Hard Water Marks On The Windscreen

[Rimmer]

My GF likes to wash the new CRV in the blazing heat of the midday sun, that coupled to our water which is direct out of a tube well and probably quite hard has left a lot of I guess calcium deposit on the windscreen. At night it's so bad that it blurs the vision.

I've tried everything I know to get it off including: Windex with amonia, Mr. Muscle. and Magic clean. Dry cloths, wet cloths towels and polishing cloths and short of a new windscreen don't know what else to do. Anyone have any ideas?

[Gary A]

My GF likes to wash the new CRV in the blazing heat of the midday sun, that coupled to our water which is direct out of a tube well and probably quite hard has left a lot of I guess calcium deposit on the windscreen. At night it's so bad that it blurs the vision.

I've tried everything I know to get it off including: Windex with amonia, Mr. Muscle. and Magic clean. Dry cloths, wet cloths towels and polishing cloths and short of a new windscreen don't know what else to do. Anyone have any ideas?

There's a Thai bathroom cleaner called Duck. Use the regular Duck and not the Duck Pro. Get a rubber glove and a sponge to put it on. Let it set for 15 or 20 seconds and use a little elbow grease with a wet sponge to wash it off. I don't know if it will hurt paint because I never let it touch the paint. It WILL take off the water spots.

[Tywais]

There's a Thai bathroom cleaner called Duck. Use the regular Duck and not the Duck Pro.

Good suggestion. The cleaner (Duck) is intended for bathrooms and to remove deposits like your vehicle has.

[Rimmer]

My GF likes to wash the new CRV in the blazing heat of the midday sun, that coupled to our water which is direct out of a tube well and probably quite hard has left a lot of I guess calcium deposit on the windscreen. At night it's so bad that it blurs the vision.

I've tried everything I know to get it off including: Windex with amonia, Mr. Muscle. and Magic clean. Dry cloths, wet cloths towels and polishing cloths and short of a new windscreen don't know what else to do. Anyone have any ideas?

There's a Thai bathroom cleaner called Duck. Use the regular Duck and not the Duck Pro. Get a rubber glove and a sponge to put it on. Let it set for 15 or 20 seconds and use a little elbow grease with a wet sponge to wash it off. I don't know if it will hurt paint because I never let it touch the paint. It WILL take off the water spots.

Well thanks Mr G A I've been out there for the last half hour ducking and rubbing and it certainly has removed ninety percent of the spots.

I'm wondering if the last ten percent have somehow got burnt into the glass in the hot sun because the windscreen glass was still 'green' when she left it in the hot sun.

I'll take it for a test drive tonight and see if I can see where I am going now.

Thanks again, that's two in one day I owe you now.

Edited June 6, 2008 by Rimmer

[Cuban]

Vinegar or maybe lime juice straight from the fruit?

As above posts suggest - keep these liquids away from paint work (keep paint work wet with water before applying these mild acids?) - experiment in a discreet corner of the windscreen first?

Personally I would use a splash of vinegar on a screwed up sheet of old newspaper.

To avoid marking the glass - I would clean and remove all traces of sand/grit first.

Use a circular scrubbing motion with not too much pressure.

HTH

[Gary A]

My GF likes to wash the new CRV in the blazing heat of the midday sun, that coupled to our water which is direct out of a tube well and probably quite hard has left a lot of I guess calcium deposit on the windscreen. At night it's so bad that it blurs the vision.

I've tried everything I know to get it off including: Windex with amonia, Mr. Muscle. and Magic clean. Dry cloths, wet cloths towels and polishing cloths and short of a new windscreen don't know what else to do. Anyone have any ideas?

There's a Thai bathroom cleaner called Duck. Use the regular Duck and not the Duck Pro. Get a rubber glove and a sponge to put it on. Let it set for 15 or 20 seconds and use a little elbow grease with a wet sponge to wash it off. I don't know if it will hurt paint because I never let it touch the paint. It WILL take off the water spots.

Well thanks Mr G A I've been out there for the last half hour ducking and rubbing and it certainly has removed ninety percent of the spots.

I'm wondering if the last ten percent have somehow got burnt into the glass in the hot sun because the windscreen glass was still 'green' when she left it in the hot sun.

I'll take it for a test drive tonight and see if I can see where I am going now.

Thanks again, that's two in one day I owe you now.

My wife has a little bristle brush she uses to scrub the bottoms of her feet. I borrowed it and used it to scrub the last spots away. It did take some effort but they are totally gone. I cleaned the brush VERY well and returned it to the bathroom. She never noticed so I guess I did well.

[Naam]

My GF likes to wash the new CRV in the blazing heat of the midday sun, that coupled to our water which is direct out of a tube well and probably quite hard has left a lot of I guess calcium deposit on the windscreen. At night it's so bad that it blurs the vision.

