Does anyone know how I can get scratches out of my side glass and why F250 glass scratch so easy?

 

There is a difference between scratches and what seems to be a scratch. Can you catch your fingernail in the "scratch", or just little "bump"? Might be just something that can be polished out. Although, what I'd do, and it'd just me, is I'd just drive the truck. I'd do whatever I'm gonna do. Then in five or ten years when I've gonna sell the truck, or trade it in, I'd take it to the best detail shop in town and have them wash, buff, wax and shampoo it. They'll charge $200-$300 dollars and add $1500 in trade-in value when you want to sell it. But, before then, you're just paying to wax away "scratches" that don't matter. Just my $.02.

 

good question.My driver side window is loaded with up and down scratches.At first I thought it might just be the tint,but is in the glass.

 

The more I look into this I find a lot of Ford trucks with scratched glass. I personally think its a ford issue. I've already replaced the 2 front glass with used glass and now they are scratched as well.

 

You mention trade-in and sell it in the same post. Big difference in the two.

For trade-in, it doesen't matter if the glass is scratched or not, just like it doesn't matter if you have a small ding in the body. You will still get the same trade-in price.

It may help out when selling it on your own but not on trade-in.

I say if the problem bothers someone then get it fixed so you can enjoy the truck, not wait till your getting rid of it and then fix it up for someone else to enjoy.

 

Mine has some minor scratches as well, and they come from bits of dirt catching in the outer seal. Every time you wash your truck, roll the windows down all the way. Then take your finger and wipe the dirt off the inner seal, you'd be amazed at how much crap is on them.

 

There is a TSB on this issue... has to do with the lower window molding.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/full...hp?tsb=06-18-2

 

If there is a TSB on it, then the issue has to be the tint. I know Mustangs are known for this, and a popular product is called Moleskin to replace the felts.
There are three possibilities here. 1. The windows are not glass at all, but rather a plastic. Plastic will scratch, we see that with some of the race cars in the past that have lexan windows... easily scratched.
or 2. There are diamonds in your window sill. This is peticularly good news, as you can afford to replace the window with the cost of the diamonds. lol. Diamonds are the only substance that will realistically damage glass. 3. The damage is in the tint, which is easily scratched. Even the coating type tint.
Good luck with it!

 

Actually, not 100% necessarily. A good cut and buff can restore a LOT in the paint system. It can take one that has fade and haze in the top layer of the clear coat as well as any tiny scratch that is clear coat deep (as many are) and will remove them. It can take a paint job from a 4 or 5 to a 7 or 8. This can tend to make a dealer bump the condition up slightly, as they judge from 1-10 when appraising the truck.
Also, a salesman does not go off of what the value of the truck is as much as what he thiks he can get for the truck. If a rig books at $30K but he thinks he can only get $20K for it due to the economy or that peticular area, he will lowball you. Likewise, if you have a TON of mods on the truck, paint you can shave in, and all the aftermarket bells and whistles, he might offer you a little more than he normally would have. Just as aftermarket parts do not increase the book value (and can often hurt the value), if the dealer thinks that the parts added will actually help the resale value then he is more likely to give you a better figure. Same with the high gloss paint. It is mostly about what he thinks he can get for it, book value is just a guide for them to go by.
If you plan to trade the truck in, a $1500 exhaust, $3000 aftermarket turbo, Banks programmer, etc., will not be a wise investment just to hike the cost up, as you will never get your money out of the upgrades if done just to increase the trade in value, but $100-$200 to dramatically increase the appearance of the truck would be a good investment, and usually will prove worth the money spent- and often by quite a bit. Just remember that you are the salesman's salesman when trading. It is your job to make the truck look as good as possible. That being said, does it make as much a difference than private party? No. But if a dealer thinks he can get a lot more for a truck that is in pristine condition, then he will be more apt to offer you more money too.

 

Ehhh...not quite. The windows are indeed tempered glass, it's required by law. If diamond was the only thing that scratched glass, then older cars wouldn't have windows scarred by worn wipers, would they? Dirt will easily scratch glass, as will broken glass, oddly enough. Everytime I run my windows down, there's dirt in the felts and that's what scars windows, I promise. It takes next to no energy to wipe it off weekly with your finger when the window's down, and it's free!

 

TennesseeMustangPerf said: "There are diamonds in your window sill. This is peticularly good news, as you can afford to replace the window with the cost of the diamonds. lol. Diamonds are the only substance that will realistically damage glass. 3. The damage is in the tint, which is easily scratched. Even the coating type tint.
Good luck with it!" The part about diamonds being the only substance that damages glass is not necessarily true sand and other debris in the felts can scratch the glass over time, invest in some 3M rubbing and polishing compound and a good buffer this will remove small imperfections in the glass surface. This WILL NOT remove deep scratches though. Lemme know if this helps.

 

Back to the original post.

Does anybody know how to get the scratches out?

 

HQ,

I'm not a "glass guy" but I doubt they can be repaired.
I suggest calling a couple local auto and or custom glass shops. Maybe there is a repair process?

I always have a rag handy and normally wipe seals once a week or so.

Rick...

 

How can I clean the lower seal?

 

Lower the window down (fully open) and jam a small bundle of rag/cloth between the seals. Slide the rag back and forth (front to back) until clean. A slightly damp rag or general purose cleaner helps a little.

Rick...