You have structurally weakened your windshield by taking steel wool to it
When you have road debris hit the window or if you have a major collision, your windshield will no longer hold itself together and you will die a horrible death when it shatters into dozens of sharp pieces


[bimmerapp]

 

I don't know about this, it's such a minute amount he's taken off that I don't think it matters. I've seen lots of detailing companies suggest using 0000 steel wool to polish your windshield to reduce scratches.

 

I'm in for an answer as well. I've got a windshield with minute nicks and scratches and all the wipers I've tried chatter. On my driver side, you can see an outline that the wiper has made over time. Its not an original BMW windshield so I was contemplating swapping it out. Right now I'm using Rain-X to stop the chattering but I hate that stuff in anything but a full rainstorm.
If anyone else has taken steel wool to their windshield, I'd like to hear it, I find it hard to imagine it would work. After all, a windshield is just a piece of glass sandwiched between two pieces of plastic. I'm hoping the guy above me was just trying to be funny and didn't actually believe the windshield is now going to implode.
Green

 

If you can afford 0000 steel wool that is even better. Do not press hard, but just enough pressure to remove the spots, etc.

TIP: Keep running water on the surface your cleaning always to avoid any potential "scratches".

 

i'm pretty sure he was trolling you guys about the weakening thing.

would this steel wool thing be good for polishing fog lights? i have a pair of 7/10 ZKW fogs i want to polish out. has nicks.. i suspect i'd need something more abrasive like that polishing powder (cerium?)

 

Best way to do this with glass lenses is by putting a few clear coats on the lens, and then polishing it like you would restore a headlight lens. It works very effectively. Slap laminex on it and it'll be good for quite some time.

 

^ Worth a shot.



A very good detailer in my area does use steel wool for glass.

 

any particular steel wool grade/kind? or just buy grocery store ones?? i've actually never heard of this!

 

I actually used a Brillo pad on my fog lenses and they came out looking perfect. I just ran the sink water over them as I scrubbed lightly. I have the small circle OE ones though.

 

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=713419&highlight=andrewbiga+steel+wool

 

excellent. i assume its only sold in detailing stores.

 

No idea.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...s_i_0_3?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=0000+steel+wool&sprefix=000,aps,192

i may just try this

 

Just use buffing compound, using steel wool is just primitive on BMW

 

Steel wool also works great to remove deep scratches from your paint. No joke, try it out! opcorn:

 

This is a bad thing to post. It's borderline serious and someone might try it.

 

 

OP: I'd edit the initial post to indicate what grade of steel wool you're talking about. Folks may get the wrong idea and use 00 or something.

 

que interesante. I shall try this on my badly chipped windshield before replacing it this spring.

 

the arm scratched my windshield. Deep scratch

STEEL WOOL TOOK OUT THE SCRATCH. It also polished my windshield.

I have done this before on other cars. Works every time. It doesn't scratch the windshield.

I've used 0000 steel wool on auto glass for years. It is sort of like clay for glass: it strips off everything from the surface of the glass, leaving it smooth and, as long as it isn't abraded, nearly invisible. It is used dry, with nothing else, on dry glass. Do not use SOS or Brillo. The link in the above post is how I get mine. BTW, 8 pads will last forever for one car.

Seems to work better than chemical-based cleaners such as Windex, vinegar+water, or Invisible Glass. (IN fact, the first time I used steel wool, cleaning with Invisible Glass was a prep step.) There is never any smearing or streaking and it can be used just as easily on hot glass or cold. No need for paper towels, newspaper, or MF cloths. It does take a bit of time the first time you use it: there are likely years of build-up on the glass. But as long as you keep up with it, it is pretty quick thereafter.

I have not, however, found that it removes scratches. To be able to do that, it would have to scratch the glass itself. It does not do that. What is may have done, is remove deposits that the arm left, or cleared away deposits on either side of the track that the arm left (or some combination).

 

This is what you want people, it is very common. You can find this at any home depot, lowe's, or hardware store...

There are different grades, OOOO is the finest, which is what you want

 

Not sure the steel wool actually removed scratches as someone else pointed out. May have removed paint transfer from the wiper blade or arm.

But the glass does get quite a bit of build up over the years on it. Steel wool, possibly a light application of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (be careful with the Magic Eraser, may want to test it out on an old drinking glass or jar before you get hard into your glass on your car) and rubbing compound and a buffer will easily clean and polish the glass. I have even seen people use corn starch as the final buffing powder as well. I have even seen people use sand paper to remove pits in glass fog light and head light lens. Starting with coarser paper, then moving to finer and finer grits. Not sure I would advise this on a windshield where optical clarity and lack of distortion is important.

Cerium is also the same stuff that is usually used for rock polishing as I recall. You may be able to pick up Cerium powder at your local hobby store and make it into a tooth paste consistency for deeper scratches? Cerium paste and buffing wheel may be needed for deeper scratches. But be very careful about localized heat build up when buffing or polishing glass with a lot of pressure and something like Cerium as you could have a problem with stress cracking due to uneven heat expansion. Just do not keep the buffer/polisher on the glass in the same spot with a lot of pressure for an extended period of time. Come of the glass with the buffer/polisher and let the glass cool between polishing.

 

Here is another suggestion for cleaning your windshield:

http://www.garageboy.com/bmw/bonami.html

 

I used brilo pads from the grocery store.

It was a scratch

This isn't going to ruin the structural integrity of the windshield.

 

you can also use a razor blade at the right angle (15 degree +/-) with a lubricant to knock off burs in the glass that are common from pitting -

these burs are what cut up your wiper blades and make them streak.

 

Ill show that it works in a couple of days. I have an old windshield with a crack. Ill take. Knife to it and then steel wool and show the results.

Its kind of at your own risk. If yours is scratched then find a test window and try it out

 

DO NOT USE BRILLO,OR STEEL WOOL on your windshield.I own a autoglass and tint shop and changed alot of window's due to customer's using it.You will need cerium oxcide and a polishing wheel attached to a drill to remove fine scratche's.If yoyu can feel the scratche's with your finger nail then those are considerd deep scratche's and you will remove layer's of glass to get them out,which can result in warping your glass.My tinter uses 0000 steel wool to remove the glue off of the back window's with defogger's in order not to destroy the heater when we remove older tint when we replace it with are film.The steel wool wont take out scuff's or scratche's.

 

DO NOT USE BRILLO,OR STEEL WOOL on your windshield.[...]My tinter uses 0000 steel wool to remove the glue off of the back window's with defogger's in order not to destroy the heater when we remove older tint when we replace it with are film.The steel wool wont take out scuff's or scratche's.

Huh?

0000 steel wool will not hurt a windshield. Agreed, it will not remove any scuff or scratch, but it does lift hard water deposits, stubborn insect and bird droppings, etc., just fine and rather quickly.

 

Anytime I've used steel wool to clean/detail anything I am always surprised how many small particles of it are left behind that turn to rust within a day or two. Especially when used with water you can wash those particles into areas you will never see. No thanks.

 

Get some brass or bronze wool - resists shedding, rust and corrosion (as opposed to steel wool, which can leave behind small fibers that can rust and discolor).

 

Of course, a function of how steel wool works means that it disintegrates into tiny pieces. But that isn't a big problem with windshields (one pad would suffice for a whole fleet of cars) and the "dust" is easily blown away, so no need to use water.