Steel wool and your auto glass.

13669 Views 17 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Ten*K, Apr 1, 2014

Ten*K

Discussion Starter · Aug 28, 2013

Hello all. Time for another tip for car care.

#0000 Steel Wool. This stuff should be in your automotive care supply kit. Most especially if you have a vehicle that is left out in the elements. You can buy this product at Home Depot or even online. You will also need a quality glass cleaner, or in severe cases, a 1:10 CLR & distilled water solution.

Why do you need this? Those water spots that don't ever seem to go away on your car windows... that spotty film that the wipers cant clear and make your windshield into a giant vision blurring cataract, that's why. A cloth or paper towel just can't remove the mineral build up causing those scab-like distortions.

How do you do this? Simple. You spray the exterior window surface liberally with glass cleaner (or on to a clean towel if using CLR), then using a very light even pressure, you work the steel wool in small circles as if you are applying a wax. The #0000 grade wool is extremely fine and soft, and will not damage your windows at all, but has enough scuff to slough off those filthy mineral barnacles that have inhabited your otherwise pristine vehicle.

My Q is in need of this service, and it spent most of it's time in the dealer showroom. I would take pictures, but it is extremely difficult to capture these mineral stains on camera. More than likely, you know exactly what I'm talking about, anyway. One bag of wool is enough for about two dozen cars, and for about $5 and 20 minutes of elbow grease, you can enjoy absolute clarity in your vehicle. I will be treating mine this weekend, and I hope some of you will unite with me in my cause to stamp out the "mineral menace"!

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Reactions: 5

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Q50Aggie

· #2 · Aug 28, 2013

Wow, cool, -- I head no idea.

JR69

· #3 · Aug 28, 2013

You can also claybar, and polish your glass.

Reactions: 3

cvipgo

· #4 · Aug 28, 2013

JR69 said:
You can also claybar, and polish your glass.

but #0000 Steel Wool works much better and helps remove fine pits also.

JR69

· #5 · Aug 28, 2013

cvipgo said:
but #0000 Steel Wool works much better and helps remove fine pits also.

Well of course I'm going to have to try that next time. I am always looking for cheap solutions.

Here is the perfect wheel cleaner.

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Q'ed up

· #6 · Sep 19, 2013

Wow!!! Thank you! My maxima has 10 years worth of that sh!t... I had no idea till now how to get rid of it. Thanks again!

Ten*K

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 19, 2013

Q'ed up said:
Wow!!! Thank you! My maxima has 10 years worth of that sh!t... I had no idea till now how to get rid of it. Thanks again!

Just be sure to do section at a time, and wipe it clean while the area is still wet. I found that there are some mineral removing polishing cremes, but I haven't used any. I found that my wife's 2007, which is not garaged daily, still has some shadow stain even after cleaning... so I may give the creme a go. However, the shadow stain is only visible when the glass is wet.

brianch

· #8 · Sep 19, 2013

Never used steel wool. I've used a razor blade. Used a claybar. Even polished my glass.

All of them work well

Rayz

· #9 · Sep 19, 2013

I used steel wool before and it works great, i even used it in combination with a razor and claybay, what ever works to get the glass smooth and imperfection free again!

SnowItch

· #10 · Oct 28, 2013

cvipgo said:
but #0000 Steel Wool works much better and helps remove fine pits also.

I would suggest against using the Steel Wool. I used it on another car (not the Q50), with a polishing product that stated it worked with steel wool, and it created very tiny (only visible in bright sunlight) scratches in the glass.

Stick with the windows clay and polishes. They do the same thing without the possibility of scratching the glass.

Here is a discussion on steel wool on the autogeek.net forum. Mike Phillips (who I consider one of the most knowledgeable people on auto detailing recommends against it, and I have seldom seen him wrong.

Using 0000 steel wool on windshield - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

Of course, it is your choice, but if you scratch your glass, you've been warned...

Reactions: 1

Ten*K

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 29, 2013

Interesting... but this has not ever occured on any vehicle I've ever done it to. It works just fine on the Q's glass. Perhaps some of the older coated glass might have issues, but it's a non issue today.

brianch

· #12 · Oct 29, 2013

Well the thing is. What are you trying to remove with the steel wool?

Dirt? Because a claybar and polish will work just as well and likely leave a smoother surface.

One thing 0000 wool does work well in cleaning is exhaust tips.

Team_STILLEN

· #13 · Feb 22, 2014

I've used rubbing compound in the past to remove pesky water spots and mineral stains from glass and paint. Probably takes way more elbow grease than the steel wool. I will have to pick some up

bova80

· #14 · Feb 22, 2014

I use steel wool with rubbing compound to shine exhaust tips.

Sinecure

· #15 · Feb 22, 2014

We use this sometimes if cars have tons of crap on the windows (new or used). Very, very light pressure and lubricant is the key.

Q50NY

· #16 · Apr 1, 2014

There is a TechTalk article on Nissan/Infiniti's TSB site about steel wool.

From time to time you may encounter a windshield that appears to have deposits or material on the surface that has damaged the windshield. Foreign material on the windshield surface is not a warrantable condition. Windshield "foreign material" that is on the surface of the glass in some cases can be cleaned off with a very particular type and grade of steel wool. Most any foreign material on the surface of the windshield can be cleaned off by using #0000 super fine steel wool. The #0000 grade super fine steel wool can be found in most hardware stores.

Reactions: 1

Klamalama

· #17 · Apr 1, 2014

Q50NY said:
There is a TechTalk article on Nissan/Infiniti's TSB site about steel wool.

Is that Stainless steel wool (if there is such a thing)?

Have had no experience with this, but I think that I would not want steel wool residue anywhere near my paint.

Ten*K

Discussion Starter · #18 · Apr 1, 2014

KLamalama said:
Is that Stainless steel wool (if there is such a thing)?

Have had no experience with this, but I think that I would not want steel wool residue anywhere near my paint.

You are spraying and polishing a small area at a time. Spray, polish, and wipe the area clean... no mess, drips, etc.

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