Cleaning glass

[GMTruckGuy74]

So last Friday I washed, clay barred, and waxed my wife's G6. Everything is smooth as glass, well except the windshields. I used RainEx many, many years ago and didn't like the results (windshield was streaky when it rained and the wipers were on). Any suggestions for protecting the glass?

Edited April 19, 2012 by GMTruckGuy74

[Intrepidation]

If I'm just cleaning the glass I use Invisible Glass.

I use Rain-X washer fluid or additive to the fluid.

Lately I've been using Mother's Wash and Wax (which smells amazing) to wash the whole car.

I don't use anything else, but both cars bead water off the glass so well I rarely use the wipers (on the highway at least).

[Blake Noble]

Using a clay bar is something that I've actually never attempted to use on any car I've owned. That'll probably change with the next one. At the risk of sounding stupid(er?), do you have any tips on using one?

[Intrepidation]

What you want to do is wash the car really well, make sure it's completely dry. Then you kneed the clay. Using detailer spray to keep it lubricated, mist the area you want to clay and gently rub in a circular motion, using very light pressure. Reapply detailer as necessary to keep it lubricated. Work ins mall sections at a time. When the clay gets dirty, kneed it until it until it becomes clean again. I believe one clay bar is enough to do one car. If you drop it on teh ground. Dispose of it and use a new one.

Claying the car is a crucial step before paint restoration (rubbing compound, polishing compound, wax), because it removes small particles in the paint that normal washing can't get rid of. If a person were to start using rubbing compound with out claying, especially with a buffer, they'd be smearing the particles into the paint, creating micro swirls.

Like GMTruckGuy74 noted, you really can feel t he difference.

Hope that helps.

[SAmadei]

At the risk of sounding stupid(er?), do you have any tips on using one?

Use lubricant with the Claybar... at least water. And just like any abrasive, use it sparingly on sharp creases, which is where your paint is thinnest.

Also, its only for getting rid of crud sitting on top of the paint, you can't expect to use it to smooth out scratches, unless its a scratch where the offending paint is floating above your clearcoat.

[RjION]

Cleaning glass: Thats if you want your glass clean.

One counterfit micro fiber towel

One genuine 3M micro fiber towel

Wet the counterfit with water and wash glass

Dry and buff the glass with the genuine 3M micro fiber towel

You'll never buy glass cleaning products again, including the useless Invisible Glass

[Intrepidation]

Considering that it actually cleans (including bugs, bird crap) and doesn't leaves streaks its hardly useless.

Not a bad idea your method though.

[Blake Noble]

What you want to do is wash the car really well, make sure it's completely dry. Then you kneed the clay. Using detailer spray to keep it lubricated, mist the area you want to clay and gently rub in a circular motion, using very light pressure. Reapply detailer as necessary to keep it lubricated. Work ins mall sections at a time. When the clay gets dirty, kneed it until it until it becomes clean again. I believe one clay bar is enough to do one car. If you drop it on teh ground. Dispose of it and use a new one.

Claying the car is a crucial step before paint restoration (rubbing compound, polishing compound, wax), because it removes small particles in the paint that normal washing can't get rid of. If a person were to start using rubbing compound with out claying, especially with a buffer, they'd be smearing the particles into the paint, creating micro swirls.

Like GMTruckGuy74 noted, you really can feel t he difference.

Hope that helps.

At the risk of sounding stupid(er?), do you have any tips on using one?

Use lubricant with the Claybar... at least water. And just like any abrasive, use it sparingly on sharp creases, which is where your paint is thinnest.

Also, its only for getting rid of crud sitting on top of the paint, you can't expect to use it to smooth out scratches, unless its a scratch where the offending paint is floating above your clearcoat.

Thanks guys. When I get a car with nice paint again, I'm going to give it a try.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Thanks for all of the input and advice. Because of the odd/unseasonable warm weather, bugs have become a recent problem. Took the car for a ride into Flemington/New Hope areas Saturday and the windshield was covered (while the rest of the car, outside of the front bumper, remained clean of dead bugs). I wasn't sure if I could use the same wax I used on the body (Meguiar's NXT wax) on the glass or if that is not recommended. I definitely need to put the summer additive in the washer resevoir, as there's a good amount of winter formula wash still left over (no snow = not much use this winter). I will definitely look into RjION's method, and will get some Invisbile Glass product that Dodgefan recommended too.

black-knight - I definitely recommend the clay bar kit prior to waxing. I washed and waxed the G6 in July 2010 and the results are not as great as the wash/clay bar/wash/wax I just did recently. The wife is totally amazed at how shiny and smooth the car feels. I plan to do the same to the Envoy next month.

