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I dont like driving my car in the rain anyway... but I got stuck ins ome rain yesterday in it, and when it rains and it's dark at night time it's impossible to see as soon as there are lights in the distance pointed at me. I can't see as I go under traffic lights, or cars come at me in the other lane, because the whole windshield just lights up with glare and that's all I can see.
It's downright terrifying. It seems to me that there is some sort of residue on he windshield. I already "refilled" the wipers, but that didn't seem to help. The windshield doesnt seem dirty on the inside and I wash the outside all the time so I dont know what the deal is...
Ayn of you guys ever dealt with this? THere's a clear haze on it that's not fog... and it's absolutely terrifying.
Oil maybe? I've had oil flung on my car by passing cars and regular washing wont get it off. Maybe try taking some denatured alcohol or rubbing alcohol on a rag and wiping the windshield down?
For future reference, refilling wipers doesn't work as well as getting new blades. Its not only the rubber that wears out but also the springs that push the rubber tight up against the windshield.
Last edited by subliminal; 12-30-2007 at 06:02 PM.
Disregarding how clean the inside "looks," when was the last time you actually washed it? you should windex it twice a year, more if you smoke in the car or ride with the windows down alot
A very minor film will SEVERELY reduce visibility when light is shined on it
My car has a thick film of cigarette smoke on the inside of the windows. I tried washing it with windex and it didnt help. I tried invisible glass, and it just smeared it around. Before when the sun hit the window, you could see the blue smoke film. Now you can see where the paper towel smeared it around.
I washed it at least 5 times one day, and it didnt get any better!
My car has a thick film of cigarette smoke on the inside of the windows. I tried washing it with windex and it didnt help. I tried invisible glass, and it just smeared it around. Before when the sun hit the window, you could see the blue smoke film. Now you can see where the paper towel smeared it around.
I washed it at least 5 times one day, and it didnt get any better!
Have you tried using windex or the invisible glass with news paper it might help to get the crap off the window, smoke is the worst. Also i used to wax the outside of my windows with carnuba wax and that help Alot! especially in the rain.
Borrowed from WikiAnswers.com
Newspaper is printed on special paper Called "newsprint". It is a cousin to paper towels, which weren't invented until much later. Women found that newspaper cleaned glass better than a cloth rag, even if it had news ink on it. Actually, it works better than those towelettes that we have nowdays.
To use news paper for cleaning glass, use a weak solution of vinegar and water or amonia and water. Spray the solution lightly on the glass, then wad the newspaper up and use like a paper towel. The glass will be much cleaner than you expect...and it's cheaper than window cleaner.
Actually, I have used newspaper. I also use newspaper on all the windows and t-tops after I wash the car in the summer. Get rid of the water spots, and makes them shine!
However, on the inside it worked worse than paper towls. I will need to try the vinegar trick, though. I cant inagine the ammonia would help much, because that is what is in "Firestone" glass cleaner, and I tried that when I worked there to no avail.
pretty cool coyotesa, I would think the colors would melt off the paper and onto the window or something. and slow, try lacquer thiner maybe? Ive used it to clean overspray off my windows with no harm.
very interesting coyotesa. i was raised using newspapers to clean windows but i just figured my parents where to cheap to wanna use all those paper towels while we had a billion newspaper laying around.
pretty cool coyotesa, I would think the colors would melt off the paper and onto the window or something. and slow, try lacquer thiner maybe? Ive used it to clean overspray off my windows with no harm.
Ya i read somewhere else that the ink will not stick to the window because its such a high polish and that it absorbs back into the paper with all the dirt .
Also when i used to work at a car wash back in my teens lol, and i got and old car with smoked windows i would go in with a completely soaked towel with water or windex and and start cleaning and do one half of the window then follow with a dry towel you will see your towel turn brown (eeww). You may have to do it a couple of times, then follow up with the newspaper to get the left overs. The soaked towel will hopefully losen everything up and the dry one will come in and pick it up, try not to do it in the sun because it will all dry very fast.
very interesting coyotesa. i was raised using newspapers to clean windows but i just figured my parents where to cheap to wanna use all those paper towels while we had a billion newspaper laying around.
Thats exactly what I thought of my parents.
No that I think of it, my front window is kinda foggy. At first I thought of I'll use the defrost but that didn't work. I used some window cleaner stuff and that didn't work... maybe newspaper will do the trick. I'll have to wait until summer comes since its hibernating at the moment.
I actually used some windex on it today and cleaned both sides REALLY well.
It's just as bad as it was before. I'll try the newspaper/denatured alcohol thing next.
Here's a picture of what I talking about. It's hard to catch it on film, but it shows up here near the top of the frame.
It's almost like moisture is collects around old waterspots and just makes this horrible film over the window of the car. That hazy stuff just fills with glare.
And to the best of my knowledge there has never been anyone smoking in my car. It certainly doesnt smell like smoke, so if someone smoked heavily enough to create a residue on teh windshield I doubt the car would smell as fresh as it does... But I could be wrong.
