polishing a windshield

Bhigdog · June 15th, 2009

I have a windshield that has a wiper wear mark and I'm thinking of trying to polish it out rather than springing for $500+ for a new one. The wiper mark ins't deep enough to "catch" my finger nail but I can just feel it. Anyone have any experiance with polishing glass that can give me needed advice? Thanks...........Bob

impala · June 15th, 2009

Yes, I bought the kit from Eastwood which has a powered material called Rhodium and a heavy felt wheel. I removed the marks you're talking about from a $600 Impala convertible windshield and it worked perfectly.
Be prepared to follow the directions carefully and spend 4-6 hours getting it right.
impala

Bhigdog · June 15th, 2009

Did the polishing cause distorsions and did you polish the whole W/S to even out the polished look?...........Bob

palosfv3 · June 16th, 2009

Are the wiper marks in your line of vision ? If so get the new windshield . As you look across the repaired area you will get a blur in your vision. You will actually think your losing your sight or worse.

impala · June 16th, 2009

I did do the whole windshield because of some hazing that I couldn't remove with anything else. Also the windshield was out of the car which made it somewhat easier to apply the pressure on the felt wheel.
If the rest of your windshield is good you could just do the wiper mark areas.
There was no distortion.
The kit does come with special sanding disks for removing scratches but I didn't need that. This process would probably cause distortion if done in a small area!
I'm always skeptical about kits like this that are somewhat costly but this one did actually work.
impala

palosfv3 · June 16th, 2009

Are the wiper marks in your line of vision ? If so get the new windshield . As you look across the repaired area you will get a blur in your vision. You will actually think your losing your sight or worse.

Ron Green · June 16th, 2009

I have had many side, front and rear windows polished. It is amazing how much clearer everything appears. I have it done to all the windows of my vehicles when restoring.

If the scratch isn't to bad (can't catch fingernail) it can be polished out without blurring your vision when looking through. Polishing makes an absolute mess and should be done off the vehicle. I don't fool with the kits. I send all out to a professional glass shop to have done and it is generally $30 to $50 per windshield. Well worth the $.

Bhigdog · June 16th, 2009

I cant't feel a "catch" but I can feel a very slight roughness. The mark is on the pass side so it's probably worth a try. The W/S is out of the car. Thanks everyone I'll make some calls to see who in the ABE area does it. ...Bob

Bhigdog · June 16th, 2009

Quote:

I send all out to a professional glass shop to have done and it is generally $30 to $50 per windshield. Well worth the $.

Do you have name/number, Ron? I can't find anyone around Allenton.........Bob

Ron Green · June 16th, 2009

I have an old timer that comes to my shop and removes, polishes and reinstalls my front and rear windows. He used to work at the glass shop I used all the time. He would more than likely do it however I don't like to ship the big hard to find and usually expensive windows. Hard to believe you can't find someone in your area. Try some surrounding areas that are within an hours drive.