[rkw]

Originally Posted by pareekvirendra

Hello All, Yesterday I was driving to my hometown after a Pooja at our office and since I had left at around 5:30 in the evening, i was expecting heavy traffic along the entire route and was prepared for it. But what I was not prepared for was the flashes of blinding light that I had to face the entire journey.

So, when do people change their windshields?

Light scatter in your case is probably due to hairline scratches on the windshield caused due to improper washing/cleaning/wiping over the years. My experience has taught that wash by amateurs like watchman, house-help, gardener etc. will result in such scratches over a few years. Hard water can aggravate the issue. I now resort to pressure wash once in a week. If getting the job done by any others as mentioned above, then use a separate clean microfiber cloth for windshield. And prefer using a water hose rather than a bucket.

[AjayJoshuaN]

My car is 9 years old and has its original wind shield. I don't remember what a new windshield looks like at night, but I do know that mine looked as if someone had set off a blinding firework in front of me every time any vehicle approached. The lights from oncoming vehicles was spreading across the windshield and then I was wondering if it was time to get a new wind shield.

If there are no scratches, it might most probably be due to thin oil film on the windshield, which was the issue in my case. I guess this was because I used the windshield cleaning cloth sometimes to wipe other parts of the car as well.

To resolve this, I mixed 4 spoons of clothes detergent in few mugs of water and washed the windshield to remove any oil film on the windshield. I then wiped it clean with a NEW CLOTH, because I noticed wiping it with the old cloth again introduced the oil film which was causing the issue.
After cleaning the windshield this way, it helped in reducing the glare a lot in my case.

[mohitchalla]

Windshield, like any other part of your vehicle, will age and deteriorate over time. Cracks are not the only indicator of a bad windshield. Dust, bugs, cleaning with a dirty cloth, etc. will add scratches over time. This hampers visibility, especially at night time with an oncoming vehicle. The damage can be more or less depending on various factors like what quality of the windshield did the manufacturer install, how well do you maintain your car, is your parking spot dusty or not, how are you cleaning your windshield and the condition of your wiper blades.

I personally avoid polishing or any other treatments. They do not work for me. I simply replace the windshield when I start observing scratches.

I hope this helps. Cheers!