Proven ways to remove scratches from car windows without replacing them

The glass in the car should not be damaged, because the driver’s safety on the road depends on the quality of the view.

One of the problems that car owners face is scratches. They can appear due to dirt getting under the wipers, sharp branches and stones flying off from under other cars.

Read the article about the means by which you can remove scratches from car glass, including deep ones.

Damage removal options

There are two options to get rid of scratches - remove them yourself, or contact a specialist.

You will be able to deal with the problem yourself if the defects are minor. If the glass is severely damaged, then it will not be possible to do without the help of a specialist .

To understand how significant the defect is, you need to run your fingernail over it. If it falls into the recess and clings to the walls, the scratch is deep.

You will be able to remove the defect yourself if it appeared due to sand getting under the wipers or due to improper washing of the car. When scratches are the result of stones flying into the windshield or the result of too aggressive cleaning of ice, you will need the help of a specialist.

You need to be prepared for the fact that deep defects cannot be completely removed. Such scratches can be polished by approximately 60%. This improves the appearance of the car, but it is no longer possible to make the glass look like new.

Where do scratches on glass come from?

There are three main reasons for defects:

1. Hitting gravel and small rocks. In this case, not only scratches may appear on the surface of the windshield, but also deep chips and cracks that cannot be eliminated by polishing.
2. The condition of the wipers does not meet the standards. Worn rubber bands and abrasive particles stuck in them scratch the surface. The effect is aggravated when, instead of rubber, the glass is touched by the steel elements of the wipers.
3. Improper care of car windows. Attempts to wipe a dirty windshield with a dry cloth and other mistakes lead to a natural result.

Also, scratches on the windshield occur as a result of vandalism, objects falling on the car, and for many other reasons.

Removal instructions

There are proven products that allow you to remove scratches from your windshield at home. These include:

• paste GOI,
• toothpaste,
• sandpaper.

They all work on the same principle - polishing the surface.

Paste GOI

GOI paste is a substance based on chrome green , organic fats and auxiliary additives (silica gel, stearin, kerosene, etc.). It was developed at the State Optical Institute, after which this unique composition was named. The paste is used for polishing and grinding various glass surfaces, including car windows.

Using GOI paste for the first time, you should not be surprised at its rich emerald color. After polishing, it will not leave marks on the glass.

Algorithm of actions:

1. 
   Moisten a soft cloth with a small amount of kerosene or gasoline, and then lubricate it with GOI paste.

2. Apply a small amount of industrial oil to the glass.
3. Start polishing. Periodically, the paste on the fabric needs to be renewed.
4. Do not press too hard on the glass. Continue rubbing until the scratch disappears and the glass begins to shine.
5. The remaining paste is removed with a damp cloth. The work takes about an hour.

Polishing paste is available in the form of hard pencils and bars; it can also have a creamy consistency. In the latter case, the composition is packaged in plastic jars. The average price for 100 g is 250 rubles.

To polish glass, you can use GOI paste No. 2 and No. 3 . They do not contain large abrasive particles that can damage the surface of the product.

Sandpaper

Polishing with sandpaper requires care. If you overdo it, you can provoke the appearance of new defects. To process glass, fine 2500 grit paper is used, but you can start with 600 grit paper.

Procedure:

• It is most convenient to sand the surface with a grinder with an attachment for sandpaper with Velcro;
• the glass is wetted, the device is turned on at low speed (no more than 1500 per minute), if this indicator is exceeded, the surface may burst;
• process the defect with 600 grit sandpaper, after which they switch to 2500 grit sandpaper;
• complete the process by applying any polishing compound, spreading it with a felt circle.

To prevent the glass from overheating, water must be supplied to it.

If you don't have a grinder or similar tool, you can do the work manually, but in this case it will take longer.

This video will show you how to remove scratches from car glass:

Toothpaste

To get rid of scratches on glass, you can use toothpaste. To get results, you should choose a composition with a whitening effect. Only this paste contains abrasive particles that can polish the glass surface.

Mode of application:

1. 
   To make the surface of the glass smooth, you need to polish it with a grinding machine with a felt disc.
   Its rotation speed should not exceed 1600 rpm. If you don’t have such a device, you can use a felt cloth.

2. A small amount of the product is applied to the disc or material.
3. Rub it into the glass in a circular motion.
4. When the damage becomes invisible, the treated area is washed with water and wiped dry.

