How to remove scratches on a car windshield

When buying a car, everyone should be aware that together with a personal convenient means of transportation, they also receive possible problems in its operation.

This article will focus on a very annoying problem: scratches on the windshield. When you look at the world through this glass every day, numerous thin strips begin to bother.

Causes of Scratches

When buying a car, you involuntarily admire its perfect appearance: no chips, no scratches on the body and glass, a clean interior. But over time and prolonged operation, completely unattractive nuances are added to the appearance of the car, which you want to get rid of as quickly as possible.

Where do the scratches on the windshield come from? It is unlikely that the car owner intentionally “injured” his vehicle by driving sandpaper on the glass. So.

1. The first and most common cause of unpleasant scratches is sand and city dust clogging under the car's wipers. If you neglect and periodically do not rinse the “wipers”, over time you can see thin bands in the direction of their movement. This indicates that hard grains have a place to be in large quantities, and the wipers now make the glass not shiny, but streaked with noticeable scratches.
2. The second reason is small debris and crushed stone flying out from under the wheels in front of the traveling cars. In particular, outside the city and at high speeds, such "shells" can seriously harm the windshield of your car, even to the chips and cracks on it.
3. The third reason is improper cleaning and polishing of the car. The tools that you or the wizard use in a car service are also capable of leaving scratches after themselves.

You can prevent scratches on the windshield in only one case - do not use the machine at all. For the rest, it remains only to react in time to the appearance of damage in order to quickly eliminate them.

Methods for removing scratches from the glass

Since scratches refer to light damage to the coating, removing them is not difficult. Here we consider two options:

1. Independent work. In fact, this means that you yourself are procured with the necessary tools and materials and get to work, following the instructions below. Choosing this option is worthwhile if you are really confident in your abilities and not afraid to aggravate the situation. Otherwise, use the second way.
2. Contacting a specialized car service. Here it will be handled by trained professional craftsmen who are not the first to do this job. Of course, you will have to pay for such a service, but you will have a guarantee that the work is done efficiently.

You should choose according to your strengths and means so that the final result satisfies you. If you are sure that you can cope without the help of professionals, then continue reading further.

Self Scratch Removal

The whole process takes place in several stages, neglect of any of which can turn into unpleasant consequences. Always follow the instructions clearly!

Tool selection
Treat the choice of tools with all possible care so that an improperly selected tool does not aggravate the situation.

• The main tool is a polishing machine.
• Mandrels for grinding and polishing discs.
• Polishing felt wheel (about 10 pcs.)
• Grinding discs (if you are going to handle deep scratches).
• Polishing powder or paste.
• Safety glasses, spray gun, protective tape.

Important: the rotation of the polishing wheel is not more than 1700 rpm. For lack of such a tool or because of the inability to buy it, use a drill with a fabric nozzle on the chuck.

Work surface preparation

1. Wash the glass thoroughly and wipe it dry with a dry cloth. There should be no stains and traces of dirt.
2. Identify the places that require immediate processing and select them in any way (marker, adhesive tape, etc.). Do not forget to cover with something (scotch tape, polyethylene, paper) the parts of the car adjacent to the glass so that after polishing the glass you do not have to rub pieces of paste from the entire body.
3. Close the doors tightly so that nothing extra gets inside the cabin.

Polishing

1. Apply a paste or powder to the grinding wheel and a small area of ​​glass. Do not cover immediately the entire surface - the paste will dry out and cease to be elastic.
2. To clean the windshield should be smooth gradual movements, without exerting strong pressure. Do not let the glass heat up - this may deepen the existing cracks (use a spray bottle for cooling).
3. Clean each area separately and do not go round on an undamaged surface.
4. The treated surface is highlighted with adhesive tape (30 * 30 cm is permissible), and the polishing machine is in constant motion (hold the tool at an angle of 5º).

Final stage
Remove the remaining paste and wash the treated surface. In case of detection of blackouts or the remained scratches - repeat processing.

If you are unable to cope with the removal of scratches yourself, contact a specialized service center. Do not put this problem into a long drawer so that you do not have to completely replace the windshield. Use the tips above, and your car will be in perfect shape!

Video: removing chips on the windshield of a car in 30 minutes