Scratches on driver side window

[dparm]

I'm pretty certain that the stupid exterior key box they wedge into the window scratched my driver's side window in a bunch of places. I hadn't really noticed it until now (nearly 6 months later), so there's no chance they'll repair that for me. I had initially thought it was a problem with the tint job, and just had the tint re-done today since the glue was screwed up in one spot....and the scratches remain.

Does anyone have experience polishing scratches out? I saw the Diamondite Glass Repair kit but frankly I have zero knowledge of something like this. If this is best left to a professional, so be it. Ballpark cost, in that case?

 

[Lead Shoes]

Ouch that sucks, those dumb boxes with the tab they jam in there are silly...

 

[earlyre]

the little lock box they put the cars keys in on the dealer's lots?
do they still use those?
they must block RF, or all these new cars with keyless ignition, you could just walk right up, and open the door and drive off if they didn't....

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
the little lock box they put the cars keys in on the dealer's lots?
do they still use those?
they must block RF, or all these new cars with keyless ignition, you could just walk right up, and open the door and drive off if they didn't....



Yes I suspect they act like mini Faraday cages. They're pretty sturdy.

 

[raytseng]

Ballpark, i'd say they'd charge like 1hours time at a detail/autobody shop.

So $50-$100? They may say they will only do it along with a hand carwash your car.

 

[mikered30]

Eastwood makes a good kit but only for light scratches. Use water to cool so you dont "burn" the glass. If they catch at all with a fingernail, I would leave them alone.

 

[The Critic]

Carpro ceriglass and the Carpro rayon glass pads will work for this. I have removed fingernail deep scratches with this combination.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Carpro ceriglass and the Carpro rayon glass pads will work for this. I have removed fingernail deep scratches with this combination.



I assume it's cerium oxide or something like that? The kit I mentioned above contains a number of components, including some for a buffer.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Carpro ceriglass and the Carpro rayon glass pads will work for this. I have removed fingernail deep scratches with this combination.



I assume it's cerium oxide or something like that? The kit I mentioned above contains a number of components, including some for a buffer.

I have no experience with the product that you mentioned, but I have used the Carpro product with great results. The Carpro pads can provide some serious cut when used with Ceriglass.

Just remember that in the enthusiast detailing world, many of these products tend to be quite finicky and can deliver very different results due to a difference in technique or equipment.

There is some commentary about the two products in this thread:
http://www.live2detail.com/archive/index.php/t-3118.html

 

[NYSteve]

This guy is one the best and is out in the burbs. His list price for a 1hr headlight restore is about $90. Would think this would be about the same.

http://lustrdetail.com/

 

[gofast182]

The windshield of my MDX has a good deal of fine scratches in the path of the wipers but I'm not sure about using one of these products. Do fine scratches from the polishing remain around the edges where only half the width of the pad can move over the surface?

 

[dparm]

Just as an update, I stopped by the same shop that replaced my windshield. They agreed it was scratches on the outside of the glass from the key lockbox.

They applied some cerium oxide by hand and 95% of the scratches are now gone. There's still one smaller and deeper scratch remaining that he said they could hit with the buffer for a fee, but I decided it was good enough for now.

So...props to Express Auto Glass for fixing it at no charge. Easy enough! (I'm also feeling less nervous about using cerium oxide myself in the future)

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: gofast182
The windshield of my MDX has a good deal of fine scratches in the path of the wipers but I'm not sure about using one of these products. Do fine scratches from the polishing remain around the edges where only half the width of the pad can move over the surface?



Based on what I saw with the cerium oxide today, I would tell you to give it a try. It's extremely mild when done by hand. Otherwise, have a glass shop look at it -- they can probably hit the whole windshield with a machine for $50.