cleaning windows

blackgraz

blackgraz

Racecar Driver
Nov 13, 2006
138
0
0
DFW Texas
Ok I just got my car up and running. When i bought the car it was sitting in some backyard for like 3 years. Now on the inside of the windows there is ALOT of crud stuck on them just spraying it with windex is not working its like "caked" on the windows. Any of you guys know anyway to get this crud off i tried scraping it off its just scratching my windows' tint :(
if needed i can take some pics, anyone else had/have this problem?
 
supra90turbo

supra90turbo

shaeff is FTMFW!
Mar 30, 2005
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The above works amazingly.

Here's a couple tricks when it comes to washing windows that you wouldn't think to ever try.
You know that white haze that the inside of the windshield gets after a while? It's actually formaldehyde gas emitted from the vinyl dash as a result of the sun beating down on it. To get it off the windshield without it streaking everywhere like it does, and to keep yourself from washing the windsheld like 3 times to get the streaks out, spray water on the inside of the windshield first, before washing with glass cleaner.
The water breaks down the tough film and the glass cleaner will take away whatever the water leaves behind.

Instead of using paper towels, or rags, or something else to wash your windows with, use old newspaper (non-color, just b&w).
It works.
Take a couple pages, and ball them up. Youll be amazed at how well it works.
 
supra90turbo

supra90turbo

shaeff is FTMFW!
Mar 30, 2005
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I didn't notice you have tinted windows.
If you've already scratched the tint in a few areas then you may as well take a razor blade scraper to the rest of the windows.
If you plan to keep the tint on, make sure whatever you use for a glass cleaner doesn't contain ammonia.
 
T

themadhatter

Member
Jul 5, 2006
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first off windex is NOT tint safe it has ammona in it and it destroys tint do not use windex on tinted glass. Steve is right stoner invisglass is the best over all window cleaner you can buy and its tint safe also use newspaper works wonders. Trust me i use to detail cars
 
CRE

CRE

7M-GE + MAFT Pro + T = :D
Oct 24, 2005
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A pot of boiling water set in the trunk along with spaying the windows with water with a little dish soap works very well on cars that have really nasty grime built up on them. Spray the windows, set the pot of boiling water in the trunk (sitting on a hot pad or something). Close it all up and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. This will soften the grime enough that you can wipe it away with several clean rags. Try to get as much of the grime off, as gently as possible. The humidity will soften the tint a little bit so keep using clean rags. Once the heavy buildup has been reduced to a reasonable amount let the car (and tint) dry out for a day, then clean as usual.

It's what the detailing guys at two different dealerships I used to work at did when a really bad off trade-in came in.

Oh, and letting the tint dry for a day before finishing the cleanup is important as the tint is easier to scratch when it's been exposed to alot of humidity.
 
blackgraz

blackgraz

Racecar Driver
Nov 13, 2006
138
0
0
DFW Texas
ok yes i have tint and I used a ice scraper to get rid of some of it but after i did that i noticed i made scratched the tint a good deal i want to keep the tint in somewhat good order untill i get the money to replace it (I still yet to price this out) but im gonna post some pics really quick to show you guys.

As you can see from the pics its from the inside it may be a little hard to see but its like a white film and i can scrape it with my fingernail but ill be there forever trying to get that off with my nail....
p498854_1.jpg

p498854_2.jpg
 
Last edited:
JASONA70

JASONA70

nomnomnom
Oct 27, 2006
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blackgraz said:
ok yes i have tint and I used a ice scraper to get rid of some of it but after i did that i noticed i made scratched the tint a good deal i want to keep the tint in somewhat good order untill i get the money to replace it (I still yet to price this out) but im gonna post some pics really quick to show you guys.

As you can see from the pics its from the inside it may be a little hard to see but its like a white film and i can scrape it with my fingernail but ill be there forever trying to get that off with my nail....
p498991_1.jpg

p498991_2.jpg
Click to expand...


the white film is a nasty white sticky coating on the window uh? :biglaugh: anyways i used rainx and tint remover. i just sprayed some rainx and then spray some tint remover and use a rag and just start chopping away. the mixture works for some reason, it doesnt work alone with just rainx or the tint remover. it only works together.
 
johnathan1

johnathan1

Supra =
Aug 19, 2005
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Doesn't that mean the tint has to be replaced? My car has that same white powdery substance, and I thought it was because the tint was so old and sun-damaged, and dried out. I would just take it off...there's no way to remove those scratches....well, I guess you could try buffing it, but that didnt work for me.
 
DaemoN

DaemoN

New Member
Jul 1, 2005
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Wichita, Kansas
www.TeamFE.net
futeki_supra said:
I am curious about the outcome of this....

does it leave any visible scratched or anything....
Click to expand...
Nope, it's high enough grit to get anything off of the glass and won't leave any visible marks. Last year a painter got a tid bit of overspray on a window :nono: and it came right off with the 2000 grit. It made the window clear/clean enought I did every window on my car! Wet sanding works wonders on almost anything :p
 
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