I recently purchased a 2008 Mustang GT. Love the car. Anyway, I am still in hyper-anal honeymoon period with the car so I am cleaning it constantly.
I have noticed a couple things I need help addressing:
The rear window has some faint hard water spots on it that I cannot remove with glass cleaner. I suspect since the car sat outside on the dealer lot for awhile that its from weather exposure for who knows how long. It isn’t super noticeable except under certain light conditions but they are there. How do I safely get rid of these?
On the windshield there are fingerprints that will not come clean. I think they are on the outside but I am not certain. Again, they are visible only under certain light conditions, like when the Sun slants through the windshield in such a way as to render them visible. It looks to my untrained eye like whomever owned the car previously was waxing it (and I have seen the whitish residue from hand waxing on a couple edges of black plastic parts on the car so I know it had been done) and rested their fingers on the windshield, didn’t notice it and it was allowed to dry. Its the damndest thing…I just can’t seem to get it off. How do I get THOSE off?
Finally, I need suggestions for the best method for cleaning glass and for a product that works the best. Right now I am using a foaming, ammonia-free glass cleaner from a can and I can still see streaks and smears after I rigorously clean it. I have tried paper towels and microfiber cloths and neither seems to be better than the other and both leave behind lint. Should I be using newspapers? What method works best and what glass cleaner should I use?
You might check out some of Griot’s Garage products. Here are the glass cleaning supplies. They make all their own stuff. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for. I have no affiliation with them, BTW. Good luck, that little stuff drives you crazy with a new car.
The guys at my local Autozone talked me into buying a clay bar for glass. Its a purple color and apparently all you do is spray glass cleaner on the glass then run the clay bar over it a few times. They assured me it would work…anyone ever tried one of these things?
Yes, I was just going to suggest clay bar for the water spots that won’t come off. Clay bar looks like a little bar of soap like you get at a hotel. You use detailing spray to lubricate it and rub it gently across the surface and it will polish off minor imperfections. Try it on a small area first until you are convinced.
Clay bar is actually designed for the clear coat paint on your car, I clay bar my baby once a year. That is how you get a mirror finish like this:
You wash and dry the car until you think you have it clean. Then doing one body panel at a time you lubricate the surface with detailing spray and rub it with the clay bar back and forth. You can feel the bar grab the paint a little at first and then glide smooth. The bar is usually white or yellow and you can see little flecks of black crap that the clay is picking up. Then you fold the claybar over to trap the crap and continue. It is picking up pieces of things that are stuck into your clear coat that don’t wash off. You will be amazed at all the stuff you remove from your ‘clean’ car. It will also strip all the wax off, so you wax the body panel when you are done.
Once you have done a body panel and run your fingers across it, then compare it to the clean, untreated panel next to it, you will have a new feel for what ‘smooth’ is.
Oh, as an aside, never make swirling motions when either washing or waxing your car, and never apply power equipment to a car you want to keep, that is how you get swirl marks. Back and forth in long strokes.
Love your T/A there Dallas. Always really liked the look of those cars. Much better looking than Camaros, IMO. Its kinda sad that Pontiac is gone, especially after coming out with the badass new variant of the GTO and then the G8, which is probably one of the best all around cars Pontiac has ever put out there (even if its technically an Australian car).
Thanks, this TA is the final year 2002, made about 4 weeks before production ended. (Yes, I know the exact date.) All the options and just a few modifications.
GM clearly lost the pony car wars between Camara/Firebird and Mustang. Mustang won and they are great cars with a wide variety of styles and options.
But that Trans Am is my daily driver and I smile wherever I go, and wish the trip would take longer.
My last three cars: '98 WS6 TransAm Firebird (automatic), '04 GTO (5 spd) and now a '10 Challenger (6 spd). I preferred the Firebird over the GTO, even though the latter was more practical from a rear seat perspective. Performance was similar on both, but the styling on the GTO was a bit boring. Gotta say, even though I’m a Pontiac guy, the Challenger has both beat. The 6 spd transmission (both 5th & 6th are overdrives, .7 & .5, respectively) allows for a 3.92 rear end. Definitely the best of both worlds. Great retro styling and you can actually seat a couple adults in the back. Garage space permitting I would have held onto the TransAm.
First try a bottle of auto glass cleaner like this one:
Note that auto glass cleaner is NOT the same as regular glass cleaner. I used to use Windex and it always streaked. Auto glass cleaner doesn’t streak. I wipe with a regular cotton towel.
For anything that won’t come off with the cleaner, use a single edge razor blade with a holder:
These are also great to get inspection/registration stickers off the windows. They will NOT scratch the glass. Just be sure to angle them almost to the surface.
Congrats on the Mustang. I just picked up a '12 Mustang Boss 302. Great fun!
I’d go ahead and give it a shot with Bar Keepers Friend myself. It works wonders on almost everything I’ve tried it on. I’d probably keep it off of the paint though, as it does have some acid in it.
I am going to have to try some of these methods you all suggest as the clay bar didn’t work at all. I am thinking of trying vinegar first…scraping off water spots with a razor seems a bit…harsh.
