# Windscreen cleaning



## jon3sy (Jul 15, 2017)

Hi all I've had the car a few months now every time it rains the wipers just smear across the glass I've fitted new wipers but still does it so I'm guessing the previous owner cleaned it with something I've tried cleaning with Autoglym window polish etc with no joy it's starting to frustrate me as it's quite dangerous when driving in the rain because you can't see out of the windscreen...

Any suggestions on what I can do to stop this

Thanks 

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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Things I've tried previously: 

AG glass polish
CIF - does cut through grease and crud on windscreen well
White Vinegar and bicarbonate soda
Auto Bead glass cleaner - dead easy to apply, but a bit hard work to clean off, but worked. 

Not tried, but have read about as options:
0000 grade steel wool
Tar remover 
Dodo glass cleaner (can't remember exact name)


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## jon3sy (Jul 15, 2017)

Thanks for the reply I'll be sure to try one of them tomorrow when I clean the car 

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## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

Moved to the correct section


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## jon3sy (Jul 15, 2017)

cossiecol said:


> Moved to the correct section


Thanks... sorry for posting in the wrong section 

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## Deathstar (Jan 13, 2013)

Watching with intent, as the wife's new Honda appears to still have the transportation coating and it's smearing like a dog on heat!
So far I've tried 99.9% IPA, AG Glass Polish and Sonax Xtreme....
But still getting smearing. 

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## johnny1 (Nov 20, 2010)

Try using a clay cloth or cay bar hopefully that should work mate 


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## BaileyA3 (Jun 14, 2015)

Cif and bar keepers friend have both done the job for me in the past where all others have failed. Then finish up with the 0000 wire wool for perfectly clean windows.


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

Wet Magic Sponge for me on stubborn glass. I use 50:50 water/white vinegar as the lube.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Fentum said:


> Wet Magic Sponge for me on stubborn glass. I use 50:50 water/white vinegar as the lube.


I use magic sponge dampened with Surfex HD. As the old Fairy adverts used to say, cuts grease (and everything else!) to the squeak


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## iCraig (Aug 9, 2017)

What car do you have and what brand of wipers have you put on the car?


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## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

Fentum said:


> Wet Magic Sponge for me on stubborn glass. I use 50:50 water/white vinegar as the lube.


This, but I just use glass cleaner... works every time.

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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

iCraig said:


> What car do you have and what brand of wipers have you put on the car?


Toyota Avensis, Bosch wipers


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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

Had the same (very annoying!) have tried all with various leveles of success..

Bar keepers friend
Tardis 
White spirit
Stanley blade / window scrapper blade
Autosmart glass (the polish) and the liquid version
A very good wash before with g101' carefully applied and rubbed in with very new and clean MF
Magic sponge

I literally tried them all, the best one was g101, blade, polish...


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## Deathstar (Jan 13, 2013)

Another thought....

Would Ceriglass by hand be any good? 
(For both our problems).



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## iCraig (Aug 9, 2017)

steelghost said:


> Toyota Avensis, Bosch wipers


Ah, I meant the OP; probably should've quoted him.

I had the same issue with my Focus and it had cheap & nasty wipers on it; I changed them for Bosch wipers and cleaned the screen with AG Car Polish and voila the smearing went.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

iCraig said:


> Ah, I meant the OP; probably should've quoted him.
> 
> I had the same issue with my Focus and it had cheap & nasty wipers on it; I changed them for Bosch wipers and cleaned the screen with AG Car Polish and voila the smearing went.




Either way, you're absolutely right, even with brand new OEM wipers (Valeo) on the car I would get smearing. Changed them for Bosch and bam, no more smears.


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## G.P (Dec 13, 2011)

Never tried this but my granddad (who was in the war, Only Fools & Horses Albert style) always used toothpaste..


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

G.P said:


> Never tried this but my granddad (who was in the war, Only Fools & Horses Albert style) always used toothpaste..


It's a mild abrasive with detegents in it, it'll work well. Cif (or your supermarket's own-brand substitute) is arguably more cost effective though. Either way needs thorough rinsing to get the abrasive off (and ensure it ends up on the floor not on the paint).


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

jon3sy said:


> Hi all I've had the car a few months now every time it rains the wipers just smear across the glass I've fitted new wipers but still does it so I'm guessing the previous owner cleaned it with something I've tried cleaning with Autoglym window polish etc with no joy it's starting to frustrate me as it's quite dangerous when driving in the rain because you can't see out of the windscreen...
> 
> Any suggestions on what I can do to stop this
> 
> ...


Probably not as helpful and as proper as the other methods but have you tried a coat of rain-x or other rain coating? I know with older cars (not in your case) it's a matter of weathering and it's helped my 10 year old golf


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## chrisahamer (Mar 10, 2013)

This reminds me of the surreal situation we were in when my dad took delivery of his 2014 A4 Avant in January this year from an Audi dealer.

All the glass was coated in god knows what which would simply not budge. It meant that when it rained, even with new Audi wipers you could not see out of the damned windscreen.

As per the suggestions of other I tried literally everything to get it off, from pure IPA to Cif to every glass cleaner under the sun. Even coated it in rain-x to no avail at all. 

I only managed to succeed after purchasing glass polishing pads for my Machine polisher and some Ceriglass and going at it for a fair while. Once I was done, you could actually see out of the windows when it rained. So if you have access to a machine polisher, I'd try it with a glass pad and ceriglass.

Lord knows what it was, but it sure as hell put up a fight.


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

+1 for polishing with a machine polisher.

I've used Scholl S20 on a Scholl purple pad to good effect.

This was after trying pretty much everything listed in this thread except ceriglass.

No idea what was there but whatever it was resisted chemical attack and needed physically polishing off. 

Then it's quite easy to remove any polishing oils etc. (BH cleanser fluid) and a whizz over with an IPA/vinegar mix (10 parts IPA/10 parts "white" vinegar/80 parts water) with a waffle weave microfibre and then you'll be able to see where you're going. :thumb: 

I actually got a "squeaky clean" screen.:lol:

Good Luck.

Andy.


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