Windscreen

[Power Hungry]

Hi, now I'm 77 years old and usually change cars every 4-5 years. I've owned cars since I was 17 years old so that makes, by my calculation, 12 -14 vehicles. I mention this not to brag but to seek your advice. Cleaning windscreens is, and always has been, a thankless task. I mean immediately after you clean it, bugs, rain and bird poop splatter all over it.

Seriously though, I've always managed to clean our car's windscreens to an acceptable standard but NOT with our MYLR. I've tried everything countless times, watched Youtube videos, Sought advice from friends or anyone else that might listen. Each time I try and clean it, it ends up worse than when I started. It's got to the point where I can't sleep at night. I'm on anti anxiety medication and my wife won't talk to me any more. HEELLLLPPP!

(is there something different with the glass in Tesla's or is it just me?)

 

[paulp]

Are you referring to the exterior only? Modern automotive glass has a hardened surface layer of something to reflect heat. In the right angle this looks like overspray and makes the glass quite rough, so hard to clean. This also stops radio frequencies so most manufacturers leave a small a ount off near the rear view mirror for toll transponders.
I’ve had really good success lately as follows after years of experimentation.
Polish the glass to superclean with gtechniq glass polish. Its easy by hand as this is just a steriliser. Next apply gtechnic water repelent coating. Follow the instructions and note the circa 1 year life. Other brands may work…dont know.
I then have fantastic cleaning outcome using scholl concepts ice glass cleaner or gtechnic perfect glass, but it only works with a carpro glassFiber towel. No other glass microfibre has worked, and this one feels different to the rest. It is hugely thicker and more porous. Its unlike any other microfibre.

If its the inside, clean it with a strong solution of dish detergent and water to remove the voc’s from the plastics (hazy cloud on glass) then wash with the above window cleaner and microfibre. No need for the coating. You can get a cheap triangular wash pad with a short arm from repco for glass that avoids the need to bend the arm backward in 6 directions.
This interior process needs to be done regularly for a new car especially if the seats are the PU type as they off gas a lot. this also helps reduce night fogging.

 

[Quickst]

is there something different with the glass in Tesla's

The glass is standard windscreen glass made by Saint Gobain Sekurit, a global car glazing company.

Polish the glass

After some years windscreens eventually gets micro scratched by the wiper use. Do you know of a way to polish it back to new condition where the wiper just glides over the windscreen like when its just out of the factory.

 

[paulp]

The glass is standard windscreen glass made by Saint Gobain Sekurit, a global car glazing company.


After some years windscreens eventually gets micro scratched by the wiper use. Do you know of a way to polish it back to new condition where the wiper just glides over the windscreen like when its just out of the factory.

I applied the same technique described above to a 7 year old suzuki swift and a 5 year old model S. the coating made a significant improvement on both of them In terms of noise and performance. Note though the polish I mentioned is a steriliser more than a polish. It supercleans the glass before the coating is applied. It wont remove scratches. I presume the coating then fills the microscratches as well as make the glass more slippery.
As an aside but strong evidence it works, I spilled about a tablespoon of the coating on my painted garage floor. I wet mopped it up but now the entire area I mopped is super slippery and I cannot get rid of it. The car tyres are quieter over that part of the floor too.

 

[Erasmuz]

The sun has to be very bright and shining at almost exactly eye height (straight in the windscreen) but when it does I can see the circles the machine used to pick the windscreen up had, I can also see strange defects that almost look like tiny chips and a 20cm area that almost looks like it was peppered with tiny rocks.

It's very peculiar, but also impossible to see in anything except in those conditions - it looks like a perfectly clean piece of a glass under all other conditions. I guess in WA we do get a lot of extremely sunny days, but even seeing it hardly effects my vision.

I've thought about contacting Tesla as the car is <1 year old, but I also feel I need to deal with things in life that honestly, don't matter. I might drop it in for a detail and try those polish's, that might be all it needs

 

[jay1122]

I ceramic coat my glass while I do the car. Rain fly off the windshield at high speed. Bird drops, bugs and dirt cleans off much easier during car wash. Paper towel, glass cleaner and old fashioned elbow grease is always the king.