Just from my reconditioning experience-i would suggest to use windex and a window rag to wash the inside of the windshield. The more film built up onto the inside-the more fogging you will get in the event of moisture....and as always use your defrosters/even if you don't have a/c anymore
You might try some HOT water and Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo. The shampoo cleans really well, and wont leave a residue...because its made for babies. Thats what I use to clean my windows usually, because if it gets on your paint or anything else, its super easy to wipe off. I also use this when I do window tint. I use it to clean the windows before/after, and I use it as the lube during the tinting process.
I generally use HOT water and enough shampoo that it turns the water somewhat cloudy...but not so much that you end up with a bottle of suds.
Hot water does wonders for cleaning. I use hot water when I wash the car, and there is a considerable difference between hot/cold. You dont wash dishes in cold dishwater right? The heat helps break up gunk on dishes...and your car/windows.
If it's that thick try using a credit card to see if you can shave it off a bit (to the fellow with the thick oily crap from smoking)
My windows tend to get oily on the inside for some reason on both my cars. My wife's not so much. Don't know if it's the coffee's i'm having every morning or something in my breath hehe!
I use Windex, and two terry cloths. One is for the initial soaked wipe down and the second is just to finish up. I find that if there is a lot of haze on the window, sometimes it will take 4-5 cleanings of soaking and dry/damp wiping to get the haze off for me.
At most auto parts stores they have a real fine steel wool, try that. It could be something else like alot of sap of maybe some other chemical that is stuck to your windshield and the wool might be able to break it loose.
I had a set of rear light that were hazy. I went to NAPA and picked up a glass polish that you use with a cordless drill. Cleared it right up, its made for taking off haze and scratches on glass. Did a great job.
My supra had this problem when i got it. The guy smoked cool menthols with like no filters with the AC on in the car. I tried windex, armor all glass cleaner, all the glass cleaner i could find. It got clean but still the film like reappered in the rain. I used 2 things, not sure which one did the trick. Boil a pot of water and bring it outside. Soak like half the rag so you have a handle, then wipe down both int/ext. Then i wiped it with a dry towell, windex, dry towell, windex etc till all the streaks were gone. thats the 1st thing i did. Then i heated up rubbing alcohol to about 150 (like for wounds, drugstore kind) in a double boiler and i wiped down both sides and the wipers and then dry towell, windex, reapeat, etc. Never had a hazep roblem after that. PS I also did this at sunset so i could see where the streaks/hazy spots very well in the sun. Hope this helps
Vortex, yours looks alot different than my cigarette smoke. I konw why mine is there, because I was smoking like 2 packs a day not too long ago, and mostly in my car.
Yours looks like maybe somebody was armorall-ing the interior, or spraying aerosol freshener, and maybe hosed the windshield by accident.
mix some vinegar in some water and put in a spray bottle. use that to clean the window. i use that all the time. i also hear rubbing alcohol and water to clean it. my dad smokes in his cars and uses the vinegar and water and it takes it all off.
If there is residue on the inside, it could be from the plastic, rubber parts decomposing (a natural occurrance over time) and this leaves a filmy residue that makes it hard to see under certain circumstances. If its on the outside, definitely could be a oil based residue. You might try using pure orange juice mixed with the windex or a citrus based cleaning solution. I have had success with that Goo Gone, I wipe my windows with that when they are bad and then use windex to finish the job. It does a good job of breaking down unknown substances in my opinion.
have you ever given any thought to it being the actual plastic in between your layers of safety glass?? Maybe somewhere along the way your windshield was replaced with not so great quality aftermarket glass.....just a thought
I actually used some windex on it today and cleaned both sides REALLY well.
It's just as bad as it was before. I'll try the newspaper/denatured alcohol thing next.
Here's a picture of what I talking about. It's hard to catch it on film, but it shows up here near the top of the frame.
It's almost like moisture is collects around old waterspots and just makes this horrible film over the window of the car. That hazy stuff just fills with glare.
And to the best of my knowledge there has never been anyone smoking in my car. It certainly doesnt smell like smoke, so if someone smoked heavily enough to create a residue on teh windshield I doubt the car would smell as fresh as it does... But I could be wrong.
InfernalVortex... I am having a similar problem as yours. Can't see clearly during the rain or cold mornings. I have taken my car to several car wash places but no one could get rid of it. Did you have any luck?
Also...I smoke and know what you guys are saying about the insides of the window.
Here what I do a coupla times a year...
Lay a bath towel up on the dash. HOT water with dishsoap. Wash away...liberally, don't be afraid to throw the water to it, let the bath towel soak up anything that runs down. Sometimes, after cleaning, I will use any car wax and wax the inside of the windshield.
If it is the film between the glass of course it will never come clean. Have you looked into having it replaced? I called a local glass co., not that national one you see on commercials. To my pleasant surprise it was only $150 installed and they came to me! I had wiper streaks which just would not go away.
Hi, To clean glass to perfection, try an old product called "Glass Wax", you can get it in most hardware stores. We use it on helicopter plastic windows. See here:
12-30-2007, 01:39 PM
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