How much polishing is needed? windshield passenger car, owners of used ten-year-old foreign cars know very well. Especially when the car was operated mainly on siliceous soils. Then, after five to seven years of active use, the windshield becomes covered with cobwebs and moire, barely noticeable during the day. But in dark time For days, driving turns into torture - constant glare, illuminated areas, refraction of the rays of oncoming headlights on scratches... There can be no talk of any safety or driving comfort. There is only one thing left to do - change the windshield. However, if you take a closer look at proper polishing, it may delay glass replacement and make driving more comfortable.
Change or polish?
Before deciding to replace windshield, it’s worth calculating everything carefully. The fact is that in a number of car models, the windshield does not cost that much money, and in this case, indeed, a replacement can radically change the visibility situation. But if the car is not cheap, and the glass together with the glue can cover the cost of engine overhaul, then it’s worth at least trying to restore the surface by polishing.
It is necessary to distinguish between polishing and grinding glass. If the thickness of the glass allows, as well as its composition, then with the help of grinding you can eliminate quite large scratches and even small chips. Grinding is done using special abrasive pastes and special polishing wheels. Most often, grinding is used for headlight lenses, since their thickness allows you to remove a sufficient layer for leveling.
Polishing tools and materials
The brand of the composition depends on the degree of wear of the glass, but first, let’s talk about what is useful for polishing a windshield with your own hands.
Video lesson on polishing car glass
Do-it-yourself windshield polishing, video and some of the subtleties of which we have posted on the page, is used either after grinding, or when the glass does not require serious measures to level the surface.
Self-polishing of glass will not only save a certain amount (the price of polishing one windshield at a service is in the range of 6-7 thousand), but will also give you confidence that the work was done conscientiously. Only for this you need a certain set of tools and devices and, of course, polishing compounds of different consistencies.
Polishing glass correctly
Before proceeding directly to polishing, it is necessary to conduct a visual diagnosis of the glass. The washed, clean glass is carefully inspected and scratches and chips are identified. To avoid losing them during operation, you can mark them with a marker from inside the car. After diagnosing and cleaning the glass, body elements that are undesirable to be exposed to polishing compounds are isolated. Masking tape and film will help get the job done body panels and decorative elements as quickly as possible.
Depending on the composition of the polishing paste or solution, it is prepared for application to a felt soft circle. Before polishing, the glass surface is usually conventionally divided into sections of 40x40 cm, possibly smaller, depending on the area of the windshield. After this, the polish is applied step by step with a tool and each of the conditional areas is processed at low speeds.
If necessary, dry areas with applied polishing compound are moistened with a sprayer. When polishing, no matter what tool is used, the position of the polishing wheel relative to the plane of the glass should be within five to seven degrees. It is very important not to put strong pressure on the glass, since you can still overheat the surface, and this is extremely undesirable.
This way you can put the glass in order and postpone replacing the old glass. And in order for it to last longer, the polishing operation is carried out no more than once a year, because even when using the most delicate polishing paste, the glass microlayer is erased. Change your windshield wiper blades more often, clean and good roads to everyone!
Windshield polishing is advertised by many car washes today as a special service that will make your windshield shine like new. However, many questions arise, the main one being the safety of glass.
Lens effect - what are the consequences of polishing?
They say that beauty will save the world, but in the case of polishing the windshield, it can even become! The fact is that initially the service itself was intended for household glass, for example, for store windows. However, it was also adopted by services specializing in car servicing, keeping silent from clients the fact that without special expensive equipment It is impossible to polish glass without loss of optical properties.
And even with such equipment, polishing will only work perfectly smooth surfaces, to which the windshield has nothing to do with it. High-quality polishing is impossible without preliminary grinding, and grinding involves removing a certain layer of material. On a windshield, a layer as thin as 10 microns can be removed without consequences. And at the same time, it is important to remove a layer of the same thickness! Rough intervention, which will inevitably happen when working without special equipment, will turn your glass into a lens.
