the previous owner of the new 4runner i purchased used an abrasive material causing little scratch swirls on all the windows! its totally lame. The good thing about them is that they are very minor and not too deep...


Does anyone have any advice on polishing glass? or has anyone ever removed and scratches from their own windows?

thanks

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if you can feel the gouges with your fingernail polishing wont do anything. if you cant get something called cerium oxide and form a paste and polish away. it might be easier to source windows off a junkyard or scraps yard.

I've seen some stuff on the inter-webs where people do super bad etched glass like the graffiti you sometimes see on business store fronts...

and they polished the thing back to perfect! I just didn't see them do tempered glass which is actually much stronger... so i feel like the same method would work with the right compound

I know of a pretty simple process that should help out a lot.


1. Contact previous owner.
2. Ask for their address.
3. Drive to previous owner's address.
4. Knock on door.
5. Greet previous owner.
6. Slap previous owner across the face.
7. Walk away.

I'm a master glass tech of 20yrs.. you can polish a windshield or any non-tempered piece. In your case every piece of glass but the windshield is tempered (as is the case with most cars). So in short.. nothing you do will make much of a diff short of changing them out; some products may seem to work but after all of your effort you'll find it did nothing, feel free to give it a shot tho! but remember.. Its tempered glass.

lol. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

PLEASE. does anyone have any more helpful suggestions to window scuffs/scratches. Has N E 1 ever had their windshield wiper scratch their windshield or any other experience regarding glass scuffs???

oh man..

this is really upsetting. there is seriously nothing that can be done? why is tempered glass un-able to be polished after a scratch?

thanks for the response

Here's some useful advise ..... either replace the glass through a replacement company (not that expensive) or learn to replace it yourself and then go pickup an intact window from a junk yard. Most used 4Runners, even when 15+ years do not have glass issues like that. My windows are fine and my truck is 97.


Lol ...

You can use something such as this:
CarPro Ceriglass Glass Polish 150 ml : Amazon.com : Automotive

...but it needs to be used with a rotary buffer and by someone who has experience with such. If you have any local detailers in your area, call and ask them. Even include pics.

If you can feel the scratches with your fingernail, pony up for a new piece of glass.

The compound is made of cerium oxide powder, it has a chemical rxn with the glass. Its mentioned again in the alternative to just buying powder from @LittleCaesar

already have two front side windows from junk yard for $35 each!
however, theses have problems of their own which may be worse.
the pic at the top of the thread is a NON OEM window. all other windows are factory toyota. the factory toyota ones have less intense swirls but can still be seen up close. i CANNOT however catch my fingernail on it so i really wanted to try a time/little elbow grease with this:

Glass Scratch Removal & Glass Scratch Repair | Glass Technology, Inc.


Thoughts?

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Because tempered glass is strong-very strong.. its heat treated to align molecules into a pattern giving it resistance to breaking. However, in cars it must break under sudden impact situations giving a passenger a possible escape after a crash.. meeting atleast AS-1 standards.
Doing this makes the glass easily scratched or broken by certain materials.. (ie; steel wool = scatches and porcelin = shatter) but thats usually OK because certainly noone is going to tap it with a toilet or scrub it in the sink.. right?
but after they do, you'd have to get the molocules to realign correctly to remove a scratch.. plate glass has a very random molecular alignment, making it "polishable" but even that will always leave a distortion..
thats the short of it..

thanks for that response. without fully comprehending, it sounds like replacing all the windows is the [B]obvious[B] solution??

my next concern is how to replace the the rear hatch area windows?? those look impossible to replace!