What's wrong with my windows? Are they damaged by detailer?

What's wrong with my windows? Are they damaged by detailer?

Author
Discussion

DarkVeil

Original Poster:

146 posts

24 months

Sunday 15th September
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So I had a ceramic coating applied to my car by a detailer, but the coating was too thick on the windows and causing some glare.

I had a second detailer remove the coating, (he used something similar to a rotary polisher) but since then the windows have not performed the same as before the ceramic coating was applied.

When driving in the wet, water on the windscreen gets smudged by the wipers, and the wipers also shake as if they are struggling to move across the windscreen, almost as if the surface isn't smooth enough for them to operate properly (new wiper blades didn't make a difference).

The side windows also don't cleanly dispel water like they did before, water droplets just accumulate on the window so visibility when driving in the wet has worsened.

Did the second detailer scratch up the glass so it is no longer a smooth surface?

I'm not sure what steps to take to fix this. I just want my car to be how it was before any of these people touched it.

normalbloke

7,703 posts

226 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
New windscreen. Then put nothing on it, apart from a dose of cleanliness.

DarkVeil

Original Poster:

146 posts

24 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
normalbloke said:
New windscreen. Then put nothing on it, apart from a dose of cleanliness.
So it's permanently damaged?

ChocolateFrog

28,557 posts

180 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
Some of the professional grades of ceramic coating need sanding off if something has gone wrong with the application, a polish won't be enough.

mike9009

7,577 posts

250 months

Sunday 15th September
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I would try claying, followed by a glass polish a few times.


https://www.autoglym.com/car-glass-polish-500ml.ht...


zsdom

1,128 posts

127 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
New wipers, the original coater may have put a layer on the blades

It’ll be worth giving your glass a tborough clean too, when I had my screen replaced there was still glue residue which was only visible when wet or in low sunlight, I used IPA, clay & a glass polish (Soft 99 Glaco glass compound) & it’s clean as a whistle

What glass coating was originally applied?

Downward

4,046 posts

110 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
Hate the stuff. You shouldn’t need anything on windows but new wiper blades every few years and use stuff like bilt hamber trace less to clean them and the blades.

Any coating or treatment seems to always leave a mark where the wiper stops just off centre of the screen.

normalbloke

7,703 posts

226 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
Downward said:
Hate the stuff. You shouldn’t need anything on windows but new wiper blades every few years and use stuff like bilt hamber trace less to clean them and the blades.

Any coating or treatment seems to always leave a mark where the wiper stops just off centre of the screen.
This. In all my motoring career, I’ve only ever used good wiper blades, good screen wash (Decosol) and very occasionally given the glass and blades a clean with meths if something apocalyptic has got onto them.

DarkVeil

Original Poster:

146 posts

24 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
ChocolateFrog said:
Some of the professional grades of ceramic coating need sanding off if something has gone wrong with the application, a polish won't be enough.
So in that case would the problem be that some of the ceramic still remains, but not as a smooth surface. but the windows underneath are undamaged?

DarkVeil

Original Poster:

146 posts

24 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
zsdom said:
New wipers, the original coater may have put a layer on the blades

It’ll be worth giving your glass a tborough clean too, when I had my screen replaced there was still glue residue which was only visible when wet or in low sunlight, I used IPA, clay & a glass polish (Soft 99 Glaco glass compound) & it’s clean as a whistle

What glass coating was originally applied?
I already changed the wipers, I didn't make a difference.

I'm not sure if a different coating was used on the glass than on the paintwork, but I believe it was called Cquartz

Edited by DarkVeil on Sunday 15th September 19:30

Belle427

9,735 posts

240 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
Give it a thorough clean with some ipa as suggested, if its still bad after that return it to the first detailer with your concerns. Ideally you should have returned to him first.

zsdom

1,128 posts

127 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
DarkVeil said:
zsdom said:
New wipers, the original coater may have put a layer on the blades

It’ll be worth giving your glass a tborough clean too, when I had my screen replaced there was still glue residue which was only visible when wet or in low sunlight, I used IPA, clay & a glass polish (Soft 99 Glaco glass compound) & it’s clean as a whistle

What glass coating was originally applied?
I already changed the wipers, I didn't make a difference.

I'm not sure if a different coating was used on the glass than on the paintwork, but I believe it was called Cquartz

Edited by DarkVeil on Sunday 15th September 19:30
Ah, if they’ve used Carpro Cquartz, it specifically says not for the windscreen https://carpro.global/catalog/cquartz-lite/

I’d be finding out if they have PLI & look to claim for a new screen, some coatings need sanding off & polishing, no chance to do that well on glass

A paintwork coating adds a few microns of thickness on top of your lacquer which is why you see leftover product crystalise whereas a glass coating is different & more like a wax & will degrade over a shorter time

DarkVeil

Original Poster:

146 posts

24 months

Sunday 15th September
quotequote all
zsdom said:
Ah, if they’ve used Carpro Cquartz, it specifically says not for the windscreen https://carpro.global/catalog/cquartz-lite/

I’d be finding out if they have PLI & look to claim for a new screen, some coatings need sanding off & polishing, no chance to do that well on glass

A paintwork coating adds a few microns of thickness on top of your lacquer which is why you see leftover product crystalise whereas a glass coating is different & more like a wax & will degrade over a shorter time
If that's the case then what is exactly wrong with the glass?

zsdom

1,128 posts

127 months

Monday 16th September
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DarkVeil said:
zsdom said:
Ah, if they’ve used Carpro Cquartz, it specifically says not for the windscreen https://carpro.global/catalog/cquartz-lite/

I’d be finding out if they have PLI & look to claim for a new screen, some coatings need sanding off & polishing, no chance to do that well on glass

A paintwork coating adds a few microns of thickness on top of your lacquer which is why you see leftover product crystalise whereas a glass coating is different & more like a wax & will degrade over a shorter time
If that's the case then what is exactly wrong with the glass?
Pretty much the same as if you’d spray you screen with lacqeur

Summit_Detailing

2,007 posts

200 months

Tuesday 17th September
quotequote all
Take it back to the original detailer and ask them to remove the coating - this will typically involve cerium oxide glass polish used via a dual action polisher, or by hand if they want a proper workout!

Cheers,

Chris

normalbloke

7,703 posts

226 months

Tuesday 17th September
quotequote all
Summit_Detailing said:
Take it back to the original detailer and ask them to remove the coating - this will typically involve cerium oxide glass polish used via a dual action polisher, or by hand if they want a proper workout!

Cheers,

Chris
Which almost always will change the optics of the glass.

Summit_Detailing

2,007 posts

200 months

Wednesday 18th September
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normalbloke said:
Which almost always will change the optics of the glass.
Yes, quite possibly if used with rayon pads.

However, the product used with a normal foam machine pad is perfectly adequate to remove a coating and/or deep clean glass.

Cheers.