Windshield and Interior mirror
 

Two questions:

I caught a load of grit from a overpass construction site, and my wiper was on because of the heavy drizzle. Result - nice wiper scratch in my new windshield. I have seen toothpaste recommended to clear the scratch, as well as bon ami and some commercial scratch removal products. Two windshield shops I talked to said wiper scratches can't be removed - two others said they would do it for about 30% of the cost of a new windshield, no guarantee on the outcome. Anyone had success with either the shops or the DIY approach?

Also, the interior rear view mirror on my 98 C230 won't stay in position and just flops around. The part is $290, and the archives say it isn't a good candidate for DIY on taking apart for repair. Anyone have any 'instant viagra' fixes for this problem? (aside from holding the mirror where I want it and adding lock-tite!)

thanks for any help!

Bon Ami works well to remove haze on older windshields but I doubt it's abrasive enough to remove physical scratches. If you can feel the scratches as you run your fingernail across the sufrace then you really don't want to polish/buff them out because your view out will be distorted as the outside surface will no longer be parallel to the inner surface. :(

Unless the scratches are really bad, just keep the glass as clean as possible and live with it until you can justify a new one.

On the mirror...one quick fix would be to deform the ball until it's snug in the socket again. A crude method would be to use a pair of vice-grips to crush/score the ball. Or maybe a drift or punch...but you'd need to find something to place on the other side of the ball to transmit the impact to the ball.

I think this would be a temporary fix as the socket will wear out as the mirror is moved/adjusted...and it'll wear out faster than before.

Maybe the best solution is to find a used one?

better yet for the mirror go down to your local you pull it yard and snag a new one
for the windshield if the scratch is not to grooved you can always buff it out with a window polishing buffing pad. drimel even makes a little one for such jobs.