Help Removing substances from glass!!!

[JACK5623]

So i have an MX-5 and whenever i wash the windscreen (doesn't matter what with and yes ive tried new blades) it makes this oily looking smeer right in front of where i need to see!

I have tried newspaper and vinegar.
I have tried specialised windscreen cleaner.
I have changed the wiper blades.

I don't know what else to do so my next step is Science!

Does anyone possibly have any idea of what this could be and how to get rid of it!!

Thank you

[Phi for All]

Two possibilities for what it could be. Off-gassing from the dashboard, so the smear is on the inside, or you're parking under some trees that have aphids producing honeydew.

 

Not sure how to clean it off best, just know that wiper blades will only take you so far. If the sticky stuff isn't removed, the blades just keep spreading it around. I'm a fan of diluted ammonium hydroxide in isopropyl alcohol and propylene glycol. Also works great on cuts and pimples.

 

I think there's some kind of physical law that dictates that all windshields will only fog up or become smeared on the driver's side. Passengers can always see perfectly. Right-side driver or left-side, makes no difference, if the windshield is going to become hard to see through, it will be the driver's side. Always.

[JACK5623]

Two possibilities for what it could be. Off-gassing from the dashboard, so the smear is on the inside, or you're parking under some trees that have aphids producing honeydew.

 

Not sure how to clean it off best, just know that wiper blades will only take you so far. If the sticky stuff isn't removed, the blades just keep spreading it around. I'm a fan of diluted ammonium hydroxide in isopropyl alcohol and propylene glycol. Also works great on cuts and pimples.

 

I think there's some kind of physical law that dictates that all windshields will only fog up or become smeared on the driver's side. Passengers can always see perfectly. Right-side driver or left-side, makes no difference, if the windshield is going to become hard to see through, it will be the driver's side. Always.

Amen to that.

 

And it is definitely on the outside and the windscreen was like this when i bought it a few weeks a go so i dont have a clue what it is.

 

Can you simply go out and buy those substances you recommended? i might as well give it a try.

[Phi for All]

And it is definitely on the outside and the windscreen was like this when i bought it a few weeks a go so i dont have a clue what it is.

OK, so not off-gassing from the dashboard.

 

Can you simply go out and buy those substances you recommended? i might as well give it a try.

Sure, it's just Windex. You may want to try using a single edge razor blade on the outside of your windscreen to see if it can lift off whatever is causing the smear. It won't work as well as it does on windows because of the curvature of the windscreen, but if it's removable, the razor should remove at least some of it, which will let you know you're on the right track.

 

Dish soap is surprisingly effective at cutting greasy smears, you may want to try that. Also, anything that would remove tar from an auto should remove this from windscteen glass.

 

If none of that works, you may need to go pro. Do you have any auto detailers nearby? They must run into stuff like this all the time.

[StringJunky]

Could it be the lamination has separated or become messed up in some way. A windscreen is a glass/plastic/glass sandwich isn't it?

[Phi for All]

Could it be the lamination has separated or become messed up in some way. A windscreen is a glass/plastic/glass sandwich isn't it?

 

So the smear is in the middle, rather than on the outside or inside? Wow, that is an OCD nightmare.

[StringJunky]

 

So the smear is in the middle, rather than on the outside or inside? Wow, that is an OCD nightmare.

Yes isn't it?! For some strange reason, I found myself thinking of double-glazing and having moisture in the air-gap.

 

Another possible cause is surface defects in the affected area; either minute pits/scratches or distortion in the glass not allowing the wiper-blade to touch it in parts properly, causing it to smear. I'm thinking it's a physical problem with the glass. A professional scratch-removing polish/polisher might do it but I'd be inclined to talk to a pro about it first.

Edited February 16, 2015 by StringJunky

[Phi for All]

Yes isn't it?! For some strange reason, I found myself thinking of double-glazing and having moisture in the air-gap.

 

The OP mentions that the smear is "oily". I found this:

 

http://www.impactglassindia.com/safety-glasses.html

The most popular modern process of creating laminated safety glass is to take two layers of annealed glass and place a layer of polyvinyl butyral between them. The glass is then run through a series of rollers which are designed to expel any air pockets in between the layers. During this process, the glass is also heated in a pressurized oil bath to around 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) in order to bond the layers together.

 

 

So I'm leaning towards your explanation. Let's give JACK5623 some credit for knowing how to clean a window, and what's left is that there's nothing left to clean on either the inside or outside. It's most likely that the lamination is showing that oily film through a fault between the glass layers.

[StringJunky]

 

The OP mentions that the smear is "oily". I found this:

 

http://www.impactglassindia.com/safety-glasses.html

 

So I'm leaning towards your explanation. Let's give JACK5623 some credit for knowing how to clean a window, and what's left is that there's nothing left to clean on either the inside or outside. It's most likely that the lamination is showing that oily film through a fault between the glass layers.

That sounds plausible.