Scratches On Windows?

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dustermaniac

dustermaniac

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I am not sure if anyone out here is aware of this, But I wanted to let everyone out here who reads these forums to know that if you have light scratches or light pitting on the surfaces of your windows and windshield, that there is an easy way to make your scratched windows look good as new. I did some researching on the web, as to how to remove light scratches and discovered if you use a compound called cerium oxide you can mix this up into a paste with a small amount of water, and apply this to your windows and with light abrasive rubbing on both sides of the glass,I used a microfiber cloth and then washed the window with vinegar and water. you can actually make old tired glass look really good. I ordered a jar of cerium oxide off of E Bay for about $20.00 and tried this on my side windows on my Duster today.I did have to do the passenger side window twice as the scratches were deeper on that window What a difference on how the glass looks. Cerium Oxide is an abrasive polish that jewelers use to polish fine stones with and it works excellent on glass. I am not sure of how or if I would use this on tinted glass but I am sure that it would not hurt factory tinted glass. Don't know about aftermarket glass tint. It covered up a lot of the scratches and pitting on the windows as well as removed all water spots. Just another tip that does work.
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Good info. I was allways curious about this. I have some light scratching on my spirits quarter windows.
 
Interesting,sounds great ,my rear window is looking kinda scratched but didn't want to go as far as replacing it.Thanks for the tip.:thumbrig:I'll give it a try.8)
 
I did have to apply the paste to the window on the passengers side more than once as there was quite a buildup of water spots and scratches on this window. I basically repeated this process 2X to get the window really clear. You only need to apply light buffing pressure to complete this process. Make sure to do both sides of the window and be prepared for some residual compound that will come off the window and possibly get on the painted surfaces, It does not damage your painted surfaces or interior surfaces. If the compound gets on the door panels inside the vehicle, just use some vinyl cleaner and you can clean it right up. I was able to just use a clean microfiber cloth and wipe any compound off of the painted surfaces. This compound does work to make old scratched window glass look a LOT clearer I went out to my car today and the difference is amazing. It looked like my windows were rolled down, they were so clear!!!! When mixing up the paste you only need a very small amount of water to the amount of powder you use. (I probably used two teaspoons of Cerium Oxide to about 1/2 teaspoon of water, mix it up and if it is too thick, add very small amounts of water to get a consistent paste, I mixed it up to be about the same as toothpaste, It works. Try it and see.
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1973 Plymouth Duster, 340, 727 Auto, Bored.030, Race pro Cam, Pistons, Edelbrock Performer Manifold, Edelbrock 750CFM, Accel Ignition,Denso Plugs, Accel Wires, K&N Air Filter, Mopar Orange Box Spark Control, 3 Core Radiator. B&M Shift Kit, Low Gear kit with Deep Oil Pan, 8 3/4 Rear End, Hooker Headers with Cherry Bomb Duals.Royal Purple Oil, Kenwood 400 Watt Cd Player /w Sirius Satellite.Too many new parts overall to list. I continue to replace any old parts with brand new ones as $ permits.
 
Cool. Seems like I read someplace NOT to use any type of buffing machine to do this or the glass will become optically distorted. I will be interested to hear if you see any swirls or anything at night since you've done this.
 
dustermaniac said:
I did have to apply the paste to the window on the passengers side more than once as there was quite a buildup of water spots and scratches on this window. I basically repeated this process 2X to get the window really clear. You only need to apply light buffing pressure to complete this process. Make sure to do both sides of the window and be prepared for some residual compound that will come off the window and possibly get on the painted surfaces, It does not damage your painted surfaces or interior surfaces. If the compound gets on the door panels inside the vehicle, just use some vinyl cleaner and you can clean it right up. I was able to just use a clean microfiber cloth and wipe any compound off of the painted surfaces. This compound does work to make old scratched window glass look a LOT clearer I went out to my car today and the difference is amazing. It looked like my windows were rolled down, they were so clear!!!! When mixing up the paste you only need a very small amount of water to the amount of powder you use. (I probably used two teaspoons of Cerium Oxide to about 1/2 teaspoon of water, mix it up and if it is too thick, add very small amounts of water to get a consistent paste, I mixed it up to be about the same as toothpaste, It works. Try it and see.
__________________
1973 Plymouth Duster, 340, 727 Auto, Bored.030, Race pro Cam, Pistons, Edelbrock Performer Manifold, Edelbrock 750CFM, Accel Ignition,Denso Plugs, Accel Wires, K&N Air Filter, Mopar Orange Box Spark Control, 3 Core Radiator. B&M Shift Kit, Low Gear kit with Deep Oil Pan, 8 3/4 Rear End, Hooker Headers with Cherry Bomb Duals.Royal Purple Oil, Kenwood 400 Watt Cd Player /w Sirius Satellite.Too many new parts overall to list. I continue to replace any old parts with brand new ones as $ permits.
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Do you have some pics you can post?8)
 
I was kind of worried about swirl marks in the glass but I do not see any even in the darkness. I will snap some pictures tomorrow and post them here.I used very light pressure on the glass and used a straight (horizontal) back and forth motion on the glass. It came out really good. It does take a good three to 4 washes to get the residual compound off of the glass but I stayed the course and I can see the difference compared to how the glass used to look. If I looked at my passenger window in direct sunlight up close or from a distance, I could clearly see the scratches and watermarks on the window, Now after the treatment the glass is much more clearer and actually looks like a better quality pane of glass. My passenger window does have some scratches down low and I am eventually going to pull the door panels off the doors and unbolt the glass and remove the window and try to clean them up outside the car.
 
Sorry I have not posted pictures of my windows as of yet. It is raining here in North Carolina and I do not want to post any pics of the car with raindrops on the glass. My car sits under the carport but it does occasionally get a little wet when it rains and is windy like it is today here. I will try to get some pics up tomorrow if it clears out. :compress:
 
I'm interested in this info also. I have tried a couple things, but am not satisfied w/ the results. 8)
 
My last job before this one was as the Quality Manager at what was a previous Chrysler side glass plant bought by PPG. 6000 grit sand paper (not cheap) is what we always used to rework any minor scratches in glass. Hope that helps.
 
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