Car question
 

Has anyone ever tried getting those tiny little scratches from years of windshield wiper use buffed out? Our car is getting old, but it's running great. Only complaint I have with it is that the windshield is a little hard to see through when the sun is low. There are no deep scratches, just the hazy looking fine scratches from washing a dirty windshield with the wiper blades.

How much does buffing it out cost? Does it work? Is it something you can do yourself?

1) Be sure you have full glass coverage on your insurance policy.
2) Call your insurance company and say you need a new windshield because you can no longer see out of the old one.
Depending on your company, they will have no problem with this. If they do, hit the window with a ball pein hammer and tell them a rock flew off a truck tire w/o mudflaps.

Imagining glatt as Gary Cooper in The Fountainhead: "NOW it's broken and needs to be replaced." ha ha ha

I am noticing the glare formt he scratches on the Focus windshield at the moment, i think it's the low sun when I drive.

back in the UK we had an old car and once it got a chip and the repair guy said a repair is free, a whole new windhshileld is 50 quid deductable.
I went with a whole new screen and thought it was well worth it.

I just had a chip repaired on the Focus so asked about it, apparently the deductible for a replacemnt is $250 :(, my agent said if it needed it they could recommend local shops that would probably do it cheaper and not go through the insurance. :eek:

You should check your company and see if they offer full glass coverage. There should be no deductible. Full glass coverage is usually only about $50/yr but may only be available if you carry comprehensive coverage.

I'm pretty sure this car is so old we got rid of the insurance except for liability.

I see kits for buffing windows with an abrasive compound for like $50. Anyone ever use one? Unfortunately, I don't have a compressor set-up, so air tools don't do anything for me. I can't use one.

I buffed out headlight lenses with a corded drill and attachment that was $20. I used fiberglass rubbing compound. I know its a different surface material, but was just sharing that experience.

The "kit" we bought to do the headlights didn't work at all.

A pro may be able to do it properly, but the people I've seen people try the abrasive compounds, all ended up with distortions.
I've found it easier to just run into Philly, and have them pop in a new one for $160.

Another tack might be to fill the scratches with something that has a similar refractive index. Canada Balsam is used to cement lens elements together, so as long as you only use your car in nice weather...

What about rainx?

I heard that! :mad:

I got my oil changed, and they reccommend I replace my tires. They're 2 years/20000 miles old. It seems soon; the car manual says there should be annual checks after five years.

But maybe the tires were low quality when new, or the snow last winter took a toll, or my driving style uses them up. I have noticed they squeal on one sharp turn on my commute even if I'm driving 15mph.

sounds like you need to put air in them. Thats very common with the weather change after a long hot summer.

I've been doing that... a lot. The tire pressure light goes on with every temperature change and more, and I had one pressure sensor replaced when it had a slow leak itself (according to the garage, who couldn't find any other leaks). The dealer says they "reset" the sensor, so maybe it was the computer instead of the tires.

But I have been keeping them full.

Are you checking them with one of these?
http://www.2carpros.com/how_does_it_...sure_gauge.jpg

Yeah.