Scratch removal from E36's glass

[zckid]

Hi friends :xyxthumbs:

We are dealing with a case where water spots removal from automotive glass using the wrong products (acid based solution and inappropriate pads) has simply made the glass worse, creating marring from the use of aggressive acidic solution along with loads of scratches.

While there are glass restoration kits available online, in most cases it is not possible to remove a scratch on a DIY basis unless you know what you are doing. Else you will put further micro scratches which will make things even worse. You will also have to cope with the heat generated by the process which can crack the glass as well and the greater the chances of lensing in case of uneven material removal. :buffing:

Automotive glass needs 100% clarity and vision has to be perfect. Period!


Before

This is not the title pic of a scary movie but a the extent of damage the car window's has undergone

It ought to be transparent or highly reflective.
look at the extent of the scratches and marring too

extreme close-up:
OMG. How this has happened?

Trying to remove water spots or calcium deposits, the use of an acid based degreaser which is itself not good for automotive glass, coupled with wrong techniques and grit-stuck abrasive pads

more or :nomore:

Apart from the scratches, what can you see?

Same glass..... different texture and micro-lensing

Tools and products used:
- Makita rotary with small festool BP, felt pad
- Cerium oxide powder mixed with water to have a paste



Correction underway

After a few hits, the LED lenser being very useful.

Deeper RIDS can be seen now and need a few more passes

Improved
Scratches gone apart from the very few, solitary, isolated deeper ones.

Another window, same story

OMG!

looking closely you could see the lensing effect. same object appearing at different distance, with different levels of clarity from different spots of the same glass, and this is unacceptable for automotive glass and very very risky for drivers as well as pedestrians

Mission clarity continues

fully focussed .... pic sent by owner.... thanks to him :xyxthumbs:

Remember

TA DA

A blessing from Almighty has come rops:

The happy owner

Thanks for viewing. your thoughts and questions are most welcome rops:

Cheers & greetings from Mauritius

Zaid

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Beautiful save Zaid!!! What an amazing turnaround!

 

[Paul A.]

Stunning results from such a damaged condition to start with! I just wish i had a swing in my garage too! :dblthumb2:

 

[allenk4]

What brand of pad was used?

 

[zckid]

Beautiful save Zaid!!! What an amazing turnaround!

Stunning results from such a damaged condition to start with! I just wish i had a swing in my garage too! :dblthumb2:

Thanks a lot both of you :dblthumb2:

your encouraging words most cherished rops:

@Puckman I did a Subaru front windscreen recently, will post as soon as I'll get some time. Anytime, i'd prefer working on paint rather than on glass.

thanks a lot again

 

[zckid]

What brand of pad was used?

For this job I used the 2 70mm felt pads that came with the kit.

but the best pads for glass IMO are the sonax felt pads, much better then the rayon pads. quicker, little mess, and last longer

Caution: remember to double-tape the rubber trims and plastic rops:

 

[Paul A.]

Yes, i can understand your desire to work on paint over glass but you obviously have the skill to do glass well too! Does the dried cerium oxide paste have any detrimental affects on the paint below the windows? Would it be worthwhile to mask off the paint with paper or plastic or is the paste residue very easy to clean up?

 

[Dr_Pain]

Double taping the rubber trim/plastic is such a great piece of advise! Thanks for sharing your show and tell.

 

[Newdetailer1]

I tried doing glass once and it ended up looking like your bad photos. I think Ill just stick with paint. You did an awesome job. How long did it take? I know its a serious process...

 

[tersplat]

Where is the "like" button????!!!! This is amazing!

 

[zckid]

Yes, i can understand your desire to work on paint over glass but you obviously have the skill to do glass well too! Does the dried cerium oxide paste have any detrimental affects on the paint below the windows? Would it be worthwhile to mask off the paint with paper or plastic or is the paste residue very easy to clean up?

Thanks dear. still learning :iagree:

No, the cerium oxide is fine.

Obviously, it's better to mask the whole car except the glass. it will avoid you the mess caused by the polish residue. But it's not a problem for the paint, you can clean the car easily.

the cerium oxide paste needs to a slurry paste because you will need to work at a higher speed. the recommended speed on the kit (bought on ebay) was 2500 rpm. to be safe, I limited myself to 1800 -2000 rpm.

The backing plate also plays a role in the results obtained and time taken. I've used the festool which is a soft one on this and on another, I've used the sonax which is harder. Any BP you are using just be careful near the edges with rubber trims and plastics

You will also need a spray bottle of water, a rubber sanding block that you can use as a squeegee to clean the windows (saves the use of using mf towels on glass, you will need a lot if you use them).

Keep a tab on the heat, every now and then, mist the polishing area with water to cool down the surface to prevent distortion, else it may create a lensing effect. As a normal rule, be sure to clay your glass before polishing

hope it helps

take care & happy :buffing:

Zaid

 

[zckid]

Double taping the rubber trim/plastic is such a great piece of advise! Thanks for sharing your show and tell.

Where is the "like" button????!!!! This is amazing!

Thanks a lot friends. your kind words most welcome.

@Dr_Pain The double taping is something I learned from a detailer restoring headlights. so a double credit to him for sharing :dblthumb2:

 

[zckid]

I tried doing glass once and it ended up looking like your bad photos. I think Ill just stick with paint. You did an awesome job. How long did it take? I know its a serious process...

Don't you feel the pads were contaminated? or not clayed?

If you're working clean, this will not be a problem, but just monitor the heat. see my process in one of the posts before.

it took 6+ hours to complete.