During operation, the windshield of the car is covered with scratches and chips, which are caused by stones flying off the track, sand and dirt getting under the wipers, improper cleaning of ice. You can get rid of such defects by polishing the windshield of the car. Perfect cleanliness and transparency of the glass is necessary not only for aesthetic reasons, but also as a guarantee of safety, since any defects and damage can adversely affect the review.
Automotive Glass Polishing Technology
The procedure for removing minor damage and scratches from the windshield is a long and rather laborious process, in connection with which it is performed in several stages:
- Glass surface cleaning.
- Marking the location of defects and scratches for ease of use.
- Protection of body elements.
- Application of a special composition for polishing a car windshield using a felt polishing disc.
- Processing the glass surface with an electric drill or grinder, followed by washing.
- Car body wash to clean it from splinters.
Glass Polishing Products
Car cosmetics stores offer a wide range of polishing products that vary in their characteristics, price and quality. All polishes can conditionally be divided into three categories:
- Protective equipment. Form a protective film on the glass surface, protecting it from the appearance of abrasions, cracks and scratches in the future.
- Optical compositions. The composition includes special microparticles that fill scratches.
- Abrasive paste. When polishing the windshield with your own hands using such compositions, the upper layer of material is removed.
Polishing compounds are also divided into classes depending on the composition:
- Based on teflon. They protect the glass surface from deep damage, and therefore are applied to all glass, and not just to the places of defects.
- Based on wax. It is inferior to Teflon analogues in terms of characteristics and properties, however, it has a lower price.
The cost of polishing in car dealerships
The price of polishing the windshield of a car varies depending on the interior and materials used and can range from 5 to 10 thousand rubles. Professional glass polishing, performed in large cities, can cost much more than in the regions. Despite this, polishing the windshield with your own hands is much more profitable than contacting the workshop for such a service.
Polishing materials
The range of compositions designed for polishing the windshield from scratches is huge and includes both professional pastes and polishes, as well as folk remedies. Car owners can choose both toothpastes and professional compositions and kits - each of the available options has its advantages and disadvantages that you should rely on when choosing a material.
Paste GOI
When removing scratches from wipers and polishing the windshield at home, they often use GOI polishing paste. Despite the fact that it is much cheaper than other special formulations, the effect of its use is very high quality. GOI paste is grainy, and the diameter of the grains in its composition can vary:
- The largest is the fourth. With it, during the polishing of the windshield from scratches wipers, you can eliminate the largest damage.
- The paste with grains of the third size is suitable for eliminating opacities, dull patches, scuffs and restoring the transparency of the glass.
- Grains of the second size in the composition of the GOI paste help to smooth the surface and eliminate minor damage.
Toothpaste
The most popular folk remedy used to polish the windshield and headlights of a car. Its effectiveness is not lower than that of professional compositions, but it costs a mere penny. It is advisable to choose a paste with a minimum amount of additives, so as not to spoil the surface of the glass. Whitening toothpastes have the greatest effect.
Professional teams
Special polishes on a wax or teflon basis are sold freely available at car care stores. Their only drawback in comparison with folk remedies and GOI paste is only the high price. Wax-based polishes practically do not surpass toothpaste in their characteristics, and Teflon-based compounds should be purchased only if it is planned to provide reliable protection for auto glass in the future.
Do-it-yourself car glass polishing
To polish a windshield, you will need the following materials and tools:
- The composition for polishing is professional polish, GOI paste or folk remedies.
- Felt polishing wheel.
- Grinder or electric drill.
- Marker.
- Body protection film and masking tape.
- Sponge and cleaning fluid.
After preparing the necessary materials, you can proceed to polishing.
Glass polishing steps
Polishing the windshield of a car is as follows:
- The car body is tightened with foil to avoid damage.
- The windshield is thoroughly washed and dried.
- Deep scratches and damage are marked with a marker.
- The polishing agent is evenly distributed over the surface with a felt disc.
- Glass is machined, while the polishing wheel should be at an angle of 5 degrees.
- The windshield is washed again and inspected for scratches.
- A protective film is removed from the body, after which the car is completely washed.
Errors during polishing
During the polishing of the windshield, motorists often make mistakes, which leads to damage to the glass. The most common mistakes made during the polishing process are the following:
- Do not use tooth powder to polish a thin windshield, as this can provoke the appearance of new cracks and micro-scratches. Compared to headlight glass, the windshield requires a softer and more accurate handling.
- It is almost impossible to remove deep scratches with GOI paste, because its consistency is not suitable for such work as polishing a windshield.
- Polishing with a dry felt wheel or with excessive pressure can lead to the formation of microlenses on the glass surface, which significantly impairs vision and can cause the glass to overheat, causing it to break.
Polishing nuances
The effectiveness of polishing a windshield can be increased if you resort to some tricks. Such nuances of the process are widely used by professionals, but are almost unknown to ordinary motorists.
- The treated surface must be periodically moistened with water. This is done in order to avoid overheating of the glass and maintain the liquid consistency of the used polish.
- Excessive force during processing is not worth it, as this can lead to a negative result. Delicate and soft polishing can achieve significantly greater results.
- Glass polishing should be done in the direction perpendicular to the scratches located on the surface.
Separately, it is worth noting the effect of the lens arising from excessive polishing of the glass area, which leads to distortion of the view.
Scratch Prevention
It is impossible to eliminate every scratch that appears, and therefore it is better to prevent their appearance. Proper operation of the car and windshield in particular avoids the formation of many shortcomings. For example, in most cases, the main reason for the appearance of mechanical defects is wipers; accordingly, it is necessary to select them correctly and regularly change the seals. The windshield requires correct and careful handling in the cold season, when ice forms on it: it can only be cleaned with a special brush.