I've tried everything I know to get it off including: Windex with amonia, Mr. Muscle. and Magic clean. Dry cloths, wet cloths towels and polishing cloths and short of a new windscreen don't know what else to do. Anyone have any ideas?

i have a similar problem. one of the cars which was hit by sprinklers for several weeks. nothing works to get the windshield clean by now i suspect some sort of etching because my well water has an extremely low pH. however i can't detect any etchings on the paint which should be much more vulnerable than the glass.

[Naam]

Vinegar or maybe lime juice straight from the fruit?

i even tried acid (diluted in several strengths). nothing doing!

[Cuban]

...suspect some sort of etching

If that is the case - try a car polish? Again experiment in a small corner. Edited June 6, 2008 by Cuban

[Naam]

...suspect some sort of etching

If that is the case - try a car polish? Again experiment in a small corner.

on glass?

[taxexile]

if all else fails , take your car to a car detailing /wash place that uses "meguirs" brand soaps and polishes , they have a whole range of products including glass cleaners that will solve your problem.

[Sojourner]

...suspect some sort of etching

If that is the case - try a car polish? Again experiment in a small corner.

on glass?

Yep, try white rubbing compound with a wet cloth. I've done it before for streaks left by worn wiper blades.

[Cuban]

on glass?

Indeed - use a small amount of polish, or even toothpaste, similar effect is achieved from the mild abrasive that each contains. Toothpaste has a slight advantage over polish in that without an oil content you simply rinse with water rather than having to de-grease the glass afterwards. Yes if you use a large amount of neat polish you may mark the glass - but you are already in that position. Experiment and using a sheet of plain paper behind the glass may help see if there is any marking.

I am out of touch with current car windscreen technologies, but one factor that may control whether it is wise to 'polish' the outside of a windscreen is any surface film that has been embeded or bonded onto the glass. There is (was) a method of layering an extremely thin layer on top of glass to reduce glare etc. I would expect that these days that any such optical layering would be emdeded with the multi layered structure that is todays glass/plastic composite windscreens.

[torrenova]

Went to Carrefour to buy this Duck cleaner today only to be met with a multitude of sub brands. The Pro you advise to avoid (ok but why ?) then their is the one something like Re-xidiser orwhatever. There is non pro toilet cleaner as well.

Didn't buy any and thought I'd confirm back here first.

[Gary A]

Went to Carrefour to buy this Duck cleaner today only to be met with a multitude of sub brands. The Pro you advise to avoid (ok but why ?) then their is the one something like Re-xidiser orwhatever. There is non pro toilet cleaner as well.

Didn't buy any and thought I'd confirm back here first.

The Duck Pro is stronger and I was worried enough with the regular Duck. Actually the Duck Pro may work better but I thought I'd leave well enough alone and just rub a little more.

ADDED - I didn't want to recommend anything that I didn't actually use myself.

Edited June 8, 2008 by Gary A

[Bagwain]

Vinegar or maybe lime juice straight from the fruit?

i even tried acid (diluted in several strengths). nothing doing!

1 to 10 Hydrochloric acid will work if it is recent deposits. If there for awhile then the iron in the water would have eaten into the glass and etched it. Then kaput!

Iron is the main culprit as it is in the ground water all over Asia especially Thailand. This is why the rice crop yeild is so high.

I do a lot of water filtration system for both houses and swimming pools and the best way of reducing the iron is by Zeolite filter media and an electronic water conditioner that I sell. Both are not cheap though.

[Rimmer]

Vinegar or maybe lime juice straight from the fruit?

i even tried acid (diluted in several strengths). nothing doing!

1 to 10 Hydrochloric acid will work if it is recent deposits. If there for awhile then the iron in the water would have eaten into the glass and etched it. Then kaput!

Iron is the main culprit as it is in the ground water all over Asia especially Thailand. This is why the rice crop yeild is so high.

I do a lot of water filtration system for both houses and swimming pools and the best way of reducing the iron is by Zeolite filter media and an electronic water conditioner that I sell. Both are not cheap though.

Ahh so that's it I know I have iron in the water, I can see it leeching out of the ground into my pond

If it's cleaned off straight away should be OK right?

[Naam]

Vinegar or maybe lime juice straight from the fruit?

i even tried acid (diluted in several strengths). nothing doing!

1 to 10 Hydrochloric acid will work if it is recent deposits. If there for awhile then the iron in the water would have eaten into the glass and etched it. Then kaput!

there's zero iron in my water. can water with a pH of 5.2 etch glass but leave the car lacquer intact?

[Naam]

I do a lot of water filtration system for both houses and swimming pools and the best way of reducing the iron is by Zeolite filter media and an electronic water conditioner that I sell. Both are not cheap though.

where are you located? i am planning to modify (not replace) my present filtration system which consists of two tanks (one charcoal and one resin). wife claims that the water stinks/smells when charcoal filter is not bypassed. resin softener works OK. after the monthly backwash i even have to partly bypass because water gets too soft. do you think it is possible to replace the charcoal with Zeolite and would the water quality benefit?

[FairwayJack]

My GF likes to wash the new CRV in the blazing heat of the midday sun, that coupled to our water which is direct out of a tube well and probably quite hard has left a lot of I guess calcium deposit on the windscreen. At night it's so bad that it blurs the vision.

