I recently bought a new car; now the inside surface of the windshield is coated with a fine milky white film.
I have tried everything I can think of to clean it off, to no avail. All I have managed to do is to smear it around, and with the passage of time, the problem is getting worse.
I have tried: Windex; turpentine; water solution of each of: dish detergent, floor cleaner, vinegar, ammonia, bicarb, alcohol, and various combinations of these.
Also, used each of the above with paper towels, newspaper, terry cloth, shammy.
If Windex and a commercially available auto glass cleaner like Invisible Glass glass didn’t do the trick, and it was new car from a dealer I’d bring it back and ask them to take care of it. I also wouldn’t mention all the other things I’ve tried if I were you.
My guess is that it’s off-gassing from the dashboard and if I had to take a guess, I’d say you need a solvent like Naptha/lighter fluid/goo gone/nail polish remover.
But like I said, I’d take it to the dealer and not say anything like “I tried floor cleaner and it didn’t help at all”.
I took it back to the dealer, but they said: “New cars do that; it will go away.”
They checked the radiator, head gaskets etc, etc. They found no mechanical problem, but they did agree that it is a combination of off-gassing and road film passing through the ventilation system.
I tried Armorall, and it didn’t touch it.
I haven’t tried lighter fluid, but sounds like it could be a fun thing to do. Could entertain the neighborhood too!
Be careful what you use, though. Once I used a degreasing solution on my windshield that etched it. I later found very tiny print on the back of the jug that said not to use it on glass.
I was driving at night and something, I have no idea what, hit my car windshield. A big bug? It made a real ‘splat’ and the next morning I saw blood in a big streak across the glass. I washed it off. Surprise, there is still a white streak of something on the glass, and it’s like etched in the glass. I looked at it in daylight and scraped it with my nail, and nothing came off, it’s like etched with acid. Any ideas of what hit my windshield, how to get it off? Weirdest thing…
Will ArmorAll take deodorant off the vinyl on the door, just below the window? I confess on a hot day I grazed it with my armpit putting the tube in the bank chute, can’t help if I’m short.
I’m astounded. Not that Armor All didn’t clean it, but that anyone would use a protectant, clearly designed to leave a layer of stuff on the surface it’s applied to, as a cleaner. Didn’t touch it? Probably made it twice as bad.
In reading the posts, I am surprised that it seems that I am the only one that has experienced this problem. Surely my car isn’t the only new car on the road?
However, I will try those commercial cleaners which I haven’t already tried; thanks for the suggestions from all.
Acetone and 0000 steel wool will get it. Put a towel on the dashboard making sure it covers the entire dash because acetone will soften most plastics and painted surfaces.
Stoner Invisible Glass is awesome with a microfiber towel. Invisible Glass and the microfiber towels are both available at Pep-Boys, Autozone, etc.
Start with Invisible Glass first. Clean the windshield a few times, flipping the microfiber towel around frequently to expose a clean surface.
I don’t think this is at all normal for new cars – my bullshit detector went off when you said that the dealer told you it was common. Of course my sample size is pretty small so I could be wrong.
But if I were a car manufacturer I would work damn hard to ensure that my customers could see through their windshield. This kind of thing is a possible liability, leaves a very bad impression on customers, and is probably worthy of a recall if it happened frequently to some particular model.
It actually is pretty common. Most of the time the film is caused by the outgassing of the plastics used in the interior. It is exacerbated by hot weather and running the A/C. Some cars show it more, some people see it more, but it is almost always there.
I use Rain-X 2 in 1. If you use it a couple of times to clean the windows you can then carry it around and spray it on whenever it is raining. If it doesn’t rain for weeks spray it on in the morning, throw over a jug of water and run the wipers. Works like a charm.