Toothpaste has low effectiveness, so it can only cope with minor surface defects.

Content

Features of damage

Damage detection

Tools and materials

Car preparation

Step by step work

Types of polishes

Recommendations

Every car owner takes care of his vehicle and carries out home maintenance almost every day. But no matter how careful care is taken, over time the car loses its original appearance. This applies to the body, headlights, wheels and glass, which receive various damages during operation. Car windows suffer because small crushed stone, sand particles, and insects hit it at speed. The main damage is caused by windshield wipers.

Polishing your windshield will help solve some problems. Before we begin the procedure, we will learn to distinguish damage that can be polished.

Windshield polishing

Features of damage

As mentioned above, wipers can cause significant damage, which over the years leads to a decrease in the visibility and transparency of the glass. This occurs due to the unusability of the brush itself or the ingress of sand or ice particles into it in winter. Imagine how a brush clogged with dust and dirt moves intensively along the surface of smooth glass, treating it with an abrasive. The owners themselves are often to blame for the damage. By hastily wiping the surface with a dirty or dry cloth, they damage the smooth top layer.

Glass with reduced transparency becomes dangerous at night. When driving, headlights from oncoming cars hit the windshield and are refracted through chips and microcracks. This results in light “explosions” and can cause an accident.

Dullness and acid stains cause blurred vision, which in turn affects attentiveness and dulls vigilance. The driver's eyes become tired and he gets tired quickly, which poses a threat to life on the road. For safety reasons, experts recommend polishing windshields.

Of course, many car owners prefer to simply stop by a car service center and replace the worn glass with a new one. But where is the guarantee that everything will be perfect when replaced? The quality of market products often does not correspond to the factory parameters at which your car was put into operation. There may be leaks due to leaky seals and rubber bands. Polishing will be much cheaper, and the quality of the event will be much higher than with replacement.

Polishing is useful for minor damage and shallow scratches.

There are two types of activities – grinding and polishing. Polishing is important for minor damage, shallow scratches; it is carried out using light processing using paste polishes. Sanding exposes more serious damage and chips to the surface of the glass. This procedure involves the use of abrasive pastes based on diamond dust and is carried out using coarse-grained emery wheels. This aggressive treatment is not suitable for all glasses. Sanding will remove a larger layer than polishing, and the technique is used mainly on headlights.

The question often arises: how to polish a windshield with your own hands and what is required for this? This seems like quite a complex and difficult job. But only at first glance. Polishing is possible for every car enthusiast who knows how to use an electric drill.

Damage detection

Polishing can only remove minor defects in glass. Minor roughness and abrasions from wiper blades and light scratches from sand fit this category. They can be corrected without harming the glass or its surface. It is easy to identify such damage - run your fingernail along the plane where the scratch is located, and if the nail does not get caught, you can carry out the work calmly.

More significant defects should be repaired at a service station. During polishing, the surface of the lens heats up and chips, scratches and gouges from stones cause cracks or create a lens effect. This leads to a violation of optical integrity. In the end, replacement is simply inevitable.

Windshield grinding

Tools and materials

Before polishing the windshield, you should collect the necessary equipment and prepare the materials:

• electric drill or sanding machine with a felt attachment;
• polishing wheel made of felt cloth with Velcro fastening;
• powder or ready-made paste mixture;
• adhesive tape, masking;
• soft, paper and fabric napkins;
• thin polyethylene film for covering and protection;
• liquid glass cleaner;
• regular spray bottle;
• black felt-tip pen;
• robe or work coat;
• eye protection mask.

When everything is ready, you can begin the preparatory stage.

Polishing machine

How much does the service cost and how to find specialists?

The service for removing scratches from glass is provided in auto repair shops . Private craftsmen do similar work. The cost depends on their volume, number and depth of defects. The average price in Russian cities is 500 rubles.

You can find specialists through advertisements on the Internet. As a rule, in each city there are several workshops that provide polishing services for car parts. It is recommended to choose proven services that have positive reviews.

Before agreeing to carry out the work, you need to clarify what result will be obtained in the end and whether the treatment will affect the strength of the glass.

Since in case of deep defects it is better to replace it. Installing new side windows will cost 800 rubles, and a windshield - 1,500 rubles (the cost of the work is indicated, excluding the price of the part itself).

Is it possible to learn polishing yourself?

