I noticed in a thread about replacing the door window guide pads that one contributor remarked he was polishing out the scratches in his side windows. None of the local auto supply places around here know what he's talking about. I know amateur astronomers, in the Olde Days, ground and polished their own glass surfaces using progressively smaller sizes of abrasive grit, and rouge for the final polishing, so the idea of getting rid of scratches in windows is certainly believable. So . . who knows how to do this on tempered glass auto windows? Like, you know, all the Fiero side windows out there that, like my passenger side, have been scratched by the worn-out guides?

That would be nice. I'm very much interested in that too..

If you can feel the scratch with your finger nail then no you can't polish it out,in most instances you wont be able to polish it out.Light haze on glass can be polished,scratches so small they look like a spiders thread probubly can.
Heres an interesting link on various aspects of polishing.Scroll down to Glass Polishing Kit.
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm
Products here:
http://www.google.com/produ...&oi=froogle&ct=title

Try Eastwood

http://www.eastwoodco.com/j...010&itemType=PRODUCT

I have used this:
http://www.gtglass.com/product_detail/161.html

To remove a scratch that you could feel with your fingernail from the windshield of our BMW. (The wiper ripped and the arm scratched the glass.)
I have not tried it on the Fiero yet as I don't have the new pads yet and I plan on restoring the doors this winter. (dew wipes, pads, seals, etc.) I just got the glass scratch repair kit a few months ago. If you follow instructions it seems to work great. The only spot on our BMW that you can see is where the arm stopped near the bottom of the windshield. I think this spot was a little deeper than the rest of the scratches were. But the rest of it came out great. They do warn you not to try and remove a small spot as it will change the optics of the glass. Based on what I removed, It should be able to take out many of the scratches on the side windows. My driver side isn't bad so I should be able to get them all. My passenger side does have 2 or 3 nasty ones and I would guess that they will not come all the way out.

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Happiness isn't around the corner...
Happiness IS the corner.
ZZ4 Powered !!

We have aftermarket quarter windows. I used regular rubbing compound from the parts store. I used the finest grit I could find. I think the previous owner must have gone to the dragstrip and they put shoe polish on the quarter windows. There were still remnants of white as well as scratches from where they had removed some of the white. I used a mother's power ball. When it looked clean I switched to a polish that had finer grit in it. It took a long time but the results were good. The windows still looked swirly sometimes if the light hit it just right but I think more polishing would fix that. I did the same thing with the tail lights. They came out fabulous.

Thanks for the URLs! It looks like there are several options, the most likely using progressively finer grit and final polishing just like the old time telescope mirror makers.

Maybe I could grind in my eyeglasses Rx into the windshield, and never turn my head left or right while driving . . .

This topic seems to pop up frequently.

The door glass is TEMPERED glass. Harder than the gates of Hades.
You can't polish out significant scratches in them worth a damn.
The windshield is not tempered glass. It's DOT safety laminated glass, (thin sheets of plastic in the middle)
Minor scratches in the windshield *can* be polished out successfully.

Oops - learn to read! Door windows... I misread.

quote Originally posted by randye: This topic seems to pop up frequently. The door glass is TEMPERED glass. Harder than the gates of Hades. You can't polish out significant scratches in them worth a damn. The windshield is not tempered glass. It's DOT safety laminated glass, (thin sheets of plastic in the middle) Minor scratches in the windshield *can* be polished out successfully.

Crap, that sucks. And I was hoping I could get the scratches out. :-(


I saw some on a Lamborghini Miura today though. (Monterey, CA Exotic Car Auctions) Now I don't feel so bad. If a Miura has scraches (from worn pads I assume) then it's liveable...

before i started buying stuff, out of curiosity i'd make a few calls to mobile glass repair services. it only cost $189 to replace my windshield - i wonder how much to replace door window glass ?

quote Originally posted by PaulJK: before i started buying stuff, out of curiosity i'd make a few calls to mobile glass repair services. it only cost $189 to replace my windshield - i wonder how much to replace door window glass ?

I'll confess that before I learned better, I tried polishing out scratches in my door glass. I tried Cerium Oxide and some other industrial polishing abrasives. After many hours of work and distorting the optical quality of the glass until it was like looking into a fun house mirror, I finally got wise to the fact I was fighting tempered glass and purchased new door glass. I paid $100 each for new PPG door glass and installed them myself.
Never did get the major scratches out of the old door glass. It's wishful thinking as far as I'm concerned.

Glass is much cheeper,if you install it your self.It's the labor that realley jacks up the price, or you can find a better door at the wrecking yard,swap it over,then put your old door skin on.

Yes you can grind out deep scratches in front or side, tempored or not. It's the 3 T's . The right Tools, the right Technique and unough Time to do it right.

The deep scratch kit from eastwood is what your looking for.
http://www.eastwoodco.com/s...DUCT&iProductID=2024

The pads are embedded with diamond grit.

I've done my drivers side when I replaced the door skin, but I did'nt take any pictures of the process. When I do the passenger side I'll document it.

Getting out the finger nail deep scratches requires you to remove that much glass as wide as the disk. The course disk makes surprising quick work of it. You will spent the bulk of your time grinding and polishing the frost out.

If you can find good clean glass for $100 or less per side, do it. If you can't, spend an afternoon polishing.

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yellow 88 GT, not stock
white 88 notchie, 4 banger

So it is possible? The reason I am asking, I was going to polish mine when I redo my dew wipes but after reading this thread???
Is there a source where I can get new glass for both sides and be done with it?

Let's start a new thread titled, "The myth of good clean side glass for under $100 with free shipping"

Sorry, I could not help myself.

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yellow 88 GT, not stock
white 88 notchie, 4 banger

it sounds good: Glass Polishing Kit - ZX132455R - $29.99(www.jcwhitney.com)

* Saves money! Eliminates costly glass replacements
* Everything you need (except tools) to restore glass to like-new condition

Fast, easy, professional-looking results. Includes approx. 3” diam., 1-1/2” thick polishing wheel with a 1-1/2”L 1/4” mandrel for use with your variable-speed drill or other low-speed rotary tools, 8 oz. jar of polishing powder (enough for approx. 25 windshields) and instructions.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 4 out of 5
Scratch be Gone!, November 26, 2006
By StevenR from Murfreesboro, TN (read all my reviews) (read all my reviews)
Ease of Use/Installation: 4 out of 5 4 out of 5
Features: 4 out of 5 4 out of 5
Quality/Construction: 5 out of 5 5 out of 5

"During a rainstorm on the interstate I was forced to use my windshield wipers one of which I had known to be bad. After my arrival home I was very displeased to have a nice arch engraved into the glass. I had been familiar with this product having time to time read my JC Whitney catalog page by page. I ordered the product and needless to say I no longer have to frown in dismay when viewing the road ahead of me and it was a pretty good scratch that I removed. My advice, a little patience, persistance and Formax should yield a happy result. I am buying another kit only because I have misplaced the first I bought 2 years ago. My only misgiving about this product is the cost, although the quality is great. It made my 2000 Cougar and I happy."

Please share your personal experience with us.