Windshield pitting

In a small area you might try a razor blade and at a very sleight angle see if whatever is on the windshield comes off. If you get a fine powder like substance you can then try various solvents on the powder to see if it dissolves it. If so you lucked out and can clean off whatever got sprayed on it. Polishing if not done correctly could leave waves in the glass. That being said if the surface has micro defects then they can be carefully polished by hand using a glass polish.

 

But if it is over the entire surface I have never heard of that turning out well. If it is indeed pitting lots of car glass gets replaced for that so I don't think there is a good fix.

 

Agree. Micro defects over the entire surface are usually the result of improper manufacture. Improper curing etc. I have scraped with a box of razors a Jag windshield with some kind of plastic spray on it that wouldn't dissolve in anything. It eventually cleaned up okay. The trick was to work carefully with sharp blades so as not to scratch the glass.

 

Yes, if it is ON the glass it would be a little time consuming but do-able.

 

We have the same issues with helicopter windshields. They really get sand blasted when taking off and landing in dusty areas and eventually must be replaced. As previously mentioned overspray is easily removed from glass with a razor blade. Seems strange there is no other evidence of abrasion on the car ?

 

Speculating here but it may be the wax protected the car but who waxes the windshield? In this instance perhaps a spray from a roadside sprayer or left unprotected in a shop where spray was used. So no abrasion elsewhere may indicate a overspray?

 

I have seen a clay bar made for glass, anyone tried this?

 

If the glass is pitted in the top layer, there is really no true fix. If the best glass guy on the planet would polish the glass, the heat from polishing will affect the "safety layer" adversely.

If you have damage in your direct vision area, new glass is the only fix.

I have a tiny pit on my 575M to the left of my direct vision area. I saw the rock hit the windshield and couldn't believe it just made a small scratch. Every time I see it I just shake my head.

Living in Las Vegas during the continuous construction boom, I replaced two windshields in my Ford Lightening truck because the entire windshield was sandblasted by stuff on the road. When driving into the sun, I couldn't see anything. I also had the front grills repainted twice.

 

I would try a clay bar before a razor blade.

 

When scraping glass with a razor blade, make sure the blade is sharp, and keep it lubricated with glass cleaner. Use a fresh new blade often. Even a new blade un lubricated can scratch the glass.

 

I have used razor blades on glass a lot. It works just fine if you do what glassman says.

 

Simply put, replace it.
In general terms, if a glass (i.e. windshield) has pitting or scratches that are deep enough to be felt with your fingernail when sliding it over them, the result of attempted "polishing" is usually more problematic than the pits or scratches themselves. To eliminate deep pits or scratches, enough surrounding material (=glass) has to removed (by samding or polishing) to get below the bottom of said pits or scratches, which on the other hand will create un-even (distorted) glass surface, etc...
In my over 20 year experience producing custom made windshield and other glass for rare and/or obsolete vintage automotive and vehicle applications I've seen just about every kind of method attempted to "save" money on "restoration" of old pitted/scratched windshields and other curved glass.
Just yesteday, along with some vintage Ferrari windows I produce, I shipped out a small batch of custom made curved windshields I was contracted to produce for some of the earliest production cars to feature such items (think mid-1930's !!).
Tomorrow, I'll be installing one of my most ambitious (largest and one of the most complex designs) curved glass automotive windows I've ever attempted to create.
Just an hour or so ago, the owner of this 56 year old vintage car emailed a picture of his speedo reading at 100mph !! (It's accurate, I've calibrated it after complete transmission rebuilding two years ago) as he's currently driving it (500 miles) from Bay Area toward my shop in Riverside

 

You can polish glass using Cerium Oxide. I'm getting ready to polish a set of pitted glass headlights and picked up some Cerium Oxide from amazon. I've also heard people use it to polish scratches out of windshields caused by dirty wiper blades.

 

In cases of more than just very light pitting I would stick to that advice. The razor blade approach, perhaps supplemented by a polish, will obviously work only (and good), if not pitting is the problem, but whatever kind of overspray or the like.

 

What about 0000 steel wool?


Ago

 

Anything abrasive, not matter how fine grit, will scratch the glass. Besides, clay bar, razor blade or other abrasives (cerium oxide, steel wool, etc) are somewhat effective only for removing contamination (i.e. fall-out, over spray, etc) from the surface of glass.
Pits or scratches are breakage of the surface and reach below it.

 

These guys might have something -- it sounds like they have resins to fill pitting. There are so many products listed that it's hard to tell what you would need or if it is an easy solution. The website in indecipherable IMO, it might be worth giving them a call though: https://www.gtglass.com/windshield-repair-kits-and-supplies/windshield-repair-resin/windshield-repair-resin-and-pit-filler-high-viscosity

 

Band-aid for small single item impact damages (i.e. rock chips, etc). Budget focused auto parts and hardware/general store chains across the globe have dedicated shelf space for numerous similar products.
Most may not be worth trying on a '82 Dodge K-car, not that there's anything wrong with K-cars and I haven't checked any actual reviews on KChat