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  #1  
Old 12-01-2003, 04:07 PM
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Pitted windshields

Is there any cure for pitted windshields (that look like thousands of specks from inside out when driving into the light) other than complete windshield replacement?

It is becoming a safety hazard as I can hardly see out of the darn windshield when I'm driving at a certain angle against the sun

Does ANYTHING help in your experience?

thanks,

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  #2  
Old 12-01-2003, 04:24 PM
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roadsession

The best repair is to replace it. You can use RainX, glass polishes etc, but from my experience, once a windshield is pitted, it needs to be replaced.

Haasman
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  #3  
Old 12-01-2003, 04:44 PM
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I have used the polisher from the following web page

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/classic-motoring/porcabpolac.html

You need a polisher and it makes it a bit better but I agree the best is to replace it.

If you have a polisher you may try this but if you need to buy the polisher it can get expensive.
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  #4  
Old 12-01-2003, 05:28 PM
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I've been thinking about trying the Diamondite products. They sound good, don't cost much, and seem to address the problem. I am also looking for a middle ground as I would like to keep my original windshield and driving into the sun is rough...
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  #5  
Old 12-02-2003, 04:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by bjcsc
I've been thinking about trying the Diamondite products. They sound good, don't cost much, and seem to address the problem. I am also looking for a middle ground as I would like to keep my original windshield and driving into the sun is rough...
Let me know what your first hand experience is!!
I know - it makes you guinea pig...but I'd be very curious to see how the product does against its claims....
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  #6  
Old 12-03-2003, 08:29 PM
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OK, I'm game. I just ordered it. I'll let you know how (if) it works out...
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  #7  
Old 02-21-2004, 06:06 PM
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I am also very interested in whether this product can work.
Something has to be done about the condition of the windshield and, replacing it seem like a temporary solution. A couple of years at 65 mph and you are right back where you started.
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  #8  
Old 02-21-2004, 06:17 PM
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OK, I'm having a weird forum evening. First, I go to the DD and post a new thread about my odometer milestone, then post to a different thread regarding windshield replacement. Then I go to the OF and find an odometer milestone pic thread, then here to TH to find this. Maybe I should go buy Powerball tickets...Anyway, I did order and do have this product but as of yet, the weather and my schedule have not been cooperating. However, it all comes together tomorrow and I will post the results (including before and after pics if I can pick enough of the difference up) tomorrow. Stay tuned!
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  #9  
Old 02-21-2004, 10:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by bjcsc
OK, I'm having a weird forum evening. First, I go to the DD and post a new thread about my odometer milestone, then post to a different thread regarding windshield replacement. Then I go to the OF and find an odometer milestone pic thread, then here to TH to find this. Maybe I should go buy Powerball tickets...Anyway, I did order and do have this product but as of yet, the weather and my schedule have not been cooperating. However, it all comes together tomorrow and I will post the results (including before and after pics if I can pick enough of the difference up) tomorrow. Stay tuned!
What's your odometer milestone? I just turned 70K on my ML... I know, in the M112 engine years, it's only just turned 7 years old ;-)

Anyway, my windshield's getting bad. I'm really anxious to know your results before resorting to a complete windshield replacement.
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  #10  
Old 02-21-2004, 11:05 PM
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A pitted windshield just has to be replaced, if you want it to be safe again. There's not enough elbow grease in the galaxy to eliminate the problem in certain light conditions.
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  #11  
Old 02-21-2004, 11:11 PM
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It's not about elbow grease, or grinding the glass down at all. The product suggests that what most people call "pitting" is nothing more than natural pores in the glass that catch minerals and other deposits over the years. They say their product removes them and then seals the pores. As I said, we'll see.

My odometer milestone was that today my 300CD reached 123,153 (it's chassis number)
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  #12  
Old 02-22-2004, 12:13 AM
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The Cure.....

Replace the windshield. I spent over seven years in the windshield repair business. I was able to repair bullseye and star breaks, even long cracks. Had a polishing system that was state-of-the-art for removing scratches left by wiper arms. There is noting N-O-T-H-I-N-G that will satisfactorily remove pitting in windshield glass regardless of anyone's sales literature.

Just my 2ç.
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  #13  
Old 02-22-2004, 09:09 AM
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I'm just a little more curious here. If the polishing systems can remove scratches created by the wiper arms, how come they cannot remove the pitting. I am characterizing the "pitting" as the result of the constant sand blasting that the windshield receives at high speed. You cannot feel this pitting with your hand but you can certainly see it in the sun and it certainly affects the wiper's capability to fully clean the windshield.
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  #14  
Old 02-22-2004, 09:43 AM
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Scratches and pits.....

Polishing out a scratch from a wiper arm was very labor-intensive, and the actual improvement was not flawless by any stretch of the term. There were some -- make that many -- said scratches that I would not attempt to buff out due to the fact that they were so widespread I could not justify the time required vs. making several chip repairs in the same amount of time.

Any scratch repair left a distinct distortion in the affected area of the windshield. I recommended replacement to ost customers although the car dealers always wanted me to make the attempt; for the most part, they weren't concerned so much abut safety.

I made several attempts to polish out pitting from windshields from mild to severe. I even tried my hand in salvage yards on really old, really distressed glass. In all cases, regardless of the time spent or the technique applied, there was just no way to satisfactorily get those pits buffed to an acceptable level.

I stand by my original statement that the only way to fix the problem is to replace the windshield; glare can be a killer. Sellers of Pop-A-Dent and Pocket Fisherman equipment are free to promote their products in any fashion they please, but let the buyer beware.

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  #15  
Old 02-22-2004, 09:51 AM
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Re: Scratches and pits.....

Quote:
Originally posted by Abner Mality

I made several attempts to polish out pitting from windshields from mild to severe. I even tried my hand in salvage yards on really old, really distressed glass. In all cases, regardless of the time spent or the technique applied, there was just no way to satisfactorily get those pits buffed to an acceptable level.
Quite interesting. Very compelling from a person within the industry. Any recommendations on replacement glass? Quality? Durability? I had a windshield replaced on the 123, and, within two years, I was, effectively, right back where I started with regard to the glare and the pitting. The durability of the glass to withstand the sandblasting was just not there.

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