Help: Glass Stained? Can't Remove Handprint

[Granite14]

1) I would like to know if anyone has seen glass stained with the products I list below (A-D)

2) I would like to know if you had experience cleaning up an issue like I have explained below.
- what worked for you.

3) Have you had any experience with the remedies I suggest below (E-L)

Here's the story:
So, I cleaned the interior of my new Challenger on Saturday,
But had to wait on the exterior until Monday - As I clean the windows, I notice a ghosted hand print on the driver side window.

I do not know if this came from the factory or from when I used products on the interior.


Interior products used on Saturday that may have stained the glass:
a) - Leather Master Car Interior Leather Protection Cream
b) - GTechniq L1 Leather Guard
c) - 303 Fabric Guard
d) - 303 Aerospace Protectant


On Monday, I tried everything to get that hand print off. It would not come off.
- DP Krystal Vision Glass Cleaner
- Alcohol and a flat razor blade
- Windex w/ammonia
- scrubbed and scrubbed with different cleaners & towel textures

It would NOT come off.

When you breathe warm breath in the cold air, onto the glass.
You could see the hand print remained, despite all efforts to get it off.


I have read about multiple options to remove the stain:

e) - mr clean eraser and ammonia
f) - 0000 grade steel wool #- kinda scares me
g) - Goof Off
h) - Carborator cleaner#- but heard some bad on this as well...
i) - Lacquer thinner
j) - Paint thinner
k) - Lighter Fluid
l) - coca-cola

I am new to the detailing world and do not have any special tools or buffers to clean this up so wanted any insight on how to do this effectively - without damaging the glass.
Thanks for your time.

 

[builthatch]

imo probably from the factory, port or dealership prep.

first two things i'd try past some of the obvious stuff you already tried are, in order:

1. clay bar or similar product

2. prep solvent on a saturated shop towel, a product like Maxx Solv or Prep-All

3. paint polish or AIO by hand on dense applicator

magic eraser doesn't sound like a bad idea...i'd put that between 1 and 2.

 

[Granite14]

imo probably from the factory, port or dealership prep.

first two things i'd try past some of the obvious stuff you already tried are, in order:

1. clay bar or similar product

2. prep solvent on a saturated shop towel, a product like Maxx Solv or Prep-All

3. paint polish or AIO by hand on dense applicator

magic eraser doesn't sound like a bad idea...i'd put that between 1 and 2.

Thanks for the insight... I do wonder if it was from the factory. Can't imagine those products staining glass, but that's why I'm asking for other's experiences. Hard to imagine alcohol and razor didn't do it. I suspect it was the Fabric Guard or the L1...just not certain. Appreciate the reply.

 

[Ebg18t]

I suggest you have the print pulled and get it analyzed. Then try to match it up to you or the owner. If it's neither go back to the manufacturer and have everyone checked along the way.

 

[Granite14]

I suggest you have the print pulled and get it analyzed. Then try to match it up to you or the owner. If it's neither go back to the manufacturer and have everyone checked along the way.

That is an awesome idea. I've got my people dusting the window for prints now. While it's at the lab, I would love to try some ways of cleaning it off the glass. Just in case it's John Doe from SE7EN and he cut his prints off. Here's to hoping the lab finds a match...

 

[builthatch]

haha yes please let us know your findings!

 

[JMP]

Maybe....glass polish and glass pad with a DA....might clean right up?..

 

[Belphegor]

If it's an oil stain, the only thing that I personally know of to take it out would be a poultice stain remover. I'm not sure that those are even made for glass, but it would be a last ditch effort if nothing else pulls it out or polishes it off. I use poultice fairly often, and if you have any questions about it, hmu

 

[parttimer]

My 300 windshield had a "film" on it. I would clean the windshield, crystal clear, two days later it was filthy as all get out. I ended up nano skinning the inside, problem has not returned. Maybe try something like that.

 

[Granite14]

Maybe....glass polish and glass pad with a DA....might clean right up?..

If it's an oil stain, the only thing that I personally know of to take it out would be a poultice stain remover. I'm not sure that those are even made for glass, but it would be a last ditch effort if nothing else pulls it out or polishes it off. I use poultice fairly often, and if you have any questions about it, hmu

My 300 windshield had a "film" on it. I would clean the windshield, crystal clear, two days later it was filthy as all get out. I ended up nano skinning the inside, problem has not returned. Maybe try something like that.

