I have some very fine scratches in my windshield that are annoying me. They are usually not visible but when the sun hits just right, they look almost like spider web threads. I bought the car used, so have no idea what caused them. Also the passenger side wiper reaches it sweep limit in my line of vision and there seems to be a semi-permeant mark/line that is visible when the glass is wet. Really distracting driving at night. I’ve tried cleaning with alcohol without much luck. FWIW, this started after I got new (and expensive) silicone blades to stop blade chatter. I’m a bit OCD when it comes to having a clear windshield and wonder if those polishing kits with cerium oxide are effective.
You could try an automotive clay bar. It is just what it sounds like, a bar of special clay about the size of a bar of soap and some lubricant to keep it wet. Do a little research.
That is how we car people get that mirror finish on the paint. Removes spots, blemishes, light scratches, etc. Clean a surface as well as you can, then clay bar part of it, lots of lubricant spray. Feel the surface you just cleaned with your hand and feel the clean unpolished surface, there is no comparison, the clay bar surface is smoooth. Really smooth.
Labor intensive, surface must be clean of grit or you will make marks. Will not solve deep scratches. But that is how professionals (I am not one) get the ultra smooth surface cleaning. I clay bar my paint once a year or so and then wax. Dirt, dust, and bugs don’t stick after the treatment.
Look up clay bar windshield.
The test you I’ve read about is whether your fingernails catch when run across the scratches. If not, you can use ‘driveway’ polishing techniqes to help clear it up.
Try a magic eraser on the wiper smudge. Marks on a hard surface are where they really excel.
Silicone blades last a very long time, like half a decade and still going strong, however new rubber blades leaves the windshield cleaner. Silicone will coat the windshield and give a Rain-X effect which is ever so slightly hazy. So if you are a stickler for a crystal clear windshield you might want to stick with rubber and just replace it more often.
Also, I just got a new windshield for my truck (2010 Dodge 1500) and it was like $300 or less installed. That is the only real way to have a perfectly clear windscreen.
I don’t know if it is still true generally, or true for you specifically, but insurance companies used to replace scratched windshields free, on the theory that it’s cheaper than dealing with an accident caused by poor visibility. You might check with yours.
Even if they don’t cover the full cost, it might be cheaper and simpler than trying to fix it and 1) not succeeding or 2) making it worse.
And there are companies that will replace your windshield at your house.
Windshields now can get VERY expensive. With modern safety stuff, the windshield could cost over $1000 and require a half day at a shop to recalibrate.
However, most insurance companies will cover chip repair with no deductible and not count as a claim. Ask you agent for that.
BTW- the very worst customer service for glass repair is GEICO.
But it wont help the OP.
Damn. That’s our company for the last few years. We haven’t made any claimz yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to put new windshields on our aging cars (2004 and 2010).
I’ve a hunch that the previous owner already did this. Repair of cracked glass isn’t perfect, and so what they’re seeing might be the leftover traces of a previous, now-repaired crack.
What, the advertising company? Have they branched out into now also offering insurance?
Apparently so. Run by cavemen in the Cust serv dept.
You are correct, for that reason a reputable glass company will not recommend a chip repair in the direct line of sight.