Imagine that you put on someone else's glasses and drove out onto the road - you will get the same effect from driving behind polished glass, not to mention possible image distortions that can even become cause of the accident. But what to do in this case? Is it possible to somehow help the glass, which over time began to show hundreds of scratches in the sun, especially in the wiper area?
"Ambulance" for the windshield - what can be done in the garage?
The easiest way out is to buy a new windshield. True, after some time the same fate awaits him as his predecessor. Typically, a windshield lasts for six months, after which a telltale network of scratches begins to appear on the surface. And it is unlikely that there will be a driver in his right mind who will spend a lot of money on purchasing new glass when the old one is intact.
The procedure is a much more acceptable option, but you already know its disadvantages, to which you can also add quite high cost. Again, the effect will be temporary - good polishing lasts for a maximum of a year. Polishing with liquid glass – comparatively the new kind services in which special polish, which, after hardening, forms a polycarbonate film that repels dust, dirt and water. The cost of the polish itself and the services of the craftsmen will cost a decent amount, although you will not damage the glass itself, and the effect will last quite a long time.
Do-it-yourself polishing is the way out!
Doing the work yourself is really a way to save money, and by learning how to perform such an operation once, you can always ensure the cleanliness of the “lobovuha”. For polishing you will need special pastes, for example, the well-known pasta GOI. You will also need a tool with not very big amount rpm
An angle grinder is not suitable for these purposes - firstly, you can accidentally remove too large a layer of glass, which is why it will become wavy, and secondly, an angle grinder can overheat the glass.
Electric drill or other device with speed in the range from 1000 to 2000 per minute fits better Total. You can find an adapter at a hardware store that will allow you to attach a polishing wheel. Try to cover with film all the places in the garage that you would not want to get dirty. polishing pastes– there will be a lot of splashes! It is best to cover the car body with film so that you don’t have to wash it later. The glass must be perfectly clean, since the smallest speck of dust can cause a new crack to appear.
Polishing the windshield - let's get down to business!
First, inspect your glass - if deep scratches no, then you can start polishing from any convenient side. If there is deep defects, then this is where you should start. In any case, do not try to get rid of them - as already noted, you can only remove a very thin layer of glass. To make sure you don't miss anything, inside Mark such areas with a marker and get to work. If the paste needs to be diluted with water, make a small “knead” first.
Apply the paste itself to the polishing wheel (without fanaticism - just a little!) and rub it over an area of 30x30 cm. Your movements should be strictly uniform, even try to count how many times you circle the glass in order to repeat the same number of movements on the adjacent area. If you feel that the wheel has begun to slow down, sprinkle the polishing area with water - this will prevent the paste from drying out prematurely and scratching the surface. Please note that on quality work It should take you at least 3 hours, or even 5! If you want to receive good result- do not hurry. Just don’t tell anyone that you made such beauty yourself - there will be no end to customers!
Car owners who truly care about their cars do not shy away from such an aesthetic procedure as windshield polishing. The need for it arises when the surface of the glass loses its transparency, becomes cloudy, and small defects appear on it in the form of chips, scratches, cracks from grains of sand and small gravel.
These unpleasant little things not only give the car an unkempt appearance, but also distract the driver while driving, which poses a danger to all participants traffic. Such a “cloudy” view at night is especially dangerous: the headlights of passing cars shine into the damaged glass and turn it into a source of light.
Is it necessary to polish glass? Of course not. Some people prefer to drive with blurred vision, ignoring the disturbances in the form of stains and scratches that tire the eyes. Others, on the contrary, immediately replace the old front window of the car with a new one. But it is more logical and economical, of course, to polish the glass from minor defects, scratches, chips with the help of specialists in a car service or on your own. Polishing windshields is shown in photo 1.
What is glass polishing?
This is a procedure that restores the original purity, shine and optics of car windows. Thanks to it, the car gets rid of unpleasant deposits, minor scratches from the windshield wiper, as well as minor damage from gravel and small grains of sand, chips, and various defects.
However, you don’t need to expect any magical results from polishing. This is only an aesthetic, final part of the work to give the glass its original appearance. Deep cracks and damage will only win complete replacement window.
