Another Newbie Question

[meandmyprs]

I am a long time reader (lurker) on the board but really have had nothing to contribute to this point. Now that I have my new rig I have a question. There are some spots on the tinted side windows from hard water that dried on them. I have tried to work them off using various chemicals but was curious if anyone has figured out the secret of getting rid of them. I am thinking you need some kind of rubbing compound and a buffer to get after them but I thought I would ask the Pro's. I Look forward to being able to not only continue reading but contribute if I can in the future. This is a great site and it has been a tremendous resource for me as I educate myself on this complex machine.

[Five-O]

Rain X is a good choice. The use of vinegar is another. Also some companies sell products for just this. Tell us about your new bus.http://www.autogeek.net/waterspots.html Here is one company that has a product that might interest you.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

It might be acid rain has etched the windows. Somewhere someone on this forum had a thread on polishing it out.

I have the condition on my windows.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

I am a long time reader (lurker) on the board but really have had nothing to contribute to this point. Now that I have my new rig I have a question. There are some spots on the tinted side windows from hard water that dried on them. I have tried to work them off using various chemicals but was curious if anyone has figured out the secret of getting rid of them. I am thinking you need some kind of rubbing compound and a buffer to get after them but I thought I would ask the Pro's. I Look forward to being able to not only continue reading but contribute if I can in the future. This is a great site and it has been a tremendous resource for me as I educate myself on this complex machine.

Cerium oxide, a little water on a pad, and a lot elbow grease are what you need.

There are several posts on the subject, but if I remember correctly, no one was perfectly happy with the results.

If you are going to try this I would experiment on a scrap piece of comparable glass. (maybe obtained at an auto recycling yard, or body shop)
Never having tried it, I do think the poor results were due to insufficent pressure and perhaps speed.
The process is bound to be messy, so prepare yourself for that.
Work in a cool shaded area!
When the compound runs down the bus don't let it dry onto the paint. Flush it off with copious amounts of water or you may dull your paint with rubbing.
Cerium oxide is used in the glass and mirror industry for polishing glass, and the optical and jewelry industries for polishing lens and jewels.

The first link tells what cerium is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerium(IV)_oxide

The second link tells about polishing and follow along in that site for purchasing the product.

http://www.facetingmachines.com/polishing_glass.shtml

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[truk4u]

Meandmyprs,

Great that you now have a bus and glad your out from behind the weeds. Tell us what you have and how you like it.

Most of us have the same problem your asking about and I haven't found anything that worked.

Keep posting, maybe we'll find a cure..

[garyde]

Welcome Me & Myprevo. I posted some time ago the same querry. Never found anything great to use and just moved on. I do clean my glass with the 'wipeout product' and they look good but I have not found a way to remove the spots. If Vinegar & warm water won't do it, consult a autoglass company. Let us know what you turn up.

[jack14r]

welcome me and my prevost,I am a mirror manufacturer and i had this same issue with my first coach.I have tried several products and none of them performed very well.I have found that Duragloss nuglass mixed with a high grade cerium with a slow rpm buffer with a wool pad works very well.it took about 5 hours per window to get rid of the spots on that coach.I will be able to send you some cerium if you pm me.this is a job that takes a lot of muscle with the buffer but the results are worth it.

[VegasDogMan]

Ted Patterson from WipeOut came over to my coach one day and demonstrated the process for removing the spots on my windows.

He did an 8" x 8" area on one window using a polishing compound along with some white 3M type abrasive pads on a buffer. He made the process look easy so I bought the polish, pads, polishing ball and some other stuff from him.

When I got around to doing the windows for myself I found I had poor results, made a mess, had no patience because I saw no significant improvement.

I now have more "stuff" than I need and also still have spots on my windows.

[dalej]

Lee....PRICELESS!

[Jim_Scoggins]

Hell, I guess we just tell everyone it's a special Prevost window.