Anyone else really struggle with glass?

[Kristian87]

As some of you know, i’m quite into my detailing, but i still haven’t managed to crack the glass (no pun intended haha)

for as long as i can remember now, i’ve cleaned the wheels, body, glass etc and i’m always happy when i stand back and look.

BUT...

drive off, catch the light at a different angle, is that a...yes, a damn smear on the glass. Oh great it’s on the rear glass too!

forgetting the rear interior glass for a moment, because that’s a whole different ball game. I seem to get this inside and out. My “fix” has been the next day, i get a shortpile microfibre cloth that i keep in the glovebox, give all the glass a wipedown with waterless wash, flip the mf to a dry side to buff, follow up with the same technique but with glass cleaner, then go around once more with a nice thick plush mf to dry and catch any small areas where I didn’t buff off the cleaner - looks perfect after this.

when i actually wash the car, the glass gets glass cleaner - after i’ve dried the paintwork, similar method - one cloth, a waffle weave drying towel, clean with one side, flip then buff. Follow up with a separate towel to dry. I can’t understand why it doesn’t work. It’s as if i just used a damp cloth and no product

i’ve used different glass cleaners and a number of different types of towels, so i’m curious to know if anyone has any bombproof techniques for getting this step right first time and not having to follow up the next day!

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[VIPR01]

I’ve had the same issues with various glass cleaner, then I started using Angel Wax Vision with glass waffle towels from the rag company. I don’t wash these towels before use so they are isolated from fabric softener etc. I’ve never had good luck with gyeon glass or invisible glass, always had the same issues above.

 

[Cruizer]

My best combination is Armor All glass cleaner of anything I've tried, with microfiber towels. I use one to wipe and one to dry the streaks out. I also saw a YouTube video a while back saying always wipe side to side and up and down. Basically they meant never buff in circles. I also move around a lot catching different angles.

I can't say it's bullet proof, but this method has made me much better at glass. I still find the occasional streak, usually because of poor lighting when I was cleaning. Oh, and that back window is the worse lol.

 

[Bikeman315]

This.......

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C6PE73...=WJckC&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_title

 

[Flimflamman]

Been using Invisible Glass for a while now. Soak the towel and follow it up with an old 100% cotton t-shirt. Works pretty good but I need that kit ^ for the back window and for the sake of my own back.

 

[kilobravo]

Kristian: IMHO, the problem with glass is, it gets coated with all sorts of undesirable materials. Wax being the biggest source. My solution was to polish all the exterior glass with a Fine pad and M205. Then I coated it all with OG's Wolf glass sealant.

That fixed the majority of the problem with the remainder being inadequate wiping on the interior glass. (operator error) :=)

 

[Kristian87]

Kristian: IMHO, the problem with glass is, it gets coated with all sorts of undesirable materials. Wax being the biggest source. My solution was to polish all the exterior glass with a Fine pad and M205. Then I coated it all with OG's Wolf glass sealant.

That fixed the majority of the problem with the remainder being inadequate wiping on the interior glass. (operator error) :=)

That does make a lot of sense. I do a lot of miles, so likely all sorts of contaminants sat on the glass. I forgot to mention above, that I use a clay mitt on the glass now as I go around with the buckets and wash mitts - even still, I'm willing to bet that either the glass is contaminated still, or when I do an initial wipe with my waffle weave towel, I'm spreading whatever gunk is left over.

Guess that also explains why a further clean with fresh towels/products does work for me.

Ashamed to admit I purchased a glass polishing kit a lonnng time ago, it's still in the packet! Will endeavor to polish the glass next time.

 

[kilobravo]

Kristian: I'm not sure anything short of a compound and a polisher will get it all and I'm also sure that's especially true if you put a fair number of miles/month on the vehicle. My car was right at a year old in these images with less than 2k on her.

In the first image, you can see the line of contamination after spraying the windshield with IPA. The passenger side had been polished but the driver's side had not.

The last two are after polishing and applying Wolf's. I used a 2" machine for the edges of the glass and a 5" for the larger interior sections.

​

 

[Cobra Jet]

Here’s my older glass thread and what I do:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/super-clean-windows-91-isopropyl-alcohol.134827/

 

[mjhpadi]

I clean my glass often attempting to keep it clean. I have found that regularly using a clay bar on the windows helps keep the bad stuff from building up and makes using normal glass cleaning stuff work better.

 

[16COEBM]

When I first bought my car and was doing the Gtechniq coating i decided to decon, clay and polish my windows. Then used the leftover Exo v4 coating. Its not designed for glass so with the wipers and rolling the windows up and down it failed within a couple months. But for a few months there it was pretty glorious. I try to clay the windshield regularly and use isopropyl alcohol with short pile towels and cheap paper towels (public bathroom type) for any streaks. The little triangle thing on a stick works good for the front and back windows.

 

[TopJimmyCooks]

As some of you know, i’m quite into my detailing, but i still haven’t managed to crack the glass (no pun intended haha)

for as long as i can remember now, i’ve cleaned the wheels, body, glass etc and i’m always happy when i stand back and look.

BUT...

drive off, catch the light at a different angle, is that a...yes, a damn smear on the glass. Oh great it’s on the rear glass too!

forgetting the rear interior glass for a moment, because that’s a whole different ball game. I seem to get this inside and out. My “fix” has been the next day, i get a shortpile microfibre cloth that i keep in the glovebox, give all the glass a wipedown with waterless wash, flip the mf to a dry side to buff, follow up with the same technique but with glass cleaner, then go around once more with a nice thick plush mf to dry and catch any small areas where I didn’t buff off the cleaner - looks perfect after this.

when i actually wash the car, the glass gets glass cleaner - after i’ve dried the paintwork, similar method - one cloth, a waffle weave drying towel, clean with one side, flip then buff. Follow up with a separate towel to dry. I can’t understand why it doesn’t work. It’s as if i just used a damp cloth and no product

i’ve used different glass cleaners and a number of different types of towels, so i’m curious to know if anyone has any bombproof techniques for getting this step right first time and not having to follow up the next day!

For that interior glass filmy buildup....a dry chamois. Works great.

 

[Les]

First: Clean windows to get most of the crap off
Using paper towel and glass cleaner.

Second: Get a Mister Clean Magic Eraser,
Soak it in warm water in a cup.
Wring most of the water out and
Then clean your glass. (Small circle motion)
I use just the damp eraser on my cars.
Customer cars that the owners smoke
in, I use an all purpose cleaner with the
Magic Eraser on the inside glass.

Third: Clean the glass with your favorite
Cleaner and use a Micro Fiber
towel made for glass. (No streaks or
Lint)

The first step with a paper towel is help keep the Micro Fiber towel made for glass from really getting dirty.
Clean the glass OUT OF THE SUN.

The products that I prefer are:
Glass cleaner: Spray Away or Malco
All purpose cleaner: Adams
Micro Fiber Glass Towel: Gliptone

I get great results using this method.

 

[Kristian87]

Clean the glass OUT OF THE SUN.

Just reading this and it struck me, that could be my major downfall lol.

There's no shade most of the day where I have to clean my car so quite often I'm doing the glass in the sunlight. When I follow up the next day, the car is sat in the shade (under cover parking in block of flats).

I'm actually moving my car cleaning operation to a place that's in shade most of the day. I'll report back with how I get on

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