how do i get wax off glass! the eagle one nanowax said "use on glass and trim for added protection and rain repellency" ok great, now three weeks later, i knew it was a short life wax, while driving at night the on coming headlights make the windshield look like its filthy, it looked like theres tiny scratches in the glass apon closer inspection, i noticed it last night when i cleaned the car only about 3 hours before, also when it rains, with the wipers it streaks badly, i want it off, how!!!!??? would re-applying a new coat of wax smooth it out? or should i not nanowax the glass at all?, the nanowax worked pretty well, i thought the car looked great with it, just tho now that its old, i cant tell on the car itself because i keep it clean, but the glass is what i can see and stands out. what are the tricks to getting wax off, what are some tips? with all this rain i cant barely drive now because i cant really see out the windows... damn new england weather... Help!!!! SOS!!! or SMM!!(Save my Mini)

 

I'd start with either rubbing alcohol or Dawn-washing just the glass (if possible...probably start with alcohol cuz it'll be easier).

 

what kind of dawn in particular, if any? i had some Sun-sations laying around so i lathered up a rag and tested that on a spot on the glass and nadda, and how bad is the rubbing alcohol for the paint? just wondering so i know how careful to apply it. also has anyone ever tried coke a cola? i was googling ways and i saw that, i tired root beer tonight but no result. but i dunno if it has to speficly be original coke a cola.

 

You'd have to re-wax any paint you get it on...other than that it's no big deal.

 

For synthetic waxes, alcohol is your best bet for removing. Vinegar also works. I use a 50/50 mix of alcohol & water to remove the synthetic wax I use.
BTW, I wax my glass each time I detail without problems and great benefits. Perhaps you should use a different wax such as Prima Epic from www.detailersparadise.com - last a very long time and gives you great gloss and depth.

 

Like MiniMaybee, I wax my glass every time I detail, and I too have great results.

As to using Coke, I'd be more worried about what it would do to the paint than a 50/50 water alcohol mix. Ever see what happens to an old penny if you soak it in Coke.

Mark

 

yea, i ixnayed the the coke idea, but i was dabbing the cloth in a cup and not pouring it on the glass btw, i'l have to try the rubbing alcohol mix or the vinigar soon. im going to look into the good stuff soon, i just felt like giving the nano wax a try, i had heard good things about it and ease of use made it very appeling, altho it wasnt bad stuff, it worked nicely, but it only lasts about 3 weeks maximum.

 

If you have a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some paper towel that would probably be easiest - just dampen the paper towel and wipe the window(s) in question. No rinsing required and no worry about getting it on your paint and having to re-wax.

 

i agree with the alcohol idea. works well. i personally never wax the windshield myself but i do the others ( found i sometimes get a bit of wiper chatter when i do) Also, i have never seen the tiny scratches you talk about in the wax. I had the same problem with my mustang and after a lot of time spent playing with it, found it to be a build up of off gassing on the inside ( bo did i feel dumb then! ) used a vinigar water mix on the inside glass and PRESTO....al gone

 

+1 go strait to the ALCOHOL why waste time with anything else

 

Work smarter not harder.

 

Claybar!

 

i was contemplating getting a clay bar today. any sugestions on a brand? i was gonna try the Meguiers kit

 

For OTC I like the Meguiars, I used to use Mothers, but I switched over to the Meguiars one!

 

well i went out and i picked up the meguires, and the stoners invisible glass, dawn and the rubbing alcohol along with some more mircofibers and decided to try some super absorbant cloth thingy, we'll see how it all works

 

wat's SMM again?

 

"save my Mini!" hahaha

 

lol

 

ok well, i tried everything but the marks are still on the glass!! i dawn washed it, then autodry cleaned it, clayed it, and waxed it...the car that is. it looks really great and the clay, wow, omg its sooo shiney and smooth... but the marks are still on the glass!!! they look like water marks on the glass, i tried 50/50 mix with the rubbing alcohol and then just 100% on a microfiber cloth, i mean the glass looks a million times better than before but thats after dawn, clay and the rubbing alcohol. but still when at night, when the lights shine onto my windshield the marks are visible, not as many but they are there. what to do? just a little elbow grease? or another approach? the last photo the cars so shiney it refracts the flash and messes with the photos brightness.

