How to get small scratches out of your windshield? Windshield scratches can occur for many reasons – Maybe something flies up in the middle of the road while you’re driving and hits the windshield or you’re trying to clean it, but use the wrong type of cloth. If you have old windshield wipers that have deteriorated, or perhaps, you have twigs or leaves under the windshield wipers, all of these things will scratch the glass.
Dangers Of Windshield Scratches
It’s not necessarily an obvious danger during the day when the road is visible. At worse, you might be distracted by a bluish haze on the windshield if it is scratched. However, at night the glare of oncoming headlights in your face can make the scratches visible and possibly obstruct your vision of the road.
If you look at an angle in broad daylight, you can see all of the tiny scratches on your windshield that become dangerous at night.
How To Fix Windshield Scratches
To fix this issue, you’ll need a special chemical called car windshield wax. Get this at any auto parts store or a local hardware shop.
Your shopping list might look something like this:
- Windshield Wax $12
- Microfiber Rags $9
- Car Buffer $32
There are two easy ways that you can apply the wax. You can either use a microfiber cloth or a machine buffer but a machine buffer may be more difficult and expensive to buy. You can buy a wax buffer for under $40 at the local hardware store which is a low price to pay in order to make it a lot easier to see at night.
Step One: Clean Your Windshield
Step one is to clean your windshield off with Windex. It is important to have a clean, smooth surface to begin because dirt on the windshield could scratch the glass further when you start to buffer it. If your car is extremely dirty, this might be a good time to give it a bath.
Once your car is clean and ready, put the wax on the windshield and a little bit of wax on the buffer pad itself. Then, do a couple of rounds around the windshield. Spread the wax around to get an even coat.
P.S. Raise your windshield wipers to prevent any damage.
Step Two: Buffing Out Scratches
Step two requires a microfiber cloth to hand buff a little bit of wax off to make sure that all the scratches are gone. If all the scratches aren’t gone, give it another coat of wax.
Continue as needed until all the scratches are gone. If you have to do a second coat, use a little bit more pressure this time. That way you would press against the glass harder and hopefully get the deeper scratches out. If the windshield scratches are deeper, you might have to repeat the waxing process several times. If they’re lighter windshield scratches, then you might get lucky and get them all on the first try.
When you’re finished buffing, lightly wipe off the residue of the wax, and then take the polishing wheel and go over a whole windshield one more time. Take the polishing wheel and give it a dry pad dry cleaning pad to make it nice and shiny.
Final Results:
So, the finished product after buffing off all of the wax should look similar to this – There’s barely any scratches left. If you’re picky, you can go back and put another coat of the wax on and buff it out even further.
Now, all that’s left is to spray a little bit more Windex on the windshield to make sure that you removed all of the excess wax residue. Leave a shiny coat on to help repel water when it rains. You’ll notice a visible difference in clarity with the wax.
Do You Need Windshield Replacement?
If your windshield is scratched beyond repair, you might need to replace your windshield. How do you know if you need to replace your windshield? Here are a few simple tips:
- Are there deep cracks in the windshield?
- Does the windshield leak? How about around the edges of the windshield?
- Are there major scratches or cracks in the driver’s line of vision?
- Are the scratches distracting?
For a fast and affordable windshield repair, visit your local Fast Glass. Fast Glass can repair or replace your windshield within 2 hours. Give us a call or visit one of our locations.
About Fast Glass Inc.
Fast Glass has installed over 1,000,000 Windshields and over 150,000 windows over the past 39 years and is the leader in the industry. No one even comes close to matching their record in Nevada or Idaho.
They have some of the most highly skilled glazing technicians in the entire world, with an average of 17 years of experience. Rest assured that your vehicle, home, or building is in highly capable hands.
Fast Glass, Inc. is a local family owned and operated business. That has been in business providing the highest quality since 1978.