Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

[AVANTI]

Hopefully someone has an answer.

I am in the process of purchasing a 2009 Ford Explorer with 11,000 miles. It is an excellent used vehicle and being offered by a BMW dealership.

The problem is that there are vertical streaks on the outside of the glass that will not come out. The appearance or pattern of the streaks is similar to how soap looks when if dries on the windows when it is being washed. It is just not as obvious or white in color like soap residue is. I did not notice the streaks nor did the salesman until after they washed it. But they are so hard to remove ( actually cant be removed) that it is possible they were there before the wash and we did not see them. The paint below the glass is OK and does not appear to be streaked but it is white and may be hiding some defects. The dealer said they tried to buff the glass with a compound which did not correct the problem, but I don't actually know what they tried. Also, I cannot feel any roughness in the glass where the streaks are like some possible etching from something caustic.

I wish I had pictures to post but they don't show up on camera. The streaks are on the left side and a little on the rear hatch glass. Nothing on the right side. It looks like something was spilled on the glass but if it was something that could damage the glass then I would think the paint would be damaged too. I checked the paint with a mil gauge and it is original with a uniform thickness all around and no overspray lines. I don't think it is anything defective with the glass because (a) there are too many windows affected and (b) the streaks are on tinted and non-tinted windows
(factory rear privacy glass)

I purchased the vehicle but did not take delivery yet and can cancel the contract if I am not satisfied with the glass after their attempts to correct the defects.

Any ideas on what can cause this type of glass problem and any remedies and estimated costs to correct? I would like to keep the car if there are more agressive processes available to correct the streaks on the glass and avoid replacement.

Thanks in advance for any ideas and suggestions.

[1994Gen1L]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

Start by cleaning and using a clay bar like Meguiar's clay bar kit. Water spot's and streaks can sometime's be removed with Ultimate Compound (UC). If not, a chrome polish will remove the streaks. A stain that is several years old may need to be removed with a DA polisher or drill with a foam polishing pad.

Good luck, James

[Marc08EX]

Re: Will The Microfiber Pad and DA Remove Glass Hard Wate Spots or Streaks?

I would first try to clay the glass surface and see if the water spots come off. If not, I would follow what Mike Stoops demonstrated in a recent TNOG event.

You've got water spots on glass that just don't want to budge. What do you do to fix that?


Get a little creative - grab a bottle of Ultimate Compound and kill those water spots!


And just like that, the water spots are gone.

Source: Pictures from Thursday Night Open Garage March, 15th 2012

I'm sure that it's safe to use the microfiber cutting disc in conjunction with D300 and the G110v2 in trying to remove those hard water spots.

[AVANTI]

Re: Will The Microfiber Pad and DA Remove Glass Hard Wate Spots or Streaks?

I would first try to clay the glass surface and see if the water spots come off. If not, I would follow what Mike Stoops demonstrated in a recent TNOG event.



Source: Pictures from Thursday Night Open Garage March, 15th 2012

I'm sure that it's safe to use the microfiber cutting disc in conjunction with D300 and the G110v2 in trying to remove those hard water spots.

The streaks look more like stains and cannot be felt so the clay can't grab it. Can hard water stain like this?

[AVANTI]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

The streaks look more like stains and cannot be felt so the clay can't grab it. Can hard water stain like this? It's like the streaks or stains are "in" the glass.

[MaxImage]

Sometimes acid based cleaners that are "safe" for paint run onto the glass surface and leave behind streaks if 1) allowed to dry or applied in direct sunlight, or 2) Are allowed to sit on the glass surface for too long (time is relative to the chemical being used) and constantly follow the same path across the glass due to runoff. Without having seen the damage, it sounds like they could have used An acid based cleaner on the roof of the vehicle and either of the two conditions above occurred. In which case there is now etched glass and can only be removed by polishing out the glass by glass compound. Try taking a brand new razor blade and scraping the glass positioning the blade at roughly a 45-degree angle to the glass. If no residue comes off, then there could potentially be permanent damage such as etching.

[parfour]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

Try 0000 grade steel wool. It should get the streaks out and it will not scratch the glass. Just make sure the grade level is 0000. Any other grade will scratch.

Hope that works for you.

[Tuck91]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

Might be better off to pass on the vehicle.

[AVANTI]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

Might be better off to pass on the vehicle.

Its not so bad as to pass on the vehicle for a few reasons both personal and practical.

I was unaware that some products can damage a harder glass surface and not paint. Tomorrow the dealer is going to have their lead detailer attempt to correct the issue.

Any other ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

[JET_Fusion]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

If you really want the vehicle, have the dealer replace the glass.

[BillE]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

Are these 'fixed' windows or ones that go up and down?

If they are movable, it could the dirt (or whatever) on/in the weather stripping that could have marred the glass by going up and down. In other words, the glass is 'scratched'.

It fixed, as others have said try clay...ya never know, that MAY just do it. Also cleaning the glass with vinegar (which is an acid, abet very mild) MAY help to remove the uglies.

Bill

[AVANTI]

Re: Streaks on Glass Won't Come Out

Thanks for all the suggestions. The streaks are on one fixed (LR) and two side (LF door and LR door) windows. It is not streaking from the beltline or window scraper moldings. Suggestions on glass replacement are noted and a possibility. This is a common vehicle whose windows were the same from '02 to '10 so many used ones are available. New may be cheap too. Will try the vinegar.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Will The Microfiber Pad and DA Remove Glass Hard Wate Spots or Streaks?

Hard water will generally leave spots, maybe a brief trail or two. Solid, continuous streaks could be caused by any number of things spilling onto the glass, but as you suspect such spills will usually get onto the paint as well, especially if you're seeing it on both the front and rear glass. A compound should remove stains fairly easily, but a lot of people will use the word "compound" when something else was actually used. If the dealer is still going to give something else a try, let them do so but see if you can find out what exactly they used in case it doesn't work. You can then at least recommend something like our Ultimate Compound or even M04 Heavy Cut Cleaner as a last attempt.



Edit to add:

As a side note, we see that you've started three identical threads, so we've combined two of them and deleted the third so as to minimize confusion and centralize the discussion. No big deal, just wanted you to know in case you went looking for the other threads.