Front windshield constantly dirty...
 

...or foggy/swirl type of thing.

OK, this is getting annoying because it's a safety issue driving at night. Does anyone have a similar issue with their front windshield getting dirty too fast? I used some Windex on it and it looked like it cleaned it but on further inspection it seemed to do a poor job.

At night the light shines off of it nearly blinding me. I'll wipe it with a kitchen paper towel and while it clears it up it's still swirly. It's almost like there is an oily substance because it will glare on me with rainbow type colors.

Do you all have this issue? If not...what can I do about it because it's really getting on my nerves. I'm thinking of getting Rain X anti fog since it should clean the window also but what do you all think?

Thanks!
:confused:

I haven't really noticed this, sorry!

On a related note, can anyone recommend something better than windex to clean windows? I just find windex to be not that impressive.

Rain X anti fog does not work. Do not waste your money.

Any window cleaner works best- just use newspaper to wipe clean. Try stoner's invisble glass too.

Is some of it on the inside? New cars have lots of plastics and other VOC materials that will outgas for the first year or so, constantly coating the inside of your windshield. Mine has subsided considerably...

Yeah I use the newspaper trick already - I'll check out stoner's....thanks!

Try one of the foam type varieties on window clean over the liquid type. They always seem to work better.

All good advice.

Do you smoke in your car, or allow people to smoke in it?

When I was a smoker my windshield always got a think coating of nicotine on it.

I've tried Armor-All's glass cleaner. It smells like it's an alcohol base instead of ammonia, so it should do a good job on those oil/plasticizer films that end up on interior glass. Works well for me so far. The dealer prep on my car was kind of random, so there was lots of interior window cleaning to do... I mean, how exactly did they get water spotting on the inside of my sunroof?

Yeah I get a film on the inside of my windshield. My work mini-van that's only a year old does the same thing, but much worse. I think G8rboy is right. It's probably the chemicals. At first I thought it was the airconditioning, but in theory the air conditioning is a sealed system so that shouldn't be causing an oil buildup on the inside of the windshield.

...something to think about.

Hey rx8wannahave, Your windows are tinted correct? I think you were the one that got it done at the same place I did. I use a ammonia-free glass cleaner especially for tinted windows. Did they tell you that when you got the windows done? As far as the swirls I think it's the chemical thing.
I leave my windows cracked at night while parked in my garage to let out any fumes.

Yeah, careful with that Fog X stuff. It actually does work; it just doesn't work very long, and once its usefulness wears out, it becomes counterproductive--it actually makes the windshield foggier with the residue it leaves behind.

I'd take everyone else's advice and clean both the outside and the inside of the windshield. If your dealer is nice, you can ask them to do it for you.

And on that note... Woo-hoo! Post #900! Aw yea https://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/e...smiley-004.gif

I dont know if this is what your talking about but i get like small cirlce fog marks all over my windshield, when diriving at night.

woo-hoo, me too (900)

It's due to aspiration. Stop breathing and the problem goes away! :)

Actually, I have heard that diluted vinegar sprayed on the glass wiped clean with newspaper works.

cleaning the car often helps

Thanks, but why newspaper? I’ll have to check out stoner’s invisible glass…thanks!

Yeah, all of it is in the inside. What you said about the VOC stuff…seems about right since I do see a little of that rainbow effect.

I don’t smoke…nor can people smoke in my car because I can’t breath when people are smoking around me, my lungs apparently react in disgust or something cause I really have trouble breathing.

Tiggerlee, my tinted windows are perfectly clean…it’s the front windshield I have my issue with. But, thanks for the tip…I’ll remember that when I have to clean my tinted windows.

mikeb...your advice was the best, I never thought of that....lol... :p

Thanks everyone, I"ll try the news paper and amonia free stuff cause I'm nearly blind at night when a cars lights hits my windshield.

Newsprint really does the trick. I think it has something to do with the printer's ink. I've used newsprint before to clean windows and mirrors at home. Works like a charm!

I can confirm newspaper works great for cleaning windows.

