danlewisnet

Hi all, first post here. I bought an RX-8 about 6 weeks ago. I've been reading through the forums and have lots of questions, but thought I would first post a solution. =)

My 8 had major water spots on the glass. Really bad one the sides, and the side mirrors. You would have thought that it had never been dried before.

I tried every solution out there. I bought an industrial polisher... nada. I tried car wax, nada. I tried 'water spot remover' products... nada. I tried rubbing compounds... nada.

So today I went into a Napa store and talked to the guy working there about what he thought I could do. He let me in on a tip which I tried today.... low and behold it worked!

3M rubbing compound (Part No. 03900)
Rhodes American Steel Wool, 000 Grade

Using the steel wool (it's extra fine), I scrubbed the compound into the glass & mirrors. Let it set into a haze, then polished off w/ a cloth.

The difference is completley amazing... it's like I have new windows now.

- Dan

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

steel wool to glass? really?

UFGator12

Yeah, that's pretty crazy. Glad you had the ***** to try that out... I wouldn't.

Raptor2k

Steel wool? Or glass wool?

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

LOL.. I'll stick with my Klasse AIO with a PC or simply used clay... kthxbai.

ASH8

Nothing new mate...

In the 60,70s and 80s Mazda's were wax coated all over for shipping.
After travel wax remover was used to clean paint, the glass was rubbed and cleaned with fine steel wool, then clean cloth/rags.
I think it also helps to make sure the steel wool pad is wet.
Steel Wool is also used for cutting back when "french polishing" furniture.

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

well. if it works it works. lol

danlewisnet

It worked - I had the same reaction as you all at first... "Huh?!"

Of course, I tried it in an inconspicious spot before I went to town on it - my recommendation when trying something new... even if they don't sound as crazy as steel wool on your windows. heh.

BlueMeanie

the steel wool works. i work for a car dealer and the porters use it all the time to remove spots from glass just use lots of window cleaner also makes the glass smooth as hell. started raining after i did all my glass with it and i really didnt have to use my wipers the rain just ran off like i had rain x on them.

rastaman

Window cleaner and a razor blade(or window scraper) works every time.

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

Car dealerships dont give a **** if the cars come out nice or not. They only care about the money they'll be receiving after their "work". It might not apply for all but it applies for more than 95% of them.

ken-x8

Bon ami ("Hasn't scratched yet") cleansing powder is great for cleaning glass, especially if the glass is coated with road slime that won't come off with regular cleaners. Don't use Ajax or other scouring powders that have grit.

I've also heard recommendations of using brass wool for cleaning auto glass.

Ken

BlueMeanie

saynotopistons. back in the day that might have been true but not anymore. theres a thing called csi(customer satisfaction index). basicly the surveys you get when you buy a new car. thats big money for the dealer. i work for infiniti and we have to be 95% or above. if we are not i think its almost 100k the dealer loses out on. ive seen salesman get fired over it. trust me you dont want to be the one to tell the owner you just lost him some cash. one of the questions on our survey is if the car was clean and trouble free when they took delivery. but you are right there are alot of salesman that dont give a $hit. those are the ones that are just selling cars to get by not the ones that have made a career out of it like i have. oh crap uh ya so steel wool lots of windex smoooooth glass class. :0)

Swingblade

The steel wool really works. I had bad water spots on my glass. Impaired my vision if I was going into the sun at the right angle. I had tried other so called cleaners and vinigar. I used 4 ought xtra fine steel wool and lot of glass cleaner. Gota keep it wet. Made it super smooth. Great tip. Now I know I have the same spots on my paint. Wonder what will get it off?

danlewisnet

Sweet! Glad i posted something that was informative and helpful for someone.

As for the paint, i'm going to try a product from Duratec - I'll keep ya posted.

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

I'm spotted as well - just been living with it until this Spring. My entire car is going to need a cleaning. I tried vinegar and Bon Ami - both with no luck. My detailer wants to acid wash my car - but I'm not sure about that.

Chris(NJ)

yep... 0000 steel wool is great for cleaning windshields. Just be careful as some glass on the car, such as mirrors are softer and will scratch w/ even 0000 steel wool.

Chris(NJ)

Depending on how bad the water spots are will determine what you need to remove them. If they are etched in, you'll need to polish the paint. You can start off by trying some vinegar mixed into some water and wash as you normally would. Then wash right afterwards w/ your typically auto wash. If that doesn't work, like I said, you'll need an abrassive polish such as poorboys ssr line.

Tanaka826

there is a special kind of soap that my friend uses. its made in japan but works great. gets rid of all the water spots

nuke0907

iTrader: (2)

do you still have the water spots?

i used to have a black Toyota 4- Runner that was misted by some sprinklers with very hard water. it was sitting on it for a couple weeks and made really bad white spots.

i used some of those automotive cleaner wipes on it then followed up with some of the mequiars quick detailer spray and the spots were gone. then just wash and wax your car as normal and it should be good as new.

Razz1

Well I went down to Lowe's today. All they had was 4 lot.

It was too fine so I went back and bought some 1 lot.
The Buick was almost undrivable. SS wool really works.
I'm going to use the 4 lot on the 8.

Swingblade

I did the clay bar followed by a polish with the PC orbital polisher then two coats of Meguire's NSX wax and most of the water spots are gone. It's so smooth now that my cloth cover I use won't stay on the car. It wants to slide off before I can get it on.

eastsurf84

I used a 10:1 water:vinegar mix for water spots on my 8 and on my SV 650. It took a lot of elbow grease, but everything came out great. I parked my bike next to my sprinklers at my apartment, and here in phoenix we have really hard water. It almost had scales on it after just a week or so

Detrich

just as a precaution, move the car into the direct sunlight on a bright, sunny day. and, carefully inspect the area of the glass you polished with the steel wool at various angles to make sure u didn't scratch the glass.

i mention this only because i've noticed that the glass on the rx-8 is super soft. so, it's "possible" that u might've micro scratched it using the scrub without realizing it, because sometimes the scratches aren't visible straight on but only during certain lighting or at an angle.

safelight auto glass gave me this stuff called Spray Away. and, it seems to work better than other auto glass cleaners i've tried. i noticed it might take a couple of applications over time to get rid of chemical residue and/ or spots. but, still seems safer than putting anything abrasive on the windows. i've learned this lesson the hard way.

The 8th Element

I always use a real Chamois leather to dry my car... no synthetic stuff...and I guess having good car soap from 3D works great also