :D
 
These pitting marks cannot be removed by buffing, they are too far into the glass surface and buffing or "cutting" to remove them would cause glass distortion. The only option is replacement.
 
This is one of those " ... they don't make them like they used to ... " stories, unfortunately true. They don't heat treat windshields for hardness like they used to (I am intrigued to hear that tour Audi is free from what I thought was a universal problem).



It was reported here that the problem could be made less annoying by claying the windshield. Supposedly this pulls gunk out of the pits and improves visibility in the process. Haven't tried this yet myself.



The chances of M-B replacing the windshield under warranty for pitting is nil. Mercedes' quality and service have slipped badly in recent years and, based on our experiences, I wouldn't waste my breath asking about this. Your insurance company, on the other hand, will replace the windshield if you tell them your vision has been compromised - of course, your premium has to have glass coverage provisions.
 
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