I've tried everything I know to get it off including: Windex with amonia, Mr. Muscle. and Magic clean. Dry cloths, wet cloths towels and polishing cloths and short of a new windscreen don't know what else to do. Anyone have any ideas?

I have a circular impression left by the suction cup of a window shade on my windshield !! It was so hot one day that the safety glass coating melted around the cup. (Car was parked at the time. Shield was stuck on the windshield above steering wheel.) Now I must drive around with a circle smack dab in my forward field of vision. I post this so others don't make the same mistake !!

[chiang mai]

I posted on this subject some months ago and tried all the remedies suggested thus far plus a range of others. The eventual solution was to take the car to Honda where they offer a waxing service, once every three months for four years at a cost of 3,000 baht plus a per visit charge of 300 baht to cover the cost of wax. At the first visit they applied wax to the glass and used a slow speed hand buffer and all the stains disappeared. Easily the best solution and attempts to develop large arm muscles using a variety of chemicals is to be avoided at all costs.

[Naam]

I posted on this subject some months ago and tried all the remedies suggested thus far plus a range of others. The eventual solution was to take the car to Honda where they offer a waxing service, once every three months for four years at a cost of 3,000 baht plus a per visit charge of 300 baht to cover the cost of wax. At the first visit they applied wax to the glass and used a slow speed hand buffer and all the stains disappeared. Easily the best solution and attempts to develop large arm muscles using a variety of chemicals is to be avoided at all costs.

my Honda dealer in Pattaya recommended a new windshield.

[chiang mai]

I posted on this subject some months ago and tried all the remedies suggested thus far plus a range of others. The eventual solution was to take the car to Honda where they offer a waxing service, once every three months for four years at a cost of 3,000 baht plus a per visit charge of 300 baht to cover the cost of wax. At the first visit they applied wax to the glass and used a slow speed hand buffer and all the stains disappeared. Easily the best solution and attempts to develop large arm muscles using a variety of chemicals is to be avoided at all costs.

my Honda dealer in Pattaya recommended a new windshield.

Given the chemical beating you subjected the windshield to, including an acid wash, I'm surprised he didn't recommend a new car.

[ignis]

The best is a Spud..... cut in half and rub untill clear buff with a newspaper...

40 odd years ago the local garage always cleaned customers car windows with a Patato and newspaper..

[stingray]

I posted on this subject some months ago and tried all the remedies suggested thus far plus a range of others. The eventual solution was to take the car to Honda where they offer a waxing service, once every three months for four years at a cost of 3,000 baht plus a per visit charge of 300 baht to cover the cost of wax. At the first visit they applied wax to the glass and used a slow speed hand buffer and all the stains disappeared. Easily the best solution and attempts to develop large arm muscles using a variety of chemicals is to be avoided at all costs.

my Honda dealer in Pattaya recommended a new windshield.

If you living in Pattaya, you go see "Doctor Glass" in Lom Poh, on the way to Laem Chabang, when you drive from Bang Lamung to Laem Chabang, just after 2 Km where is the Bang lamung Rayong intersection, You not go Highway 36, just go straight. After 2 km You will see a single building on the right side. Withe board and red letters. "Doctor Glass" He have some cemical who works. Hee is a Thai, speaks english, because he living in California before. By the way i'll try the duck next time.

[Luckyknight]

Any acid based cleaner can help. Duck ok - but make sre it stays on the window.

Good luck

[Lancashirelad]

Putting car body polish on the rest of the car windows is good & will make the water run off better when it rains, but NEVER put it on the windscreen.

Try it.... then go out in the dark when its raining & see how much you can (can't!!) see. Now mind you don't crash.

Cars should never be washed or polished in bright sunlight...... and its an absolute no no for dark colours.

now where did i put that Ford Motor Co. used car pre-conditioning course certificate?

Edited June 13, 2008 by Lancashirelad

[snowgard]

I've the same problem. A friend from germany told me to use "Rinse Aid" for it. But I looked in a lot of shops in Pattaya and don't find it to buy.

It's just curios. I found some shops what sale dishwashers but not the detergents what you need. Crazy!!!

Someone have a idea where I can find it in Pattaya?

[elrey]

here in manila, i've seen some detail shops use what we call "ga-as" which i think is kerosene,

I've also seen them take an orbital sander with some rubbing compound on a very stained window, done very skillfully though,

worked great..

[MoonRiverOasis]

Putting car body polish on the rest of the car windows is good & will make the water run off better when it rains, but NEVER put it on the windscreen.

Try it.... then go out in the dark when its raining & see how much you can (can't!!) see. Now mind you don't crash.

..and it'll make your windscreen wipers screech and/or chatter.

Cars should never be washed or polished in bright sunlight...... and its an absolute no no for dark colours.

Somewhat agree

Cars should never be allowed to dry naturally (which will happen faster in direct sunlight), but there are some new polymer waxes/sealants that are fine for direct sunlight application. Not that you'd ever want to wash or wax a car in direct sunlight anyway of course