Trouble cleaning the windshield

[at7815]

So most of the windshield looks great, super clean and it beads water very nicely. However, there is one section right on the driver's side that seems as if there was some sort of slippery stuff on there and it doesn't bead water. It's really annoying when it rains.

I have used clay but it didn't seem to make a difference. I washed the car today and used Clarity but when wiping the glass it didn't seem to go away...any suggestions?????

[Hogtied]

I learned this from a professional car detailer - he's done RR's, Ferraris, Porsches, etc.. He knows detailing.

Get some 4-ought (0000) - or 5-ought if you can find it - steel wool, and a can of Bon Ami scouring detergent (it's non abrasive).

Wet about half the windshield, lightly sprinkle some Bon Ami on the glass, and then lightly go over it with the steel wool, using long, even strokes - keep the steel wool wet. Rinse and repeat. The steel wool will NOT scratch your glass.

Once you're done, be sure to rinse the area around the windshield real well - it'll help eliminate any possibility of any white residue remaining from the Bon Ami. You might even pop the hood and hose down the area just in front of the windshield as well.

The procedures above will work on any windshield. If you're familiar with that film that we all get after a year or so of driving - especially in industrial areas - the Bon Ami / 4-ought steel wool routine will get all the film off the glass.

Give it a try.. you can pick up 0000 steel wool at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, or most any good Hardware store.

[at7815]

Thanks for the suggestion! I will give it a try when I get a chance...the car is only 2.5 months old! It's crazy, but yeah that's the right word - it's like a "film" on that little part of the windshield. I wonder how it's only there and not the rest...

[paulgraz]

I learned about Bon-Ami from Pat Goss on Motorweek years ago. I dont use the steel wool part, and even still it does a great job of removing grunge from the glass surface. I just wet down the glass, sprinkle the bon-ami over it, "scrub it down" using a sponge, working the bon-ami into a paste - then rinse. Rinse alot! I usually do this just before washing the car - and after it all dries I apply rain-x. The rain-x helps keep the grunge from coming back.

There's another product called "Barkeepers friend" that seems to be just about the same thing as Bon-Ami.

I've got 6 cars and I generally do this twice a year - spring and fall. It does not scratch the glass like most people think...

On the MINIs I also do the back glass...

[kenchan]

+1 for RainX. this is where the rain-x's cleaning properties really make a huge
difference.

[umberto]

I've used Bon-Ami too, with a sponge...but just very little...no scratches

[agranger]

You can get glass polish from several sources... I'm liking the one that Zaino sells right now. I use my Porter Cable polisher with an orange pad... 5 minutes later, the windshield is crystal clear!