If you prefer to entrust your car into the hands of specialists who will professionally clean your windshield from damage and scratches, then you can come to almost any car service center, buy yourself a newspaper and coffee and wait for the “beauty” procedure to be completed. In this case, there is no point in diving deeply into the process.
Step-by-step process for polishing car glass
- Step #1: Select the necessary materials
If you have a garage, rejoice. Half of the problem is practically solved. It can store tools and polishing materials that can be used repeatedly. Therefore, you can perform “cosmetic procedures” on your car as often as you wish. So, how to polish a windshield?
Check if you have polishing paste or special powder. In car dealerships, polish costs around a thousand rubles. You will also need a polishing felt wheel: its prices range from two hundred rubles and more. A polishing machine that makes the optimal 1700 revolutions per minute will cost eight to fourteen thousand rubles.
You will also need to buy plastic film, which will protect the body from unintended procedures and save the garage walls from unnecessary splashes. It is inexpensive, fifty to one hundred rubles (depending on the supplies you need). You will also need all sorts of little things that every man usually keeps in his garage: tape for securing the film, a writing pen, preferably black, a marker, a spray bottle, glass cleaning fluid, napkins. This is about another three hundred rubles. Everything is in place? Now you can proceed to the next stage. 
- Step #2: Carry out diagnostics
Meticulously inspect your car, assess the scale of the disaster: does the windshield have a lot of damage, scratches, find everything small chips, roughness and cloudiness. We outline all finds with a black marker in best traditions detectives. This “rock painting” will come in handy during the polishing process itself.
- Step #3: Prepare to Polish Your Windshield
Cover the car and garage walls with plastic wrap, securing it with masking tape. You don’t need to make a complete “mummy” of the car - leave the surface of the windshield for work, which you thoroughly wash with a windshield cleaner. Take windshield polish or dilute polishing paste, powder, strictly following the instructions. Usually 80-100 g, diluted with water to a mushy state, is enough. Put it on grinder polishing wheel, fill the spray bottle with water. Now you can begin the process itself.
- Step #3: Polishing the glass yourself
Now we've moved directly to how to polish a windshield. Apply windshield polish to a felt circle. Just don’t forget the proverb: less is more! Too much of the chemical will not do your car any good. Windshield polish will gently penetrate and remove unevenness from the upper layers of the window, helping it acquire shielding properties.
Gently rub the polish onto the windshield and begin the polishing process. Do not overdo it or press too hard on the surface of the glass, otherwise it may be damaged. By the way, the paste tends to dry out quite quickly. Don't forget to wet it with water from a spray bottle. In addition, water serves to cool the glass, which becomes very hot due to friction. The polishing machine should be held at a slight angle, it should be approximately 5 degrees. We process the glass sequentially, paying sufficient attention to each zone. It will take quite a long time, about four hours, but the result is worth it.
- Step #4: Clean out your garage
All that remains is to wash the car and clean the garage. You need to get rid of the film from the car and walls, wash the floor if necessary and put the tools in their places. And feel free to go about your business until the next polishing. Now the glass shines with pristine purity and transparency.
Unfortunately, nothing material lasts forever in this world, and car windows are no exception to this rule. Over time, the glass loses its transparency, many scratches and stains appear on it, which impairs the illumination of the road and spoils general form auto. To get rid of this problem, you can use two methods: a conservative one, by replacing the old glass with a new one, or a more rational and economical one, by polishing the car glass. The second option is more reasonable, if only because new glass costs modern prices a lot, and why throw money down the drain and carry out such complex, painstaking replacement work, if you can achieve a similar result, but with minimal energy and financial resources? So, how do you polish car windows yourself, at home? We will talk about this further - detailed instructions, photos and videos are attached.
Factors influencing the loss of glass transparency
Before we begin to study the instructions for, let's look at the reasons for its wear:
The main factor in the occurrence of scratches and clouding is a careless attitude towards your iron horse. It happens that the glass becomes dirty, but there is neither the energy nor the time to thoroughly clean it. What does a car owner usually do in such a situation? That's right, he takes the first thing that comes to hand and simply scrapes off and washes off the dirt. At first, you might think that the problem is solved easily and quickly, but it only seems so. In fact, the conditions for the formation of microscopic chips and scratches are excellent. A couple more times of such rough cleaning, or washing with a dry or hard cloth, and not a trace will remain of the previous gloss of the surface.
