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[Andy B]

The screen of my R Class has 100k miles & 10 years worth of loads of marks made more noticeable in bright sun. Has anyone ever had a screen polished? Did it work?
Windscreen do get replaced due to chips etc but so far .....  mine's otherwise intact, plus I've heard tales of woe when trying to get auto lights & wipers sorted after replacement so am reluctant to replace it unless necessary.

[Mr Gav]

Some of the lads on the Nissan forum have used Gtechniq and rate it but how much it will restore your screen I don`t know and it`s not cheap either but at under £40 might be worth a punt.

[Doctor Gollum]

I use Autoglym glass polish to reasonable effect. Just be warned that anything you use might make the screen worse

[Andy B]

I use Autoglym glass polish to reasonable effect. Just be warned that anything you use might make the screen worse

That's what I'm frightened of  I was thinking more along The lines of paying someone to do it 

[Auto Addict]

I use Autoglym glass polish to reasonable effect. Just be warned that anything you use might make the screen worse

That's what I'm frightened of  I was thinking more along The lines of paying someone to do it 

Wire brush, followed by wet and dry, finished off with a brillo pad

[biggriffin]

Just wash it, then use a newspaper with a quality glass polish.  Job done moving on.

[Auto Addict]

Try a clay bar

[TheBoy]

Try a clay bar

I think that'll lift the shit off, but not resolve the problem...

[Andy B]

I use Autoglym glass polish to reasonable effect. Just be warned that anything you use might make the screen worse

That's what I'm frightened of  I was thinking more along The lines of paying someone to do it 

Wire brush, followed by wet and dry, finished off with a brillo pad

I'll try it in a corner first .... 

[Andy B]

Just wash it, then use a newspaper with a quality glass polish.  Job done moving on.

It's more than that. You can see the thousands of tiny marks on the outside of the glass

[Andy B]

Try a clay bar

I think that'll lift the shit off, but not resolve the problem...

Thanks Barry, but as Jamie says, it's more than that. I've cleaned the screen with the cleaner that comes with Rainex to try to stop the drivers wiper from juddering at speed, but as above, you can see all the tiny marks on the outside of the glass, especially in the bright sun.

[BazaJT]

There are glass polishing kits available which will remove light scratching-think same principal as using a machine polisher and G3 on paintwork-which if you're confident/brave enough can be done diy,or if not then one of these smart repair operators could do it-if you can find a trustworthy/recommended one.

[Andy B]

Just wondered if anyone had first hand experience before my screen became chipped in my line of vision 

I know I was amazed at how clear the new screen was when I had my Senator's screen replaced due to a small crack that decided to go from bottom to top in an afternoon in the Sun.

[Bigron]

Have an "accident" and ask your insurance company to replace the windscreen?

Ron.

[Andy B]

Have an "accident" and ask your insurance company to replace the windscreen?

Ron.

That is the other option, but as above, I've heard various tales of woe about glass fitters being unable to get auto wipers & lights to work again which often entails a trip to Mercedes, wallet in hand.

[Bigron]

Andy, I cannot understand how "professionals" routinely b*gger things up and fail to correct them withput cost to the customer.
What exactly do they get wrong? If restoring things to working order is beyond their skills set, they must pay someone qualified to rectify the damage they caused.

Ron.

[Andy B]

Andy, I cannot understand how "professionals" routinely b*gger things up and fail to correct them withput cost to the customer.
What exactly do they get wrong? If restoring things to working order is beyond their skills set, they must pay someone qualified to rectify the damage they caused.

Ron.

Presumably they dont calibrate the sensors properly  ..... ive just heard the tales. If it comes to a replacement, I'll be asking the question before hand

[Bigron]

Yes, good plan - aand get an undertaking (in writing?) to make good any damage they do. 

Ron.

[grifter]

Vinegar, hot water and kitchen roll, apply on then wipe off with dry piece

[Andy B]

Vinegar, hot water and kitchen roll, apply on then wipe off with dry piece

It's not just dirty. It's years & miles worth of tiny "chips" on the screen 

[Auto Addict]

Vinegar, hot water and kitchen roll, apply on then wipe off with dry piece

It's not just dirty. It's years & miles worth of tiny "chips" on the screen 

Need to bite the bullet then

[Andy B]

Vinegar, hot water and kitchen roll, apply on then wipe off with dry piece

It's not just dirty. It's years & miles worth of tiny "chips" on the screen 

Need to bite the bullet then

Maybe, but I'll explore polishing it first.

(Where's my auto centre punch?  )

[Nick W]

Vinegar, hot water and kitchen roll, apply on then wipe off with dry piece

It's not just dirty. It's years & miles worth of tiny "chips" on the screen 

I was astonished at the improvement a new screen made to mine. Polishing the marks of at least 15 years use out of a piece of glass you're actually going to look through simply isn't going to happen.

[Kevin Wood]

Agreed. Glass is so hard that polish won't do more than thoroughly clean it. It's worth a try, but if the majority of the marks are indeed small chips, I fear it won't help.

