Glass cleaning

McDonald

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My R230 has a section of glass on either side of the rear window. It seems to have some surface material that's deteriorated - as though a tint was once applied and has worn away over the years. It's the only thing marring a very clean, shiny car.
I've read elsewhere on the forum that glass can benefit from the use of clay, but would like some reassurance / confirmation before I make an almighty mess.
 

alexanderfoti

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Those are known to deteriorate, its the coating of the metal panels.

Most people get them wrapped in black and they look new again.
 

Wighty

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My R230 has a section of glass on either side of the rear window. It seems to have some surface material that's deteriorated - as though a tint was once applied and has worn away over the years. It's the only thing marring a very clean, shiny car.
I've read elsewhere on the forum that glass can benefit from the use of clay, but would like some reassurance / confirmation before I make an almighty mess.
Let's have a pic buddy . Is it the same as the frosting on old headlights ?
 

Chrishazle

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S204 2008 C220CDI Elegance Estate Auto, 2008 R171 Facelift SLK280
The grade of wire wool you would use is Grade 0000 - I used to use it to apply wax to a solid mahogany dining table (following the instructions on the tin of wax!), it does not scratch, and the table top had a mirror-like finish!
 

Craiglxviii

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970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
I just bought some 0000grade (jeweller’s grade) from Amazon. A big hank of it for £5... specifically to clean my windscreen.

Using a clay bar on glass won’t damage it at all.
 

drmw

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M6 Cab - prior to that, SL63 AMG, A-M V8 Vantage, SL55, SL500 and many more
DON'T - they are plastic & the black finish is on the inside.

You can try wrapping, but my own direct experience led to getting them changed (sun light caused blisters)
 

Chrishazle

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If it's a plastic like the rear window of my 968 cab, that was pretty cloudy when I bought the car, there are special cleaners available to remove the cloudiness. The one I have is Renovo window polish which I have not yet tried as I need to do the inside of the window, and with the wind deflector in place it would be rather awkward to access. I did the outside with AG Bodyshop paint renovation fluid, the very fine 2000 grit variety (NLA unfortunately) and that removed a lot of the cloudiness.
 

drmw

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The black is on the inside & it comes away, not cloudy
 
OP
McDonald

McDonald

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I couldn't quite work out how to add text & photos, but my window problem is illustrated above.
 
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McDonald

McDonald

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Well, it looks and feels like glass but I could be mistaken. I assume there are other SL owners with the same arrangement and more knowledge than I have. It disfigures the car somewhat and I'd like to take remedial action. I'm still not sure how to approach it.
 

DREAMER NO2

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W124 2.6E M103 1989
MCDonald Good luck i took it that the part in question was glass .And my fix stands for glass ,,but not sure about other material . I used to work for a Mc Donald at BSR .
 
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McDonald

McDonald

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Thanks Dreamer, I still believe it's glass but I'm hoping someone with hard information will confirm it.

My name is unusual because it's my first name. I do have happy memories of Kidderminster, I was married there 30 yrs ago.
 

Mic

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DRMW's Post no.7 is the answer to that issue. Looks like someone has tried to "clean" and made a worse mess than they started with.

Mic
 
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McDonald

McDonald

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Thanks for the replies. I guess replacement is the only solution.
 
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McDonald

McDonald

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DRMW suggests that wrapping wouldn't be a lasting solution (sunlight causes blisters). It strikes me that if I'm reconciled to replacement and if the parts are available, I could try cleaning first before splashing the cash.
 

JBell

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DRMW suggests that wrapping wouldn't be a lasting solution (sunlight causes blisters). It strikes me that if I'm reconciled to replacement and if the parts are available, I could try cleaning first before splashing the cash.

That won't clean, the finish is gone, a good wrap should last 5 years, you could do it yourself for £20
 

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