Hey guys, this is my first post here and I will try to keep it short while giving you the facts.
The problem:
Really, it's two different problems both resulting in glare.
1. At night, any lights, especially red lights, give me this crazy glare so that it is very hard to see. It looks like those cartoons when God comes and the rays of sun come through the clouds, except it's coming from brakelights and is going into my eyes.
2. What's even worse is that when it rains (or if I use the wiper wash), the blades go over the water and leave a very thin layer of water in most places, and leaves a streak of water behind in others. That water catches the light as well and lights up, so then I really, REALLY can't see.
The thing is, wiping the blades over the water seems to just spread the water around instead of off of the windshield. I tried to document this with my iPhone, but I did a piss-poor job. Hopefully this link works, let me know if it doesn't.
x.T.'s Windshield Issue Video
So basically it's two issues that both result in glare (at night there is glare even when not wet, and then when it rains the water just spreads around and adds to the glare), but they must be related, right?
What I've already tried:
I originally assumed this was just an issue of old windshield wipers that had gone bad (I hadn't replaced them in a long time). I asked my dealer to put new ones on while they were servicing it, but the problem didn't change at all (in fact, it may even be slightly worse). The blades say "AC Delco" on them, and visually inspecting them, the rubber looks new, is flexible and supple, and seems to contact the glass throughout the movement of the wiper, and does not chatter.
I bought the Detailer's Krystal Vision Kit and did the following (using clean microfiber glass towels from cobra for each step):
After doing all that, the problem still remains. The video above was taken AFTER doing this.
What I'm asking:
What do you think is causing this, in other words, what is the problem with my windshield?
And then of course, how do I fix it?
I am willing to bite the bullet and get a PC DA machine because I am finding this actually kind of fun and relaxing and satisfying (is that weird?) and am interested in detailing my car's paint in the future, so if that's necessary to solve the problem let me know.
The problem:
Really, it's two different problems both resulting in glare.
1. At night, any lights, especially red lights, give me this crazy glare so that it is very hard to see. It looks like those cartoons when God comes and the rays of sun come through the clouds, except it's coming from brakelights and is going into my eyes.
2. What's even worse is that when it rains (or if I use the wiper wash), the blades go over the water and leave a very thin layer of water in most places, and leaves a streak of water behind in others. That water catches the light as well and lights up, so then I really, REALLY can't see.
The thing is, wiping the blades over the water seems to just spread the water around instead of off of the windshield. I tried to document this with my iPhone, but I did a piss-poor job. Hopefully this link works, let me know if it doesn't.
x.T.'s Windshield Issue Video
So basically it's two issues that both result in glare (at night there is glare even when not wet, and then when it rains the water just spreads around and adds to the glare), but they must be related, right?
What I've already tried:
I originally assumed this was just an issue of old windshield wipers that had gone bad (I hadn't replaced them in a long time). I asked my dealer to put new ones on while they were servicing it, but the problem didn't change at all (in fact, it may even be slightly worse). The blades say "AC Delco" on them, and visually inspecting them, the rubber looks new, is flexible and supple, and seems to contact the glass throughout the movement of the wiper, and does not chatter.
I bought the Detailer's Krystal Vision Kit and did the following (using clean microfiber glass towels from cobra for each step):
1. Mist the glass with Detailer's Pro Series Krystal Vision Glass Cleaner. Wipe the glass with long strokes using your folded Microfiber Waffle Weave Glass Towel. Wipe first side to side and then top to bottom. Flip the towel to a dry side and give the glass a final wipe to eliminate streaks.
2. Repeat step 1
3. Mist a 2 ft. x 2 ft. area of glass with Detailer's Pro Series Universal Clay Lubricant. Gently rub the clay bar back and forth across the wet area only. It will grab initially. This is the clay grabbing contaminants that protrude out of the glass.
When the clay glides freely, the surface is clean. Wipe off the area with a clean microfiber towel. Use the clay lubricant to remove any remaining clay residue. Before moving on to the next section, inspect the clay to see if it appears soiled.
4. Detailer's Pro Series High Performance Glass Restorer. To apply by hand, pour a nickel size amount onto the orange side of the Wolfgang German Polish 'N Wax Applicator.
Rub the product onto the glass in overlapping circular motions. Allow a haze to form. Buff the glass with a microfiber towel. I had some trouble with this step as when I would rub the product in, it would just disappear after a couple of passes with the applicator, so there was no haze to wipe off. Maybe this means I buffed too much during the application and the product didn't have time to work or something?.
2. Repeat step 1
3. Mist a 2 ft. x 2 ft. area of glass with Detailer's Pro Series Universal Clay Lubricant. Gently rub the clay bar back and forth across the wet area only. It will grab initially. This is the clay grabbing contaminants that protrude out of the glass.
When the clay glides freely, the surface is clean. Wipe off the area with a clean microfiber towel. Use the clay lubricant to remove any remaining clay residue. Before moving on to the next section, inspect the clay to see if it appears soiled.
4. Detailer's Pro Series High Performance Glass Restorer. To apply by hand, pour a nickel size amount onto the orange side of the Wolfgang German Polish 'N Wax Applicator.
Rub the product onto the glass in overlapping circular motions. Allow a haze to form. Buff the glass with a microfiber towel. I had some trouble with this step as when I would rub the product in, it would just disappear after a couple of passes with the applicator, so there was no haze to wipe off. Maybe this means I buffed too much during the application and the product didn't have time to work or something?.
After doing all that, the problem still remains. The video above was taken AFTER doing this.
What I'm asking:
What do you think is causing this, in other words, what is the problem with my windshield?
And then of course, how do I fix it?
I am willing to bite the bullet and get a PC DA machine because I am finding this actually kind of fun and relaxing and satisfying (is that weird?) and am interested in detailing my car's paint in the future, so if that's necessary to solve the problem let me know.