Windshield water stains / spots and night glare in the rain - Need help removing plz

Hey all, this question really applies to anything, not just 2nd gen, but anyways...


Problem:
I have terrible glare and seemingly water spots / stains / or maybe wax spots on my front windshield, it kinda' looks like a wavy cross hatched window with polarized sunglasses on (Dots everywhere)... 'Not' visible at daytime, 'Usually Not' visible at not, 'Unless' it is raining, wet, humid, or foggy, then at night the glare is so bad with oncoming lights I can't even see out the window.


When it started:
When I got my new Taco the windshield was crystal clear, no glare. Then after a few weeks, a stupid no-touch car wash sprayed spray wax on my truck (and all over the windows), and it's been terrible ever since.


What it looks like:
At first, it was 'fist sized' (maybe 2" to 4") blobs of glare. I knew it was because of the damn car wash but I ignored it for a while. Windshield washer fluid didn't do anything, glass cleaner did nothing. So I let it be. Finally I broke down and spent several hours cleaning and scrubbing. Now the blobs are gone, to be replaced by "BB sized" (1/8th to 1/4") dots all over the windshield. (Like polarized sun glasses looking at 'crosses' on glass, but hazy foggy looking...) - But again, only at night in the rain. Otherwise it is clear and streak free.


What I have tried:
Obviously, glass cleaners. Ammonia and non-ammonia. I have used industrial glass cleaner and "20/20" tint safe. I have tried rubbing alcohol and bottled water. I finally spent several hours scrubbing the window with "GLASS SCIENCE GLASS SCRUB" (Mild abrasive cream cleanser), [followed by glass cleaners again, both inside and outside]. Well, the glass scrub removed the 'blobs' ,,, ,,, ,,, ,,, and created 'dots' .... DAMNIT !!!


Conclusion:
I don't know what else to do or try... I have never had rain-x on this truck nor any wax on the window except for that one damn car wash.


I'm not the type to ask dumb questions like this, but after trial and error I am totally lost. Maybe somebody has already stumbled on the perfect cure ! Thanks for any help !


.

 

I would use a clay bar on it and remove all the surface stuff and some good glass cleaner after that! Used it on my cars when they had film and other stuff on them, worked great! That's my 2 cents! Good luck!

 

0000 steel wool with windex will fix you right up. That's the only way I clean my glass when it gets shitty.

 

Using white vinegar will help remove wax.

 

Clay bar, alright... Good to know you had good results...

Interesting ... Worth a shot, hell, the worst thing that could happen is scratching your window to total shittyness ! Ha but in all seriousness I never thought of that, I might give it a shot...

White vinegar, ... I was thinking about that but forgot to try .... Thx

 

MtnManTaco, I just noticed you are new to Taco's ! Welcome ... [ Unless you got banned and created a new account? :-/ ]

 

Look forward to hearing what works for you!

 

did you ever wash it at home? I will not wash my new truck at home, our water is hard and will pit the glass, then when you go to a car wash with wax it gets into those pits, very hard to get out. Try what the other post say and if it doesn't work take it to a glass place and see what they would say.

 

Thank you for the welcome. Good luck!

 

I had a problem with bad water spots from a sprinkler, and nothing seemed to totally work, so I tried something called Pinnacle GlassWorks that seemed to be highly rated on a car detailing forum I found.

Worked really well to clean the glass. I also have some of that Glass Science stuff that removed most of it. Clay bar would not remove the water spots, and the 0000 steel wool left faint outlines of the water spots.

Only problem with the Pinnacle is it is hard to find, I had to order out of a place in Florida I think. Get some if none of the other stuff works.

I NEVER let a car wash spray that wax on my glass for that very reason.

Good luck!

 

Well before the "car wash incident of 2012", No. ... But since then, Yes. ... Hrmmm wait a sec ,,,, I got this truck CPO like new, but it had a few miles on it from up north last year during the winter. Maybe salts or road melting sands etched the window and the damn spray wax got into the pits once I got it ???

I did a quick search and Amazon has that Pinnacle stuff online ... $15 but if it works its damn worth it ... I guess Ill try that steel wool soon, good to hear a second opinion on that ! [Sorry Aw9d !!!]

 

You may want to post this in the detailing section. With that said stay away from the steel wool. If it's wax use some isopropyl alcohol. That's what a lot of detailers use to remove wax. Dilute to 1:1 with water.

 

Did you ever find anything that works? I am having the same issue with my windshield.

 

Or do you mean denatured alcohol?

 

product called CRL sparkle and for the tough stains CRL bio clean on Amazon...works great

 

No I don't mean denatured. I wouldn't put that anywhere near my windshield or paint. I am talking about the stuff you can find at pharmacies, walmart, etc. only tricky part is what concentration they come in. I have seen 50% and 70%.

I use it as a wipe down after I polish to make sure I don't have any left over polish on the paint before I seal the paint.

 

CRL sounds like it should work. In searching for the CRL I also ran across 'hard water sport remover' in the 'MARINE' section of Meguiars,,, I had never seen that product, to anyone else who cares....

Denatured alcohol is just Ethanol [with addatives], so I might just try some cheap ass single serving Vodka , or some E85 .... I'm broke !

I tried 90% before I scrubbed the window but maybe the scrub has a wax or something and un-did my doings, because it didn't help. (But I will try again because I didn't test first before scrubbing)...

I have been busy, and I am broke, but I will post back results when I get around to trying things or ordering product(s) ...



Thanks all...
I didn't want to bump the post but I did want to reply.

 

Based on a post on one of the threads about glass cleaning, I got some CRL Sparkle and the CRL Protectant (sealant) off of Amazon.

First, it's not cheap. I searched and searched for a better price, but couldn't find anything cheaper.
Second, it is rather tedious to use. Sparkle takes off any spots and other residue you have on the windows. Then you have to essentially "wax" your windows with the sealant.
Third, it's awesome. You do have to buff and rebuff (by hand) to get all the residue off. But once it's on and sealed, it repels water unbelievably. And it leaves no water spots.

Just went out to the garage and marveled at how crystal clear the windows are even after running through the rain.

I used this stuff on the outside and Stoner Invisible Glass on the inside.

All good stuff and it works. Very impressed.