 

OK Pete, the only other thing I can recommend is you polish the glass. I use DP Swirl and a PCDA each time I detail before I wax. I do this on all my glass and head lights. Swirl as a polish is moderately abrasive (more so then ScratchX) and my primary use of it is to remove swirls from the paint. The PCDA is a machine that facilitates removal of swirls.
You might try getting some ScratchX and trying by hand. Rub like crazy using a good stiff pad or applicator. If that doesn't work, or marginally so, then step up to a machine and Swirl.
This is really an odd problem, but I can say fairly certainly it has little to do with your original use of nano wax on the glass.
Keep us informed as you have peaked my interest.

 

hmmmm if this is my last line of defense i guess i have no choice, but an abraisve on glass... uhmm... i think im going to have to pass on that for now tho.. the reason i think it has to do with the wax, is because when its wet out the windows streak like crazy, which it didnt do at first but does now that the wax is three weeks old, its just the darndest thing.. i think my next move will to find a glass specialist and have them take a look, during the day the glass is flawless, but at night it looks like its filthy. it dosent make any sense. its just the weirdest thing, could this be like etchings in the glass? and something i cant remove with a cleaner or otherwise? and have you tried polishing the glass with either of those? i mean the words abraisive and glass dont go well together.. the two photos are from the inside, passenger side taken at about 10-6 cm with macro focus. the glass was just cleaned and what not and thats what comes out, i'll try to get a photo of the outside and what looks like water marks.

 

Although it's hard to tell from the picture, it looks like it could be overspray of some kind or bad water spot stains.

If clay and rubbing alcohol didn't work, then you may need to use an abrasive, as MiniMaybee suggested.

First though, I would try to clay again. In some cases, whether paint or glass, clay is very effective in a short amount of time and a small amount of rubbing. However, there are some things which only clay can remove but it needs quite a workout to do so. Therefore, I would try claying again. This time, spend several minutes (at least 10 minutes) on a test area (perhaps about 1'x1'). This will no doubt be tiring but should indicate whether or not clay is your key. Moving on before doing this may result in wasted time if clay is the only thing that will work anyway.

Next, I would try vinegar soaked in a cloth or towel. If they are stubborn water spots, vinegar is likely your best bet but it needs time to work (just more time this time and not more work ). Saturate a large cloth or towel with white vinegar and lay the towel on the windshield. Try to do this out of direct sunlight or high heat simply because you want to give the vinegar some time to work before it dries from heat. Leave the towel on the windshield for 15 minutes or so then wipe the windshield well with the vinegar towel. The vinegar should loosen the mineral deposits and they should wipe off at this point (or at least a noticeable amount of them... it could take a few attempts if the minerals are really hard and stuck on the glass).

If neither of the above helps, then try an abrasive. NOTE that your glass is significantly harder than your paint and the abrasives you should use are intended for paint. Thus, you can abrade to your heart's content with a paint polish without even coming close to harming your glass. (you can also try glass polish specifically but I've found that paint polishes work as well or better anyway and then you have them for other paint-related uses later)

If you have a polisher or access to one (ie, a friend's to borrow), then use it with a semi-aggressive pad, such as the Lake Country orange pad and Prima Swirl or a similar style/level abrasive (Scratch-X or Four Star Swirl Mark Remover).
If you don't have a polisher, then work a test section (about 1'x1') by hand and work it for several minutes. Note that you don't need to apply super heavy pressure... medium hand pressure and as much time as you're able will yield better results than heavy pressure and less time.


Incidentally, neither alcohol nor vinegar will not harm your paint at all. It will strip any wax you may have on the paint but it will not harm the paint. If you get either chemical on any plastic trim, no worries there either but be sure to apply a plastic protectant soon afterwards to prevent drying that either chemical will likely cause without the protectant treatment.

I also agree with MiniMaybee in that I doubt this was caused by the Nanowax stuff, from what you've described (and because the rubbing alcohol didn't work).

Also, as was mentioned by andrewholmes, I would recommend giving the inside of your windshield a thorough cleaning with an effective/powerful glass cleaner. The off-gassing film caused by your dash creates some horrible night-driving effects that may be adding to your problem (although it doesn't sound like the only issue here). Then, be sure to get a protectant on your dash to prevent further off-gassing film.

Good luck and keep us posted!

-Heather

 

there's a ghost in the 2nd picture!

 

hey sorry i kinda went dead on this post, i got busy around here, and then the weather turned for a bit so i never got a chance to try out the vinagar approach, the stuffs still on the windows but its less apparent now, well at least the windsheild, the side windows you can see it, so i told my dad about it and he said if its the wax the weather will take care of it, and also i've been Stoners invisible glassing it, im probably going to wash the car soon so i'll try dawn and claying again. thanks everyone tho.