[G. David Felt]

I swear by clay bar's, it is allot of work, but the smooth silky paint job is amazing when you done and waxed and buffed to a shine. In regards to the windshield, I use normal windex to clean it, then rainX and let it dry and then buff it off to a amazing shine and the water just beads up and runs off so I hardly have to use my windshield wipper. Not sure why you had a smear problem. That is weird.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I swear by clay bar's, it is allot of work, but the smooth silky paint job is amazing when you done and waxed and buffed to a shine. In regards to the windshield, I use normal windex to clean it, then rainX and let it dry and then buff it off to a amazing shine and the water just beads up and runs off so I hardly have to use my windshield wipper. Not sure why you had a smear problem. That is weird.

It could have been me, or it could have been the product. Like with your experience, light rain water usually sheeted off the windshield, but heavier rain required the use of the wipers and I got a smear effect that made it harder to see out of the window. I wasn't happy and gave away the bottle of RainEx to someone. I would be willing to give it a try again, if that's the only thing out there to help prevent bugs from accumulating & hardening on the windshield as the summer months approach (the downside to living in the more rural parts of southern NJ).

[G. David Felt]

I swear by clay bar's, it is allot of work, but the smooth silky paint job is amazing when you done and waxed and buffed to a shine. In regards to the windshield, I use normal windex to clean it, then rainX and let it dry and then buff it off to a amazing shine and the water just beads up and runs off so I hardly have to use my windshield wipper. Not sure why you had a smear problem. That is weird.

It could have been me, or it could have been the product. Like with your experience, light rain water usually sheeted off the windshield, but heavier rain required the use of the wipers and I got a smear effect that made it harder to see out of the window. I wasn't happy and gave away the bottle of RainEx to someone. I would be willing to give it a try again, if that's the only thing out there to help prevent bugs from accumulating & hardening on the windshield as the summer months approach (the downside to living in the more rural parts of southern NJ).

I would recommend you take a razor blade to your window to scrap off any dried on crud, then two times of cleaning the windshield with your favorite window cleaner. At this point then spray the RainX onto your windshield and using circular buffing motion to smear it all over the window. This should leave you with a slight brown covered paper towl. Let it dry for at least 15 min. Then with clean paper towel, buff to a shine.

During heavy rain, you will still need to use your windshield wipers, but it should never smear. My window along with using the RainX windshield fluid stays shinny and clean even during the summer when I hit all our big bugs here in Seattle, Spray spray as I drive and the windshield comes clean.

Good Luck with trying it again,

[SAmadei]

Thanks guys. When I get a car with nice paint again, I'm going to give it a try.

Ironically, the nicer the paint job on my car, the less gung-ho I am about doing heavy duty work to it. Afraid to screw it up. LOL.

I tend to do more on dying paint jobs, where I feel the risk/reward ratio is better.

[G. David Felt]

After 6-9 months on a new paint job, clay is awesom to make sure you get no problems and get the smoothest paint job around.

[Intrepidation]

Thanks guys. When I get a car with nice paint again, I'm going to give it a try.

Ironically, the nicer the paint job on my car, the less gung-ho I am about doing heavy duty work to it. Afraid to screw it up. LOL.

I tend to do more on dying paint jobs, where I feel the risk/reward ratio is better.

I feel the same way with body work.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Well, went out last night for some items and decided to buy a bottle of RainX. Went home, cleaned the windows really good, and applied the RainX as directed both by the bottle and instructions posted here. Right now the glass (front & rear windshields, sunroof, door glass) all are smooth as, well glass We'll see how well RainX works as rain is predicted in my area Saturday night through to Monday or Tuesday.

[G. David Felt]

Well, went out last night for some items and decided to buy a bottle of RainX. Went home, cleaned the windows really good, and applied the RainX as directed both by the bottle and instructions posted here. Right now the glass (front & rear windshields, sunroof, door glass) all are smooth as, well glass We'll see how well RainX works as rain is predicted in my area Saturday night through to Monday or Tuesday.

Awesome, I look forward to hearing from you. My wif loves it when I RainX the windshields. She loves how the rain just beeds up and flys off and tends to use the wipers in delay mode more. So I truly hope you have a great experiance with it in the oncoming rain.

[SAmadei]

Thanks guys. When I get a car with nice paint again, I'm going to give it a try.

Ironically, the nicer the paint job on my car, the less gung-ho I am about doing heavy duty work to it. Afraid to screw it up. LOL.

I tend to do more on dying paint jobs, where I feel the risk/reward ratio is better.

I feel the same way with body work.

That's funny, as I've popped a lot of dents out of good paint without damaging it... I'd rather pop out a dent than accidentally put swirls in a paint job... but honestly, my bodywork has always come out nice, once I decide to tackle it.