what is on my windshield?
 

hey guys, i usually hang out over in the off-road forum, but i decided to come over here to ask this question. everytime it rains lightly and i use my wipers, all i can see is some stupid film on the windshield. when i clean the truck, i get the ladder out so i can reach the middle of the windshield, grab the windex and SCRUB. i use paper towels when i do it, and id liek to think im pretty strong. i put everything i have into cleaning my damn windshield and i still get this film. are my wiper blades bad? it seems like the film shows water spots when i look at it, but i always make sure to flick the wipers one last time before i pull it in the garage to avoid the water spots. i used rain-x, and the problem went away, but its been a while since the last application, and now im getting the film again. could it possibly be from getting some windex or rain-x under the blades? mine dont lift all the way up and stay when i try to clean the windshield, so im thinking maybe the stuff cant dry properly before the wipers sit back down on it. i guess this would mean that my wipers drag cleaning product across my windshield everytime i use them. any suggestions?

Can't tell you what the film is, but the best thing I've ever used to clean glass is Stoner Invisible Glass. It can be found at any decent auto parts store.

Since you normally hang out in the off-road forum, would it be safe to assume you use you truck off-road?

If you do, then you most likely get mud on the windshield that you try to remove with the wipers. Mud is abrasive! Everytime the wipers take a swipe can act like a big ol' piece of sandpaper. Over time, this will etch your glass and will appear like a film. Using Rain-X just filled the tiny scratches temporarily.

However, if you don't do alot of off-roading in your truck, where do you drive it? There is a road I drive on every day to work that seems to have alot of fine sand or other debris. So much that I can't hang my arm out the window without feeling like my elbow is being sandblasted when I'm following another vehicle.

Just a couple of suggestions for ya to think about.:)

Neb, i do some off-roading, but also drive the truck daily. i recently started school and havent had much time to get out and have much fun, but when i was, this didnt seem to be a problem. only in the last few months has it been happening. but i never thought about mud being abraisive. heh, how could i over look that?

i use a glass cleaner and mixture of detergent to clean bugs of mess on my windshield. you can get these glass cleaner at your local parts stores.

Try this to see if you have some kind of an oil film or scratch problem. Get a spray bottle, and put a few squirts of dish detergent in it and fill the rest with water. Try that in the place of windex and see if the film comes off, if not invest in a bottle of rainx and plan on applying it often. Be careful not to get any detergent on your paint, shouldnt be too hard if you are washing the window. Also, dont use paper towels to dry it off, use a lint free cloth or old newspaper pages. Might sound funny, but the dish soap cuts oil and grease on your dishes, and paper towels just smear stuff on your window and leave lint behind.

If you have an oily film on your window in a pinch you can use pepsi and dribble some on. Makes things pretty sticky if you don't have lots of water though to rinse it off. Does cut the grease, that's why it's best used with chinese food.