Thanks guys... I will look in to some of these methods. Have any of you tried any of the other 'remedie's suggested in the original post? Appreciate the insight.

 

[Granite14]

If it's an oil stain, the only thing that I personally know of to take it out would be a poultice stain remover. I'm not sure that those are even made for glass, but it would be a last ditch effort if nothing else pulls it out or polishes it off. I use poultice fairly often, and if you have any questions about it, hmu

Thanks for your replies Belphegor... I am not as experienced as you; however, I would think an oil type stain would have come off with alcohol, ammonia, and/or a razor blade. We scraped it, toweled it for about 40 minutes and it just would not go away. But am going to look into the poultice and other items suggested here. If it's something from the factory, may also have dealer look into it. Thanks

 

[Roikins]

Sorry to hear about the hand print ,I have best results to make the glass clean and it should take off the hand print,as builthatch suggested with clay bar ,or there is another product who does the same,only easier to work is Speedy Prep Towel. It's made from rubber and easier to use it,as you have to clay bar reshape and avoid dropping to ground. The Speedy Prep Towel just rinse it off and keep working. Just don't forget to get lubricant for either one you using.
The nanoskin autoscrub is great as well,I did my whole car with the prep towel to remove any contamination from paint.


Sent from my using Tapatalk

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

First, thank you for taking this from PM's to the forum. :dblthumb2:


I can't recall ever coming across a issue like you describe, guess there's always a first time for everything.


If none of the other recommendations work then as a last chance remedy to try to remove the hand print you could try machine polishing with a glass polish that uses Cerium Oxide.

We carry Ceriglass from CarPro and their glass polish does in fact contain the rare earth mineral Cerium Oxide that can and will abrade glass material and level the surface to remove below surface defects like wiper scratches.

Logic tells me this hand print should only be on the very upper our outer surface of the glass and thus a little machine polishing should remove enough glass material off the surface to remove the stained glass material.


Here's my article on this topic.


Glass polishing - How to remove scratches in glass


In the picture below you will see the pads, products and tools you need to remove scratches from glass.

Glass is very hard and in order to abrade it in a way to remove scratches without at the same time instilling scratches you need a polish specifically made for glass that contain

Cerium Oxide

Step-by-Step How to remove scratches in glass


IMPORTANT
Never start by working on the glass in front of the driver field of view. Just in case something goes wrong you don't want to impair the view of the driver.


Step 1: Wash and dry or wipe glass clean.

Step 2: Tape-off and cover any perimeter window gaskets, wiper arm assemblies, surrounding plastic or trim. Anything you do not want to stain with polish splatter.

Step 3: Apply some CarPro Ceriglass glass polish directly onto the face of a CarPro Rayon glass polishing pad.

Step 4: Place the face of the glass polishing pad against the glass and then using a slow speed setting, turn the polisher on and spread the polish out to small area. When buffing out a car windshield, divide the windshield into quarters and work one quarter at a time.

Step 5: After you have spread the product out at a low speed setting, turn the speed up to a fast speed setting on a dual action polisher like the Porter Cable 7424XP or a low to medium speed setting on a rotary buffer.

Step 6: Make SLOW overlapping passes with firm pressure. Have a spray bottle of water on hand to re-wet the abrasives as the polish will tend to dry out as you work it. You can get more buffing time from the abrasives by re-wetting them with water.


Buff till you have removed the scratches to your expectations then repeat to a new section till the entire window is free from scratches.

Glass polishing can be very messy because the polish will tend to splatter. You can reduce the amount of splatter by using a water sprayer that does a good job of atomizing the water into a fine mist versus an generic spray bottle that squirts water.



Order List

Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher

5" Dual-Action Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate

FLEX PE14-2-150 Rotary Polisher

5" Flex-Foam HD Rotary Backing Plate

3" Flex-Foam HD Rotary Backing Plate

5" CarPro Rayon Glass Polishing Pad - 2 Pack

3" CarPro Rayon Glass Polishing Pad - 2 Pack

CarPro Ceriglass Glass Polish - 150 ml

CarPro Ceriglass Glass Polish - 500 ml


My comment....
You can remove scratches out of glass using either a rotary buffer or a dual action polisher like the Porter Cable type. With the dual action polisher it will take a little longer but in my opinion the glass polishing process is easier on you when using a dual action polisher versus using a rotary buffer.


