I noticed some scratches on my windshield a few months ago and I'm wondering if anyone has seen a similar thing. The scratches are at the end of the passenger-side wiper's sweep across the windshield. They are about three inches long and I think there are 4 of them evenly spaced from top to bottom for about 1/2 down the windshield. I think they are probably at the spring-pressure points of a conventional wiper blade but can't be sure now (I have continuous pressure blades right now, the Goodyear ones, that don't have interlocking "arms" of conventional blades).

Has anybody else noticed scratches like this? My hunch is that they may be the result of the rain sensitive automatic wipers periodically sweeping over the dry windshield and carrying along whatever abrasive material that may have collected along the edge of the blade since the last rain. I've usually left mine on auto and over the years have regularly observed the wipers begin to sweep when there is no rain on the windshield. It seems to happen mostly on cloudy/foggy days or a dusk. Anybody else observed this?

What I'm wondering is, is whether there is anything that can be done to make the scratches less noticeable? I realize that scratched glass can't really be polished out, but I don't want to replace my windshield unless it really starts to become distracting. Especially after hearing about the leaks that people have had with replacement windshields. Does anyone have suggestions on what I might do?

Thanks
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons

 

My 2008 XK was three years old when I purchased it. The car also had wiper scratches which like you, I guessed were at least partially from the previous owner allowing the auto-wipers to run across a dry windshield...

Well, I proceded to try every product out there for removing scratches from glass, glass polish, glass buffing tools, you name it. In the end, the scratches remain and I have pretty much gotten used to them.

I do live in a "free windshield replacement" state and IF I ever get significant enough stone damage, etc, I will have the windshield replaced. If not, then as I said, I have pretty much accepted the scratches...

 

Thanks, that's what I thought... =|-\
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons

 

Did the buffing include ceridium oxide?

 

One of the products I tried was a high speed drill disc that was infused with a ceridium oxide powder. The instructions were to wet the disc with a fine mist of water and go at the windshield with the high speed drill.

Didn't work...

 

Not enough ceridium oxide, and possibly the wrong grade of ceridium oxide.

The people who have had it work use bulk ceridium oxide mixed into a paste and a buffer roll.

That is quite a bit different than a flexible disc that has some small amount of the material infused into it.

The most comon use of ceridium oxide amongst hobbyists is to grind mirror reflectors for home made reflector telescopes ... works for them.

It takes pressure and time. The operator also has to carefully avoid overheating the glass.