Cleaning the windshield Magic Eraser? Claybar? Invisible Glass?

[mswlogo]

I really struggled getting the glass clean on my Model 3.

I still have those squares show up when it fogged up, so I know it's not really clean.

Now with the Model X I have the exact same issue.

Cleaned it several times with Invisible Glass.

There is a slight fog to it.

I had my 2011 VWCC detailed before I traded it for the Model 3 a year ago. What ever he did it was like the VW had no windshield at all.

I'm nervous using anything abrasive like Clay Bar or Magic eraser. Also concerned about using either on the inside and making a mess.

How do I safely clean it?

I think inside and outside are slightly different issues, but the same solution might work for both.

When I clean the outside with invisible glass and a micro fiber cloth it's as if little bits of cloth stick to the glass.
It gives the appearance of looking like it's pitted. This was the same issue when new on the Model 3 and again brand new on the X.

I'm tempted to use the magic eraser. Which I've seen many folks do. Get the soap out of it first and soak it with invisible glass.

I also notice that Meguiars makes Clay Bar specifically for Windshields and the instructions say to use their glass polish after Clay Bar? Is this all necessary on a new windshield?

 

[Uncle Paul]

Never know what might be on the windshield of a freshly delivered car.

I have had good luck using clay on windshields. Seems to get everything off.

 

[mswlogo]

Never know what might be on the windshield of a freshly delivered car.

I have had good luck using clay on windshields. Seems to get everything off.

But do you clay the inside?

Never done clay. Do you really need to use special Clay for Glass?

 

[electricar]

But do you clay the inside?

Never done clay. Do you really need to use special Clay for Glass?

Using a clay bar would worry me as would any other abrasive due to the coating on the glass. Invisible Glass has been safe so far for me.

 

[mswlogo]

Using a clay bar would worry me as would any other abrasive due to the coating on the glass. Invisible Glass has been safe so far for me.

I Clayed it like 3 times on the outside and Magic Eraser twice inside and out.

It's ALMOST clean now, unbelievable the crap on the glass. Model 3 was exactly the same.

At night it looks like I have no windshield now

But I can still see some crap on the glass. I can even remove it with my finger nail in some spots.

Now I'm kind of interested in claying the whole car. It worked exactly like the video and after I cleaned it, black stuff was on the clay.
​

 

[mswlogo]

Attempt #6

Griot’s Glass Polish

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UQQNZG

I was very worried about trying this stuff. This stuff is super mild. Made to remove water spots and road scum.

I was also worried about taking any special film on the glass off. Or making a mess of any plastics or rubber.

Turns out this was super easy and not messy. One way lately I could tell the glass was not clean was when it’s wet from rain, washing or window cleaner all these patterns show up. You could see wiper path, vertical stripes all sorts of stuff.

I really don't think there is a special film on the glass and I did polish a little bit of the orange tinted glass.

After I was done, I wet it with glass cleaner and it was perfectly uniform. I only did the non tinted part. You could see where it transitioned to the unpolished section. I could also tell before polishing when drying with a microfiber it would get almost grippy as it dried. Now it’s smooth as, well, glass.

I did use a orbital polisher. Not required but way easier. Used lowest speed setting and 3” pads. All I had on hand.

I won’t know for sure this worked until I go through various conditions. Sun at a bad angle, rain etc. because in some conditions it looked fine before polishing and fooled me a few times. I also still might have issues on the inside.

I have the recommended Griot's Glass sealer too, but didn’t apply it yet. I want to see what it looks like naked first. I didn’t want sealer to mask lack of good cleaning. If it holds up I’ll polish whole windshield again and seal it.

It looks very promising.

Here is what it looked like before polishing after washing and wiping down. See all the patterns. Sorry I didn't wash the car again after polishing and just wet a small area to test it. I could clearly see it was different, sorry no pic of that.

 

[mswlogo]

This is a repeat of the photo above but I could not edit any more and want to show a few more things.

This was wet but wiped, but not wiped dry before polishing.

This is after polishing and wetted again. Notice no vertical streaks.

This is STILL wet, but wiped once like the first photo.

This one is subtle to see, so I marked it with red arrows. Same as above, still wet with one wipe but from another angle.
That subtle line the arrows are pointing at are where I stopped polishing !!
Or another way of saying it, that is where I stopped removing the "scum" shipped on these windshields.

Once I saw that, I decided to polish the whole windshield and seal it.
Still need road testing during light rain, heavy rain, day time, night time, sunset etc. to fully assess.

 

[youlikeadajuice]

Use newspaper instead of a towel or paper towels...it is amazing.

 

[mswlogo]

Use newspaper instead of a towel or paper towels...it is amazing.

LOL. This is way beyond using newspapers. You won't get this scum off with a newspaper.

 

[jebinc]

LOL. This is way beyond using newspapers. You won't get this scum off with a newspaper.

My 3 glass was terrible as well. Wipers skip all over the place. What finally worked for me, somewhat, is full strength isopropyl alcohol and a lot of scrubbing. I then reapplied Aquapel. Better, but still not smooth with wipers are needed. Pisses me off, it does. As for the inside, the glass fogs up at every opportunity.

 

[mswlogo]

My 3 glass was terrible as well. Wipers skip all over the place. What finally worked for me, somewhat, is full strength isopropyl alcohol and a lot of scrubbing. I then reapplied Aquapel. Better, but still not smooth with wipers are needed. Pisses me off, it does. As for the inside, the glass fogs up at every opportunity.

Yeah, didn't want to apply any "treatment" like Aquapel or Griot's Glass Sealer (which I think is similar) because I'm sure that would have helped even if not completely clean. I wanted to be sure it was clean without any "treatment" first. I swore up and down I had it cleaned several attempts before I polished it, but it was far from it.

 

[hotsoup]

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but this is EXACTLY the problem I've been having with my new Model S. Will be using clay to see if it works too, which I believe will be less abrasive than full-on orbital polishing using the polishing mixture.

Note: definitely do not use newspaper, too abrasive and will introduce microscratches. Googling this method revealed some horror stories of people ruining their entire windshield, with it turning super hazy at night and basically undrivable.