 

[paulp]

I ceramic coat my glass while I do the car. Rain fly off the windshield at high speed. Bird drops, bugs and dirt cleans off much easier during car wash. Paper towel, glass cleaner and old fashioned elbow grease is always the king.

Given the microfibre I use with the car specific cleaner requires little more than a single wipe, I doubt anything that requires elbow grease is still king.

 

[Power Hungry]

I had our MY ceramic coated and perhaps it's that coating on the glass causing me headaches. I find the windscreen almost impossible to clean properly, made even more difficult because I'm vertically challenged (short arse). I can't reach the top centre of it (where the cameras are) without standing on something.

The other thing I've noticed is the windscreen washers are a different design to any other vehicle I've owned and using the washers will not clean the passenger side. Even after repeated efforts there are dry spots that won't clean. Annoying.

 

[paulp]

I had our MY ceramic coated and perhaps it's that coating on the glass causing me headaches. I find the windscreen almost impossible to clean properly, made even more difficult because I'm vertically challenged (short arse). I can't reach the top centre of it (where the cameras are) without standing on something.

The other thing I've noticed is the windscreen washers are a different design to any other vehicle I've owned and using the washers will not clean the passenger side. Even after repeated efforts there are dry spots that won't clean. Annoying.

If you have already had it coated than you need to try alternative automotive specific cleaners and microfibre cloths. The cloth makes a massive difference.
I have several supposed glass cloths that leave the windscreen foggy, streaky, and cloudy. The carpro cloth mentioned above is so much better than any others, but look after it well and wash on its own with a microfibre specific detergent as you do not want other chemicals in it. A good quality car specific spray flashes faster than a household spray so less streaks. Many make the mistake of using too much as well.

This device will help you reach without a ladder. Fantastic inside. The microfibre on it works quite well too.

https://www.repco.com.au/car-care-panel/car-care/windscreen-glass-cleaner/invisible-glass-clean-reach-tool-95160/p/A5515234?kwSearch=Glass%20cleaner

 

[Power Hungry]

If you have already had it coated than you need to try alternative automotive specific cleaners and microfibre cloths. The cloth makes a massive difference.
I have several supposed glass cloths that leave the windscreen foggy, streaky, and cloudy. The carpro cloth mentioned above is so much better than any others, but look after it well and wash on its own with a microfibre specific detergent as you do not want other chemicals in it. A good quality car specific spray flashes faster than a household spray so less streaks. Many make the mistake of using too much as well.

This device will help you reach without a ladder. Fantastic inside. The microfibre on it works quite well too.

https://www.repco.com.au/car-care-panel/car-care/windscreen-glass-cleaner/invisible-glass-clean-reach-tool-95160/p/A5515234?kwSearch=Glass%20cleaner

Thanks again Paul. You are a wealth of knowledge. I'll get the Repco thing for sure. What about the windscreen washers? Do yours clean the whole windscreen effectively? Mine certainly don't.

 

[Quickst]

Windscreen cleaning?
I enjoy dropping into a Servo and using their windscreen squeegee and air pump
Sometimes I reciprocate by buying a $1 coffee

 

[Hairyman]

Barbarian!

 

[lS3toM3]

Hi, now I'm 77 years old and usually change cars every 4-5 years. I've owned cars since I was 17 years old so that makes, by my calculation, 12 -14 vehicles. I mention this not to brag but to seek your advice. Cleaning windscreens is, and always has been, a thankless task. I mean immediately after you clean it, bugs, rain and bird poop splatter all over it.

Seriously though, I've always managed to clean our car's windscreens to an acceptable standard but NOT with our MYLR. I've tried everything countless times, watched Youtube videos, Sought advice from friends or anyone else that might listen. Each time I try and clean it, it ends up worse than when I started. It's got to the point where I can't sleep at night. I'm on anti anxiety medication and my wife won't talk to me any more. HEELLLLPPP!

(is there something different with the glass in Tesla's or is it just me?)

I am vertically challenged as well. I use the below for inside and outside and the roof inside as well. That paired with an automotive glass cleaner. I use car pro clarify, but most will work.

