lexdex

I recently bought a 2010 RX 350. Got a great deal as it was a demo model. However, after taking it to the car wash for the first time I noticed some streaks on the back windshield. The location and direction appears to be consistent with fluid from rear washer. Not sure what fluid would be used to cause this - it was a dealer demo.

They're definately on the outside of the glass, but can't get them off with windex. I even tried a single edge razor and that did remove it somewhat (confirming the issue is on the outside), but I only tried it one small place - I was worried about damaging the glass or the tinting.

Has anybody experienced this and do you have suggestions to get rid of these streaks? (besides taking it back to dealer - the dealer is about 2 hrs driving time away)

Johnny

Try using a clay bar; it works wonders at removing the most minute particles, even on glass. I've also had excellent results with an ordinary SOS steel wool pad - the kind used to clean pots and pans; don't worry about scratching the glass as glass is harder than steel...

hypervish

Hold up!!! You took it to a car wash...lol. Was it brushless?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

clay bar, windex and with some hard scrubbing. also try to use some diluted vinegar

MEP7557

Rain-X and various auto detailing companies make glass cleaning compounds that contain micro beads to safely remove any film. I have had excellent experience with such products. Watch what you use on the inside of the back window as the defroster is applied on with a plastic type sheeting and can scratch.

lexdex

LOL, yes it's a soft wash - spinning chamois - and it's at the lexus dealership where I have the vehicle serviced! (different from the one where I bought the vehicle, which is quite a drive - hence my desire to find a solution I can do myself)

Thanks for the clay bar idea, after you wrote that I researched it online and lots of people offer that as a solution. I saw some debate about steel wool, some people claimed very fine scratches could distort headlights or direct sunlight so I think I'll avoid that for now.

Quick question: could a clay bar in any way impact the tint in the rear window?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

no matter what, do NOT use steel wool. might put more damage instead

clay bar, don't worry, as long as you put enough lube, you are fine

plus, is the tint baked in or it's a film? i don't know what it is on the rx

lexdex

I'm about 95% certain it's baked in. It certainly doesn't look like any film I've seen, but I might call dealer and ask to be 100% sure.

lexdex

It appears somebody had pretty much the exact same problem last year:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/aut...indshield.html

RXSF

all factory tint is baked in, it is not a film.

BlueSurf

Use this outdoors only, take a cheesecloth rag layer it up and pour some mineral spirits on it. Go over your window working it like you used windex. It will not harm your window. it will remove any gunk, grease and films that have built up. Be careful not to get any on your paint. After you are done wash your windows and car with auto-wash soap. If the spots were on the glass surface they will be gone. If you should still see the marks, it is in the glass manufacturing process. You should take it up with the dealer, it may be replaced under warranty.

Johnny

Henry, with all due respect, material hardness is measured using different methodologies such as the Rockwell scale (Rc) or the Brinnell scale (BHN) to name two. There are others, but these are the most commonly applied. The Rc scale is more suited to very hard materials, and the BHN scale covers a broader range which can include glass and steel. Steel wool is spun from mild steel wire which is about 120 BHN, whereas glass is around 1550 BHN, a significant difference. Tool steel, such as molybdenum steel or carbides approach and do surpass glass, and the range there is 1500-1900 BHN. This is where some folks can get confused - IOW, "If I can scratch a glass surface with a simple glass cutter, surely I shouldn't use steel wool to clean its surface." However, you can easily surmise from above the difference in hardness between steel wool and glass, 120 BHN vs 1550 BHN is quite vast. I certainly would not recommend using it with a heavy hand or power tool - if only because one doesn't need to, and it saves a lot of elbow grease compared to doing it any other way when removing road film, tar or other impurities from windshields or any other glass surface for that matter.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

very interesting. i don't know what exactly happened on one of my client's car, coz' that was exactly what he tried to do, steel wool against glass. and the result was glas fail. under normal lighting, you see nothing, but when under certain angle under the sun, suddenly it became a lot of glare and i could see a lot of fine swirls. i didn't have good explanation except it's caused by his steel wool "buffing". of course, i didn't see the steel wool myself, dunno what exactly went on there.

i don't think so, but i wonder if there could be some special coating on the windshield that might not be as hard as glass and the steel wool can cause damage to that?

Johnny

Without knowing the exact circumstances of your friend's situation, I can say this; throughout its life as a windshield, glass (and painted surfaces for that matter) is exposed to a tremendous amount of minute impacts of silicates (sand), abrasive dusts and other substances that can appear as swirls over time, many of them also caused by the sweeping action of the wipers dragging these abrasives along with them. If this was the first time his glass was put under lights, then it would not surprise me to hear about this finding. My car is about five months old now, and while I haven't used a steel wool pad to date to clean the windshield, I can guarantee that even now, it has swirls on it. Not enough to discern with the unaided eye, but still present nonetheless. As for external coatings, it wouldn't surprise me if they use them, but these would be chemically and thermally bonded to the glass in the hardening process (not unlike chrome), so they could not be "scratched" off as it were.

lexdex

People,

Thanks so much for your input. Firstly, I have no idea what it is I'm cleaning off the window. The stains are very consistent with water residue from using the back window washer theres about 6 long streaks running from about 4 inches below the rear spoiler down the window to where the window meets the metal. Yet I can't say for sure if they are hardwater stains - it looks more like a caked on substance.

I tried a few approaches and here's what I'm finding so far:

*razor - saw some recommendations saying this is the only way. This was the first solution I tried and it was working, but taking forever and I saw some lighter marks, i.e. the razored area was a slightly different hue then the rest of the window. I thought I'd wrecked the tint - which surprised me because the tint is baked in - but seems more likely now I was removing caked on dirt/film. Hope this is the case, but I'll find out over the weekend when I revisit the project.

*steelwool: I tried this with ultrafine steel wool in small inconspicous corner of the window. I can't say for sure, but under direct sunlight it did look like some fine very scratches were made. It did show I could get the substance off though. The steelwool was also dangerous where glass meets paint.

*mineral spirits: did not work.

*ceramabryte: tried a glass ceramic cleaner wiping off with microfiber towel and so far this is working the best. It's definately removing the stuff, but before I go any further I need to see it with headlights shining through and under bright light to see if it's leaving fine scratches. It's supposedly non-abrasive, but I'll know for sure when I see the window under different light conditions.

Here's what I did NOT try: a clay bar, for the simple reason that I had the above items around the house. I've also read that bon ami is excellent for windshields and glass cleaners I saw mentioned were Stoners glass cleaner and Duragloss Nu glass. I don't know if either would work for the specific mystery substance I'm dealing with, but I've read they were excellent for sap and most hardwater stains.

Anyway, I'll post my final results when the job is complete.