Glass Cleaner Help

[nfpgasmask]

Interesting, and you are probably right. The streaking is usually apparent after the next day or two. And yes, I use ArmorAll on my dash, and the streaking seems to be on the inside of the windsheild. Maybe next time I will try not using the ArmorAll.

Newspaper eh? That sounds strange, but I will give it a shot! My first thought is that the ink would come off on the windshield and make a big mess...but then again?

Thanks! Bart

Bart,

It's not always the cleaning solution, it's what you wipe with. I have two suggestions for you, both of which I learned in the detail shop of a car dealership I worked at for a summer in college:

1) Glass cleaner + newspapers - yes, wadded-up newsprint (B&W preferred) leaves no streaks with regular window cleaner. It comes apart pretty quick when you rub it along rubber weatherstripping, but it really works. My wife uses it on the sliding glass doors, windows, and mirros in the house, too.

2) Damp chamois - this also works, and it's probably handy if you've just washed your car, but from what I remember, it was best when used on off-gassing residues.

Speaking of off-gassing (hee-hee), if you use any interior products on the upholstery or the dash when you do your windows, such as Armor All, prepare to see streaking in about 48 hours. That stuff will evaporate to some extent and settle on the inside of your windows, most noticeably on the windshield. Whenever I use those, I wipe the surfaces down with a clean terrycloth towel after a few hours of soak time. I think this helps, but who knows. If your windows appear very clear after all your hard work but look streaky or cloudy after a day or two, this might be your main problem.

Good luck and happy detailing!

[rowhard]

Bart, newspaper works very well, but it's ackward to work with. am sure you have some microfiber clothes around, so give them a try.

Insert 2 cents
My spin on Armorall, it's full of ph, can't spell it, the **** frogs sat in in biology class, it dries out the vinyl, get some good stuff. They are like Fram, they spend all their money on advertizing and not on the product.

[etlsport]

i like f21 for my interior...

for my windows i like this stuff made by 3M its aptly named... "Glass Cleaner" it comes in an aeresol can the same size as invisible glass... except the can is light blue at the bottom and fades to white at the top with a blue lid... works awesome... for leftover streaking like what you are describing, i use distilled water in a spray bottle.. always with microfiber cloths

[johnnyapollo]

The window cleaning recipe I put up there came off of an about.com post, slightly modified. We tried about 10 different homemade recipes before putting two together and coming up with that one. The basic recipe didn't have the ammonia and wasn't getting all the pollutants off the outside of the glass (Atlanta is pretty murky) - the addition of the ammonia was the trick.

Another note - if your wipers are making noise against the glass, it's usually caused by the armature angle - Joe Black clued me in on this one. Basically, if you've ever had your car through a carwash, the rollers (or even the air pressure on touchless car washes) mash the wiper arms down causing the blades to touch the windshield at a poor angle - this can cause them to shudder (my case) or make noise as they pass over the glass. The trick is to slightly bend them back to the proper angle (and stay out of car washes!).

-- John

[geshaw30]

I've been told the problem with the "Bounty's" of the world has to do with the chemical used in the binding process of the "two ply" towels. Old retail friend told me that story and the other posts are correct- newspapers are your best/cheapest bet (but I dunno why).

Here is something to consider when using Rain-X. Any small crack/chip repair to your windshield (as in one of those "two free a year deals") at a repair shop is gone out the window. Ask most repair places of quality, not those in car washes or gas stations, and they will tell you that they wil not warranty their repair work if you have Rain-X on the glass. My wife had her Frontier glass patched and the first question the repairman asked me if whether I had the stuff on the windshield and when did I put it on last. When I told him I applied it a month prior he said he would make the repair but added that chances are the crack run would continue anyway. He was right- we replaced the windshield 4 months later after the run went nearly from side to side.

[VCrossfan]

I can't remember the brand (Bounty,Scott etc??) but at wal-mart one day I picked up a roll of paper towels made for glass, streak free style. Light blue and white. I've had good luck with it....

[psychos2]

I use rainx glass cleaner. And yes the newspaper is the way to go. I use the window washer fluid from rainx and it has the same effect as the rainx you wipe on. shawn