[Andy B]

Agreed. Glass is so hard that polish won't do more than thoroughly clean it. It's worth a try, but if the majority of the marks are indeed small chips, I fear it won't help.

you're probably right .... hence the original question

[Nick W]

Agreed. Glass is so hard that polish won't do more than thoroughly clean it. It's worth a try, but if the majority of the marks are indeed small chips, I fear it won't help.

you're probably right .... hence the original question

Here's the answer to your original question:


the money you'll spend making the screen even worse by polishing it, will pay the excess for a new one.

[Andy B]

Agreed. Glass is so hard that polish won't do more than thoroughly clean it. It's worth a try, but if the majority of the marks are indeed small chips, I fear it won't help.

you're probably right .... hence the original question

Here's the answer to your original question:


the money you'll spend making the screen even worse by polishing it, will pay the excess for a new one.

So the screen will have to have an accident as insurers only replace broken/cracked/chipped screens ...... 

[johnnydog]

Have an "accident" and ask your insurance company to replace the windscreen?

Ron.

That is the other option, but as above, I've heard various tales of woe about glass fitters being unable to get auto wipers & lights to work again which often entails a trip to Mercedes, wallet in hand.

I got a crack in my Audi windscreen which was covered by my insurance. They wanted me to go to Autoglass but I insisted it went to Audi because of the lane departure warning systems on it which relate to the track of the vehicle relative to the white lines. It also has high beam assist  which rely on sensors behind the mirror housing;  all of which need recalibrating on the fitment of a new screen. Autoglass  are not able to fit the mirror housing cover correctly (on another car in the family) so I certainly didnt want them attempting anything on the Audi. My insurance agreed to Audi doing it and they footed the total bill of in excess of £1600 for the whole job including a full 4 wheel alignment and systems recalibration.
Definitely worth asking the question of your insurance re the recalibrations if you were unfortunate to get crack in the windscreen🤞

[Andy B]

Have an "accident" and ask your insurance company to replace the windscreen?

Ron.

That is the other option, but as above, I've heard various tales of woe about glass fitters being unable to get auto wipers & lights to work again which often entails a trip to Mercedes, wallet in hand.

I got a crack in my Audi windscreen which was covered by my insurance. They wanted me to go to Autoglass but I insisted it went to Audi because of the lane departure warning systems on it which relate to the track of the vehicle relative to the white lines. It also has high beam assist  which rely on sensors behind the mirror housing;  all of which need recalibrating on the fitment of a new screen. Autoglass  are not able to fit the mirror housing cover correctly (on another car in the family) so I certainly didnt want them attempting anything on the Audi. My insurance agreed to Audi doing it and they footed the total bill of in excess of £1600 for the whole job including a full 4 wheel alignment and systems recalibration.
Definitely worth asking the question of your insurance re the recalibrations if you were unfortunate to get crack in the windscreen🤞

Thanks Johnny d .....

[STEMO]

I've had a windscreen replaced by auto glass that had both auto lights and wipers with no problems. But I may have just got a competent fitter.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I think its very much pot luck / hit & miss. Ive been putting off getting my screen replaced due to the potential for hassle.

[johnnydog]

I've had a windscreen replaced by auto glass that had both auto lights and wipers with no problems. But I may have just got a competent fitter.

Auto lights and wipers are a relatively simple task being a sensor (as you know) part of the mirror base and is a relatively simple job to refit as there is already the mounting fitted on a new screen for the mirror unit to basically clip on to.
It is the associated systems that need recalibrating that Autoglass cannot do and the vehicle has to go to a main dealer.

[ronnyd]

Why are things getting so complicated? 

[BazaJT]

Because everyone "needs" auto lights and wipers as they can't tell when it's getting dark or raining and if they can it saves the hard work of flicking a switch to turn them on themselves.

[ronnyd]

Because everyone "needs" auto lights and wipers as they can't tell when it's getting dark or raining and if they can it saves the hard work of flicking a switch to turn them on themselves.

Don,t even mention the good old days when drivers, and passengers, had the hard task of winding the windows up and down with a thing called a handle. 

[BazaJT]

O.K. I won't mention keep fit windows What about the pneumatic wipers that [I think] Ford were the last to ditch,that went faster the lower the engine revs? or the cars that came with a starting handle along with the crappy jack and wheelbrace as part of the standard "toolkit"?

[Nick W]

Why are things getting so complicated? 

because it's more profitable to sell gimmicks than try to persuade your customers to pay more for a car on which you've fixed your previous dodgy engineering.


It won't be long before you can buy an Audi that has a lentil yoghurt maker as an option.

[ronnyd]

O.K. I won't mention keep fit windows What about the pneumatic wipers that [I think] Ford were the last to ditch,that went faster the lower the engine revs? or the cars that came with a starting handle along with the crappy jack and wheelbrace as part of the standard "toolkit"?

Had a 100e van with those on. Bloody useless things.