Invisible Glass Clean & Reach Tool

Invisible Glass Clean & Reach Tool

www.supercheapauto.com.au

 

[paulp]

Thanks again Paul. You are a wealth of knowledge. I'll get the Repco thing for sure. What about the windscreen washers? Do yours clean the whole windscreen effectively? Mine certainly don't.

I’m model S so the squirters are not comparable. Mine tend to squirt wherever they please, which is quite often not the windscreen.

 

[paulp]

I am vertically challenged as well. I use the below for inside and outside and the roof inside as well. That paired with an automotive glass cleaner. I use car pro clarify, but most will work.

Invisible Glass Clean & Reach Tool

Invisible Glass Clean & Reach Tool

www.supercheapauto.com.au

Carpro clarify is an excellent product. Cannot believe I only found the triangular cleaning tool a few months ago. Its completely changed my enthusiam for the gymnastics of inside windscreen cleaning

 

[paulp]

Windscreen cleaning?
I enjoy dropping into a Servo and using their windscreen squeegee and air pump
Sometimes I reciprocate by buying a $1 coffee

The last time I went to a servo I was harassed by the police wanting to know what business I had being there. Few years ago now. All in jest, they wanted to know more about the tesla. I challenged them to a drag race. They declined.

 

[lS3toM3]

Carpro clarify is an excellent product. Cannot believe I only found the triangular cleaning tool a few months ago. Its completely changed my enthusiam for the gymnastics of inside windscreen cleaning

It's a great every wash cleaner.

 

[Hungry Mile]

I’ve had really good success lately as follows after years of experimentation.
Polish the glass to superclean with gtechniq glass polish. Its easy by hand as this is just a steriliser. Next apply gtechnic water repelent coating. Follow the instructions and note the circa 1 year life.

Great to hear you've had success with the Gtechniq products and so I'm about to order the same on your recommendation. Can you give the specific Gnumbers as the have a few... I'm guessing:

gtechniq glass polish is G4,

gtechnic water repellant coating is either G1 or G5; which did you use?

Then you refer to Perfect Glass (which is G6), also referred to as "Smart Glass" by Gtechniq. Am I right that this is just a cleaner to be applied both before application of the other products and after for general cleaning? The company doesn't seem to offer all that much specific advice as far as I can tell.

 

[paulp]

Great to hear you've had success with the Gtechniq products and so I'm about to order the same on your recommendation. Can you give the specific Gnumbers as the have a few... I'm guessing:


Then you refer to Perfect Glass (which is G6), also referred to as "Smart Glass" by Gtechniq. Am I right that this is just a cleaner to be applied both before application of the other products and after for general cleaning? The company doesn't seem to offer all that much specific advice as far as I can tell.

I did G4 polish and G5 coating. They are small bottles but you wont use much. Perfect Glass G6. Their glass cloth leaves a bit of lint. Better than most but the carpro one is way better.
Process is wash windscreen with water. Dry and apply G4 to instructions. G4 removes all contaminants and cleaners. Remove G4 and apply G5 to instructions. G6 is then used later on its own for glass cleaning.

 

[OzTzlaBloke]

Most of the time the problem is due to off gasing of the interiour materials. It will do that cloud sorta thing your referring too. Modern materials in motor vehice interiours tend to off gas more than prior less eco friendly types of materials in vinyl rubber and other plastics etc Then an owner doesnt clean it right and scratches the hell out of it, leaving a problem to fix glass that doesnt seem to ever get clean

Ceramic coating the glass is a definite go to but be very sure to prep it cos you dont want to seal in cloud under the coating

Be mindful not to use solvents in the washer fluid if you do coat/polymer/wax it

Really, its all in getting it clean. Coatings just make it easier once clean, to stay clean through surface tension reductions. As above, use a microfibre towel, change it when dirty dont scratch the glass. If its really bad youll have to compound cut the glass, then polish the glass, then seal it with a wax/polynmer/coating. If you dont know how to use polishing equipment and what pads to use etcetc Id get someone who does if you just want it fixed at little time to yourself. Usually when it just doesnt seem to come "clean" again despite efforts, its because you have allot of scratches and it needs buffing out to correct it