But why...the ink helps clean? So do you use cleaning stuff with the newspaper "paper"?

GlassPlus is better than Windex in my experience.

It's the paper, not the ink.

It's the newsprint paper itself... not sure why it works so well, but it's been popular trick for streak-less windows for as long as I can remember... something my dad told me when I bought my first car.

dpm,

Those circles are marks left from the suction cups they use when originally installing the windshield in the factory I believe. Should go away after a few good cleanings.

And yes I too have a large amount of build up on mine too. Seems like I have to constantly clean it. I hate it because I don't do windows :)

Ohhh, I see...so the type of paper is the reason.

I'll have to get some and buy some "auto" glass clearner cause it's on my nerves....

It works because pretty much all paper towels and rags have substances added to make them softer. Those substances cause streaking, and they aren't present in newspaper.

So, once you get the fog off (most likely outgassing as stated earlier), you need to take care of the source. The outgassing happens as the plastics oxidize, a process speeded up in sunlight. You can slow down the outgassing by using the correct plastic treatment i.e. 303 I had absolutely no window fogging since treating the interior with 303 over a year ago.

i used to get that all the time and this salution does work better than anything else.

I did the newspaper trick tonight (with windex), wow!! it really works easy. One quick wipe and not a single streak, I change my mind, I am into windows now.

You forget he lives in Flordia where it rains all the time and theHumidity is high.

I live near the beach and have to clean constently the inside window. It's the salt air.

My window fogs ALL THE TIME, i put Rainx anti fog on and omg it was the worst thing i ever did to my car. I put it on about 2 weeks ago i still can't get it off! i dunno what to do!!!!!!!!

Maybe you should get your eyes checked for astigmatism. Seriously. I know people with astigmatism who feel like that all the time when driving at night; regardless of how clean their windshields are.

The best remedy is just plain old vinager and paper towels. Then use a newspaper to make it sparkling clear! Cost is about $.85 Then you can have a salad afterwards....:D

Personally.... I like Glass Plus. I have no idea what is in that stuff but it cleans just about anything.

If the problem is oil on the outside of the windshield it is probably just road goo. The best way to get rid of it is probably to was the window with something like Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Just keep in mind that it will also take the wax off of your car. So be prepared to rewax the car as well.

Between waxings I use Eagle One's Wax-as-you-Dry stuff. The nice thing is that this stuff goes right on the windows as well as the body. I have found that not only do my wipers perform better since the water beads on the windows, but it is easier to clean now.

oil/plasticizer
 

It is oil/plasticizer film. Hard to get rid of. Armorall and UV protectants and plastics emit these and it coats the windows. If you have tinted windows do not use amonia sp .... Check at some of the auto stores for some heavy duty stuff (windex my fav. w/o tint) and clean and clean again. The newspaper trick works well w/o tinted windows.

use Stoner's invisible glass cleaner, once you have it very clean use Zaino Z6 detail spray (very light amount, a little goes a long way) with a microfiber towel inside and out, this combo rocks

newspaper/vinegar is an old house window cleaning combo that works very well EXCEPT vinegar is an acid and may cause issueslongterm if you get it into areas inside a car and newspaper can scratch glass if you're not careful

Rain X removal
 

Take a clean towel and dampen it. Go over the Rain X and it should come off.

Damn, and you're already over 960, just a couple days later? I must be way behind on my posts!

If that's true, and it makes sense that it is, then that's interesting information to know. I've known about the newspaper trick for a while but never took the time to understand why. The things you learn sometimes!

Yeah mine is sooo fucked up rainx sucks! It has gotten worst.

I think the rain-x for the outside works great. The only thing is after a few applications it builds up and does the opposite of what its supposed to do. Rubbing your window down with rubbing alcohol will give you a clean slate for rain-x.

Oh wow windex works!!!

The best thing is denatured alcohol and a terry cloth rag that has not been cleaned with laundry softener or dryer sheets. It removes EVERYTHING. Inside and out. I always clean the outside before replacing wipers - make a huge difference. Be careful around seals though as it can dry them up with too much contact.