The second reason is standard, and no driver can avoid it. This is the deformation of the surface by sand, dirt, small pebbles during high-speed traffic. Hitting the glass panel, they leave tiny damage, which, accumulating over the years, on the one hand, become accumulators for dust, and on the other, form light-refracting glare, which is very dangerous on the road, since they can lead to the driver losing visibility of the road and , as a result, to an accident.
Types of polishing
When talking about polishing auto glass, there are two processing options (to understand this issue, see photos and videos). More aggressive is grinding; it is used to eliminate serious deformations, but also carries a number of nuances. At home, this is a more problematic method to implement.
Grinding is not suitable for all types of glass; it all depends on the thickness of the glass, because during processing a large layer is removed, and if the glass is thin, it will simply burst.
A gentle option is to polish car windows with special products. This method allows you to get the job done quickly and efficiently, without causing as much damage as in the first case, although here, of course, you need to know when to stop. Polishing the glass surface at home using this method is not difficult.
Work technology
To work at home we will need the following materials:
- a machine or drill, but with a special grinding attachment (necessarily with a soft, felt surface);
- wheel for polishing car glass;
- construction tape;
- special polishing agents;
- glass cleaning emulsions;
- napkins and film.
The work is carried out in three stages:
- Preparation;
- polishing;
- final stage.
Preparation
- First of all, the car is thoroughly washed so that dust and dirt do not damage the surface.
- The degree of damage and the depth of scratches are revealed, all defects are outlined with a marker to facilitate the work process.
- The car is covered with a film so that the polishing agent does not damage other areas of the body. A cutout is carefully made where the sanding will be done, and the remaining edges of the film are secured with tape.
- The polishing powder is diluted with water to a creamy state, you also need a spray bottle with water, it will be needed during the work process. Preparatory stage completed, let's move on to the main part.
Polishing with a machine
To remove scratches, apply paste to the surface and rub it. After this, you need to polish the glass with a machine, smooth movements. Polished glass must be wiped with a napkin and treated with a special mixture. After completion of the work, the surface will acquire a perfect shine and a completely new look.
Attention: do not press hard on the tool or polish for a long time, otherwise the glass may be damaged.
Grinding allows you to remove scratches and other imperfections from auto glass. Despite the laboriousness of the process, it can be done at home, the main thing is to understand the technology and apply a little patience. Look at the photo and you will understand how to do it.
other methods
And now we want to talk about something else, simpler, and no less effective way. So, how to polish glass without a machine at home and get rid of scratches, cloudiness and stains? It’s very simple, for this we prepare polishing materials (special mixtures, emulsions) and foam rubber circles.
It’s worth dwelling a little more on polishing agents. Today, materials are divided into many categories: some are designed for quick polishing, others for achieving a grinding effect, and others are known for their long-term effect.
Products based on wax or liquid glass are very popular among motorists; both of them allow you to achieve simply fantastic results. Wax has been known to the world since ancient times, liquid glass appeared two hundred years ago, but craftsmen only recently figured out how to use these materials in car repair shops.
The polishing procedure is simple: first you need to clean and degrease the surface, and prepare the composition in accordance with the instructions for the product. Then the polish is applied to the surface and rubbed with quick, vigorous movements.
Polishing is carried out in several stages, and each time you need to let the surface dry. The final stage consists of washing the surface and drying.
Now the glass again transmits the entire spectrum of light without distortion. A car with polished windows looks expensive and aesthetically pleasing. Watch the video and see for yourself.
For safe driving, and also in order to achieve aesthetic beauty, it is necessary to keep the car windows not only clean, but also to get rid of minor scratches in a timely manner.