People learn this too! True, you will have to invest a lot of time. What is the cost of choosing a quality machine and suitable paste? To learn all the details and technology, you need to be really interested and love cars! If garage talk has never inspired you, the knowledge gained will not be worth the time and pain.

If you have already decided to take on the task of putting the glass in order, approach this task responsibly and do not entertain yourself with illusions. The only more or less working “folk” remedy may save money, but it will take a lot of time and will not bring the desired result. The remaining methods are either frankly useless or unsafe! It turns out that all that remains is to master the science of polishing by purchasing a machine, discs and paste, or give the car into the hands of professionals and sleep peacefully!

Helpful information

Tips for removing scratches from glass:

1. 
   Before sanding, the surface must be thoroughly cleaned. The ingress of small contaminants will lead to the appearance of new defects.

2. Do not press too hard on the glass. Movements should be circular and fast.
3. After processing, the glass is cleaned with a soft cloth to remove any remaining polishing agent.
4. If the glass is removed for work, it must be securely fixed. However, you cannot use clamps that are too powerful, as it may burst.
5. If polishing is being done for the first time or with a new product, it is better to first practice on some unnecessary glass.

A lot of useful and important information about methods and means of removing scratches on a car can be found here.

What to look for when choosing

In addition to the type of car glass cleaner/polish itself, when choosing, you also need to take into account several more parameters. In particular:

• State of aggregation . As a rule, polishes for glass protection are sold in the form of a paste or gel. However, their viscosity and density may vary. Thicker compounds are suitable for repairing significant (deep) abrasions and are usually sufficient for a relatively small area to be treated. Conversely, thinner compounds are designed to treat minor abrasions.
• Terms of Use . Most car glass polishing pastes can be used simply in a garage, without the use of additional tools. However, there are also professional compositions that only work in conjunction with additional equipment. They are usually used in car service settings.
• Grain . The coarser the polish is, the deeper scratches it is designed to handle. Conversely, fine-grained compounds are capable of treating minor damage (fine finishing).
• Additional properties . It is desirable that the polish not only directly polishes the glass surface, but also protects the car glass from moisture, dirt and minor mechanical damage. This will provide better visibility through the glass and improve its appearance.
• Value for money . It is better not to buy frankly cheap products for polishing car glass, since they are not only ineffective, but, on the contrary, can damage its surface. It is better to purchase a polish from the middle or higher price category.

The result depends on the preparation

The glass must be thoroughly washed before polishing. Special detergents work well for this, but first you need to wash it with clean water. It is advisable that the roof of the car is also clean, since any grain of sand that accidentally gets between the disc and the glass will add a huge number of deep scratches.

Before you start polishing, it is highly advisable to cover the work area with paper tape with a reserve so that the abrasive paste does not splash (it can be difficult to wash out, especially from plastic). Next, you need to take a grinding wheel and stick it on the frame, while carefully smoothing it so that it does not fly off during work.

Not just the windshield

Please note that it is not only the windshield that is scratched. One way or another, all car windows wear out.

There may be vertical grooves on the side windows caused by opening and closing the windows. It is necessary to ensure that no abrasive gets between the seal and the glass.

Scratches of varying depths may also appear on the rear window. Often they are left by a scraper when we try to clear ice from glass in the morning. Microscopic scratches on all glass also form during careless car washing, especially when they are wiped with poorly washed napkins.

When special measures come into play

When all home remedies don't work, the only thing left to do is look for specialized products. Often window manufacturers and sellers have them in their offer. However, if we are not able to purchase the product in this way, there is a search on store shelves and on the Internet. Removing scratches from windows using polishing paste gives very good results.

However, you should carefully read the principle of action and purpose of the paste and strictly follow the instructions. Glass with scratches, thanks to the polishing paste, will acquire a transparent appearance in case of minor damage. If it is deep, it will need to be repaired or replaced professionally.

Toothpaste

This is an iconic technique that our fathers used to polish car headlights and car bodies. The paste has a smoothing effect not only on the material, but also on the glass, so scratched glass will take on a new look.

How to polish glass with toothpaste? The method of application is extremely simple. Classic white toothpaste (without particles) should be rubbed in circular motions over the desired area with a soft damp cloth. We perform this activity for about 10-15 minutes. After this time, wipe the glass dry with a damp soft cloth. We repeat this action until we achieve success.