Windshield Clarity- Water is the Enemy

Windshield was replaced last week courtesy of the Toyota dealer. Had to wait for a good rain storm to hit GA to test out the clairty in low light. It rained this morning and the new windshield shows no signs of imperfections. The water sheds at highway speeds just like every other windshield I’ve had. Very happy with the results.

Thank you for all the helpful feedback.

*Updated the first post with products used and outcome.*

 

Thank you for the update!

So you say the water beads on the new windshield from the get go?

I did make an interesting discovery last night.
I cleaned the windshield with a magic eraser and alcohol. It got rid of the spots, but water would still sheet instead of bead. As soon as i ran the wipers, the spots returned. I then re cleaned with the magic eraser and got new wipers at walmart.

I also added the rain-x additive into the washer fluid.

I now have a clear beading windhshield. I am unsure if the rain x additive is giving me false results, ut after changing the blades, the spots never returned.

If it gets bad again, I will go demand a new windshield lol.

 

I had this exact same issue. Got a cracked windshield maybe 6 months after i got the truck and got it replaced with OEM glass. But, this replacement did exactly as you said and it was VERY hard to see out of. So i called the glass company and they sent someone out to look at it. They cleaned the glass with some special stuff and then we dropped water on it as a test, it acted the same way. the water spreads out into a large circle and does not bead off. So they agreed to replace it again with another OEM. The new replacement was perfect and didnt have this issue. I would keep getting it replaced until you get a good piece of glass. its a big safety issue

 

So strange. This makes my OCD trigger. If you guys are getting different results with new glass, then im going to remove any rainx on my windshield and run straight water through my washer. I need to go prove how big of a safety hazard it is at the dealer. I clearly have one of the bad winshields since uncoated its undriveable in medium rain.

 

@Dacon you are an imbecile !!

 

***
What did I do?

 

Sounds like maybe these guys are dealing with defective glass, but I agree that Aquapel is definitely a superior product vs. Rain-x, etc...
I clean, clay bar, clean, then Aquapel every six months. I find it to be fantastic for about $4/application. Only issues is that it can haze bad if you don't work fast.

 

Yes, this was a huge saftey concern and made driving at night almost impossible. With the new windshield the rainfall cleans off leaving no source of film or residue.

The water now beads up and actually rolls off the windshield while driving at speed.

I truly believe no product will fix this issue since it’s originating from how the glass is made. The cerium oxide I used in my early attempts is an abrasive powder that polishes, and it didn’t make any noticeable difference.

I went ahead and replaced the wipers when they swapped windshields to elimainte any potential contamination from any of the other products I used in my cleaning attempts. Anyone experimenting with such a wide variety of chemicals may want to do the same.

 

Get a good coating on there. If not, clean the glass well and use rainx.