Reasons for loss of glass transparency
- sand that gets under the wiper blades;
- small pebbles flying into the glass while driving;
- cleaning ice on glass with a scraper;
- improper care of glass or use of abrasive substances when washing a car;
- wiping the windshield with a rough dry cloth and much more.
In any case, over time, every car enthusiast is puzzled by the question of how to restore the original smoothness and transparency of auto glass. The answer to this question will be an action such as polishing car glass.
What is polishing
Polishing car glass is the removal of a thin layer of glass of several microns. Do not confuse polishing and grinding. Remember, grinding the windshield is not allowed, as you risk having to completely replace the glass.
The easiest way to keep glass in order is to contact workshops on time, where you will receive professional assistance.
But such services are often overpriced, and time and conscience do not always allow you to take your pet to the experts and leave it there without personal supervision.
Therefore, we will try to reveal the secrets of how to polish car glass with your own hands. At the same time, we will not ignore some mistakes that beginners in this matter can make. So let's start with possible errors that should be avoided.
Common mistakes when polishing glass yourself
Having gone through a lot of information, new car enthusiasts strive not only to apply the knowledge they have acquired, but also to experiment, which most often leads to dire consequences. So remember:
- Do not use tooth powder to polish your windshield. This material is perfect for. Plastic or thick glass of headlights cannot be damaged by tooth powder, but glass, especially windshield glass, requires more gentle handling, since it is thinner. Tooth powder will only add minor scratches.
GOI paste for polishing car glass
- There has been repeated information that GOI paste can be used to remove scratches. BUT! It is worth distinguishing between the types of GOI pastes (coarse, medium, fine). And you also need to try to polish it evenly with such a paste. Using coarse GOI paste, you will only achieve the effect of microlenses, which will make your eyes get tired much faster. This type of GOI paste is perfect for polishing headlights or, at worst, side windows. For windshield, look for a thin paste that will remove about 1 micron.
- Even if you purchased special means To polish auto glass, do not press hard on the glass. Strong pressure, as well as uneven distribution of force, can lead to the formation of microlenses, which we discussed above.
- Be sure to monitor the heating process of the car glass. If the windshield overheats, it may simply burst.
Now, having studied some of the features of scratch removal, let's move on directly to the polishing process itself.
What you need to polish glass
The main tools for quick and effective polishing are:
- Polishing pastes and specialized polish.
- Felt wheel for polishing machine.
- Directly the polishing machine itself.
- It's also a good idea to purchase some plastic wrap that you can use to cover the rest of the car. This will save you time on cleaning and washing after the polishing process is complete.
- The marker that you use with you will also become indispensable. reverse side You can mark defective areas, and this will save you time searching for them.
- Be sure to have glass cleaning liquid and a spray bottle of water on hand, which will help with the paste drying out and the glass surface heating up.
DIY windshield polishing process
Before starting work, attach the plastic film to the car, leaving the surface of the windshield exposed. Then diagnose how deep the scratches are on your car glass. 
Run your fingernail over the scratches:
- if the nail does not catch, then the scratches are small and their removal is possible by using a paste that can remove a layer of glass of 1 micron
- If the nail catches, then it is better to remove such scratches with photopolymer. Polishing in this case is not practical.
- If other defects are detected (cracks, chips, deep scratches), polishing will not give any results. Some of these defects can only be eliminated by grinding, which should never be done with a windshield.
At this time, you can also mark with a marker the places on the back that you will directly deal with.
After this, you need to thoroughly wash the glass (we will need the washing liquid you saved) and wipe it dry, ensuring that no grains of sand or debris get into the treated areas.
Then on a felt circle placed on polishing machine, you need to apply paste or polish and proceed directly to the process itself. When polishing, monitor the condition of the paste: if the wheel begins to “slow down,” the paste begins to dry out, which means that it is necessary to sprinkle water on the polished surface. Periodically remove the paste with paper towels to evaluate the results.
Don't rush to finish the job quickly! It's better to spend a few hours, but achieve excellent result, than to return to this issue again soon.
Once you learn the basic rules for polishing a windshield, doing this process yourself will not be difficult, while you will save your money and get the satisfaction of knowing that you did it yourself.
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