Slow process
Figure on taking 2-3 hours to machine polish and remove the scratches out of the average size windshield. Longer if you're new to this type of polishing.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here's another article I have on glass polishing with some high resolution before and after pictures showing wiper scratches removed from a Honda windshield and this same approach should work for removing the hand print off the glass on your car.



How to remove scratches in glass - Wiper Scratches from Beach Sand



I've buffed a lot of glass in my life and if you actually want to remove scratches "in" the glass you need a glass polish that contains cerium oxide and make sure the directions state it's recommended and approved for use with a rotary buffer to remove scratches out of glass.


Tip
Don't test or experiment on the driver's side of the glass, at least not in their field of view. Just in case the polish and/or process doesn't go to plan.


Here's a little Tape-Line Before and After I did to a Honda windshield that's parked outside all the time.

This windshield is extremely scratched over time from beach sand being dragged across it from the wipers. This is common to cars in coastal areas.

These are deep scratches in a 2004 Honda that has spent it's entire life parked outside in Stuart, Florida.

Here's the same windshield and the same exact location as above...

Glass Polishing is very messy
Just for anyone reading this into the future... glass polishing is very messy. Do yourself a HUGE favor and break out some old bed sheets or "something" and cover as much of the car as you can...

See my thread here...

How to remove tiny pinhole pits in glass windows using a rotary buffer

To remove scratches in glass you need,

1. A polish that contains the abrasive Cerium Oxide and the label should state the products is safe for removing scratches "in" the glass.
2. A glass-safe glass polishing disc

Myself and others have had good luck using CarPro Ceriglass with the CarPro Rayon Glass Polishing Discs.

NOTE: The CarPro Ceriglass "polish" states right on the label and on the webpage that it does in-fact use Cerium Oxide.

CarPro Ceriglass Glass Polish 500 ml



Here's a screenshot I just took highlighting the pertinent information with red circles and lines.

Here's the link to the CarPro Rayon Glass Polishing Disc

CarPro Rayon Glass Polishing Pad

And a screenshot highlighting the pertinent information...

IMPORTANT

From experience, I'd say glass polishing, specifically removing scratches out of glass without leaving scratches behind in the process is an advanced procedure. It's not a project to tackle without first doing due diligence in your research.


Further Resources

You can read Nicholas's article on how to remove scratches and scuffs that are IN glass here,

Autowerx Ceriglass Guide




How to reduce the mess...

And to make the job a LOT LESS MESSY read my article here,


Glass Polishing Water Spray Bottles at Autogeek



The spray bottle in my hand is the 4 ounce bottle and works best for most people.

 

[builthatch]

OP, is it on the inside or outside? i guessed it was on the inside because you mentioned interior cleaning products but looking back i don't see a definitive answer on where it's actually at other than being on the driver side.

 

[Granite14]

Mike. I appreciate the links and resources. This is a truly bizarre occurrence. Thank you for your help and knowledge. Hope this will help others who may come across something like this. IF none of this works, I'll just make up a crazy story about the ghost in the machine...

 

[Granite14]

OP, is it on the inside or outside? i guessed it was on the inside because you mentioned interior cleaning products but looking back i don't see a definitive answer on where it's actually at other than being on the driver side.

My friend and I worked on it together. We believe it's on the inside as the towel seems to drag as it moves over that spot. Which you would think that friction makes it come off....?

You can't see it by just looking. But it was cold when we were working on the car and your warm breath/defrost reveals it across the glass. When we tackle it again, I will take a picture.

 

[builthatch]

My friend and I worked on it together. We believe it's on the inside as the towel seems to drag as it moves over that spot. Which you would think that friction makes it come off....?

You can't see it by just looking. But it was cold when we were working on the car and your warm breath/defrost reveals it across the glass. When we tackle it again, I will take a picture.

ahh, ok it is inside. i have seen something very similar on several vehicles. not a handprint of course...but suction cup marks. sometimes even residual evidence of labels that isn't adhesive. you can only see these things when the windshield is fogged up from the inside. the suction cup type haven't come off with normal window cleaning but truthfully i've never pursued them because the conditions in which they show are so rare.

 

[Aviatortroy]

This is very easy to fix. Throw a rock through the window and let your insurance company replace.

 

[BillE]

Just a thought...are you sure that the had print is actually on a 'reachable' surface?

Reason I bring this up is I had to replace an 'insulated window' in the garage and there was a big fat hand print in/on the inside of one pane. You could only see the it when the light was 'just right'.

Just an idea...

Bill