Do you have suction cup marks??

Vinegar or a mild citric acid solution should do the trick.

 

I wonder if the OP has removed the suction cup marks from 4 years ago

 

Still have them on my 12 with 60k miles and no less than several dozen inside/outside glass cleanings but only visible with just the perfect amount of moisture on it. Even get the ID tag from when it was shipped from Mexico in the upper left corner when the inside fogs up. Just turn on the defrost and all go away fine.

 

I have not read all the posts ... but YES ... friggin' marks on my '14 ... I thought it was only me.

 

Lol, thanks to whoever bumped this back up. This explains the marks on my front and one of my back windows, thx!

Time to find the vinegar..

 

I had this problem as well when the truck was new. I tried various cleaners to no avail, then I polished the windshield with this:

$86 3M Glass Polishing Compound, 60150

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Glass-Pol...3&sr=8-1&keywords=3m+glass+polishing+compound

I originally bought this polish for a couple of my older cars I was restoring. I suggest using a buffer as it does take some work but it WILL remove the suction cup marks. It's also good to use every few years, it's surprising how much "haze" is on a windshield especially if you live in an environment where there is a lot of wind-whipped sand.

 

White vinegar should do the trick

 

Probably the most aggressive thing you can try for this is a product called Ceriglass. It's ceramic oxide in a liquid carrier that you work in with a brillo type pad on a orbital or rotary polisher. It will literally polish away the outside layer of the glass to reveal a fresh surface, but you have to follow it up with progressively finer polishes or you'll have swirl marks that won't ever go away.

 

What are some progressively finer polishing brands?

 

Duragloss makes a glass polish that is the "next step" and finishes nicely. You WILL need a rotary polisher to make any of this work correctly, though.

 

Have you had to correct your windows?

 

Yes. All of the windows had "water spots" that only appear when the glass is wet, but aren't visible when dry. Despite what everyone says, this is not normal and is due to how the glass is stored at the factory or plant. I assume it is left outside and repeated mist/dry/mist/dry cycles from weather basically etches the glass. You'll know you have this if you wet the glass and the water beads on it -- this is because the surface of the glass is etched in such a way that water can "cling" to individual spots. What you want instead is for the glass to be so clean and smooth that water literally sheets off of it and dries crystal clear. My past vehicles were like this, which is why I know that Toyota is doing something wrong.

I've tried "cleaning it" with alcohol, acetone, mineral spirits, barkeeper's friend, and a clay bar, but nothing touches it. The only thing that has worked is Ceriglass polish + glass polishing pad + Flex rotary polisher + lots of time and attention. The ceramic polish will cut the etching down, but will leave behind micro marring, which you have to finish up with a lighter polish.

You can't use normal paint polishes on glass because the abrasives in them aren't strong enough against glass.

 

This maybe?

 

Has anyone mentioned 0000 steel wool? If so, sorry for missing it. I use is to clean my windows and seems to do a damn good job. Look it up. Prolly wouldn't use it on the inside if there is tint. I use it either with glass cleaner (auto grade aerosol can type), or with car soap and water when washing, just keep everything wet. Hard water spots are the devil out here in the desert... it also gets random gunk off the glass that wont come off with normal washing/cleaning. I really haven't had any issues with suction cup marks, but hopefully this tip with worth something.

 

I work at a steel mill and the fallout from the smoke stacks etched all my windows, ive tried barkeepers, scratched a bit with a razor and also a gritty dishes pad, so i need to get the mild scratches out as well as the bad etching. i have ceri glass and a carpro rayon pad for my portal cable. ill look into nu-glass also. do you suggest a rayon pad for the final polish also?

 

Yikes, yeah so you know a thing or two about etching. LOL

For the final polish, I think I went with a heavy foam buffing pad. For both the ceriglass and the final finish, I used a backing plate meant for 4" pads. The backing plate itself was just the right size for the 3" rayon pads you're looking at (https://www.amazon.com/Rayon-Glass-...rd_wg=PVgg2&psc=1&refRID=14AWXSMD5MBJP3MN339X).

And here is the buffing pad kit similar to the one I used: https://www.amazon.com/Ninth-City-C...TF8&qid=1480913803&sr=8-10&keywords=4+buffing

Just be aware that these circular polishers can't get into nooks and crannies, so get ready to finger buff those areas until you're dying from exhaustion.

So to summarize:

1. Clean glass
2. Use ceriglass with rayon pad + small backing plate with rotary polisher. Buff until etching is gone, which you can check periodically using a very wet microfiber towel (the water will sheet/pool when you have removed etching).
3. Wipe off all ceriglass, dry
4. Apply nu-glass on heavy cutting foam pad with rotary polisher. Use LED flash light to inspect for micro marring, and polish until all marring gone.
5. Wipe off all nu glass, dry.

Your porter cable..assuming its a dual action, may not generate enough heat to break down the ceriglass. Give it a shot on speed 6, though. If you aren't seeing results, try a corded drill, or you can snag one of those harbor freight rotary polishers on discount.

Also, if you care about your rubber window trim, mask it off with tape because the polisher will eat it up during this process.

 

Thank you sir