I am having a hell of a time removing what appears to be etched water spots on the front and rear windows as well as the moonroof of my RSX. Apparently the car had been sitting outside at the dealer's auxilliary lot for several weeks before I took delivery a few weeks ago. This is what I have tried so far:

1. Dawn (1st step of Zaino'ing the car)
2. Invisible Glass from Stoner
3. Zaino Claybar with Z7/Water Mist
4. White Vinegar
5. Xenit from Stoner
6. Soft Scrub
7. Z-12 Applied with Porter Cable Random Orbital Buffer

I thought for sure the Z-12 with buffer would do the trick. I tried it just on half of the moonroof and applied it somewhat liberally for a few minutes, allowed it to haze for about 20 minutes and wiped off - unfortunately, the marks were still there. Am I missing something here?

 

You're talking about Zaino Z-12? You might try a test spot BY HAND instead of with the polisher. It's alot of work, but it is possible. I used to park my old car outside, and the sprinklers would hit it every other day for 4 years!

 

Griot's garage sells a glass polishing kit; I believe it is for the Porter Cable. I have never tried it myself, but you might want to investigate: www.griotsgarage.com

 

Thanks guys. I actually did place an order from properautocare.com earlier today which included a PC accessory kit, microfiber bonnets and the glass polishing kit. I will let you know how it goes. I think I am going to give the Z-12 another try, but this time with the buffer at a higher speed and with a little more downward force.

 

With glass polish use part of an old t-shirt or pillow case. You want very little to no nap. I use a damp strip of t-shirt folded to make a simple 3" x 4" pad. You want the polish to stay in contact with the glass. The pad is just to hold the polish, not to soak it up.

Apply polish to pad and then polish glass in long straight strokes. No circular motion. Trust me. Works better. The glass will start to squeek when it's clean.

From and old post of mine:
--------------------------
Cleaning your glass is not a problem. I had over 12 years worth of HARD water stains built up on the glass on my Bronco II. I tried several products the first couple years with no luck and simply gave up even trying to remove or prevent them. Then a guy at a NAPA Auto Parts store in Sacramento recommended a product called "Nothin's Better" water stain remover. They carried it at NAPA in Sacramento, Ca. But I haven't found it anywhere else.

Works great!. Neighbors asked if I got a new paint job. Nope, I cleaned the windows. They looked as good as the day it was new.

Groits Garage also carries a glass polish that claims to do the same. But I haven't tried it.

I can't say enough about "Nothin's Better". It does work on glass. NOT recommended for auto paint or plastic cleaning. It is a mild abrasive.

Label reads:

 

Very fine steel wool. The finest available.
Glass cleaner first, and you should mask the outer edge to prevent scratching.

 

Believe it or not ... never dull works great at getting water spots off glass. I found this out when trying to get spots out of a glass shower. Nothing and I mean nothing budged the stuff except never dull

 

Clay Magic bar and spray took my water spots right off whne nothing else I tried did.