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3 Reasons Why to Polish Glass to Remove Scratches Instead of Replace it by Mike Phillips
I read so many comments by people on social media anytime I share a video, article or even pictures showing Sub-Surface Glass Polishing and for the most part, most of these people simply have zero understanding of all the dynamics involved. So let me share why for some cars, it's a better option to polish the glass versus replace the glass.
1: Keep the car all original
Most of my work is on classic cars, streetrods and muscle cars and a lot of the time, the car is 100% original, meaning the original drivetrain, all the original body panels and yes, the original glass. Some owners simply don't want to remove the factory original glass and replace it with some aftermarket option. For these people and their cars, it's a better option to polish the glass versus replace the glass. And keep in mind, it's THEIR car. They can do with it as they wish. If you're one of the people on social media that comments on my content saying to replace the glass, this is a great option for you and if you ever own a classic car, streetrod or muscle car, then you can do to it as you will.
2: When the windshield is removed - you will find rust or worse, cancer
What most people on social media don't understand is that anytime you remove the windshield out of a classic car, streetrod or muscle car, chances are very good you'll discover rust and in worst case scenarios, you'll find extreme rust often referred to as cancer, as it's spread throughout the car.
No self-respecting car guy, or car girl, is going to put new glass in when rust is present, and this means you just turned a windshield replacement, a one-day job, into a multi-year, body-off-frame, rotisserie restoration, which will take the car off the road and thus no enjoying your pride and joy. For all the people on social media, when it's your car and you have the budget and desire to tear apart your car, go for it. But a lot of owners simply don't want the expense, or they don't want to take their toy off the road for years. For car owners and cars that fit this description, polishing the glass is a better option compared to replacing it.
3: There may not be any OEM, factory original replacements available
I've come across this issue at least 2 times in my life, one car was a classic Ferrari, and the other was a 1970 Plymouth Superbird. Both of these cars were fully restored, and 100% factory original and the owner does NOT want to replace the glass with a non-OEM, factory original piece of glass. In the case of the Ferrari, the car will lose points at a concours show as well as decrease the resale value of the car. Again, for the owners of these cars, this is THEIR choice. And for car owners with cars like this, polishing the glass is a better option than replacing it.
When should I replace glass instead of try to fix it via polishing?
If you own a car from the late 1980's through to the present, if your fingernail drops into any scratch in the glass, it will be faster, easier and in most case, less expensive to simply call Safelite and replace the glass. Any scratch you can feel with your fingernail will take hours to remove via polishing, lots of hours. Polishing glass isn't like polishing car paint, it's super hard and it does NOT abrade easily. Replacing glass is a great option for all the people on social media.
There, now that I've succinctly summarized the 3 main reasons to polish glass instead of replace glass, I can share this article with all the people on social media that need more information on this topic. Not that it will help for some of these people. LOL
Mike
I read so many comments by people on social media anytime I share a video, article or even pictures showing Sub-Surface Glass Polishing and for the most part, most of these people simply have zero understanding of all the dynamics involved. So let me share why for some cars, it's a better option to polish the glass versus replace the glass.
1: Keep the car all original
Most of my work is on classic cars, streetrods and muscle cars and a lot of the time, the car is 100% original, meaning the original drivetrain, all the original body panels and yes, the original glass. Some owners simply don't want to remove the factory original glass and replace it with some aftermarket option. For these people and their cars, it's a better option to polish the glass versus replace the glass. And keep in mind, it's THEIR car. They can do with it as they wish. If you're one of the people on social media that comments on my content saying to replace the glass, this is a great option for you and if you ever own a classic car, streetrod or muscle car, then you can do to it as you will.
2: When the windshield is removed - you will find rust or worse, cancer
What most people on social media don't understand is that anytime you remove the windshield out of a classic car, streetrod or muscle car, chances are very good you'll discover rust and in worst case scenarios, you'll find extreme rust often referred to as cancer, as it's spread throughout the car.
No self-respecting car guy, or car girl, is going to put new glass in when rust is present, and this means you just turned a windshield replacement, a one-day job, into a multi-year, body-off-frame, rotisserie restoration, which will take the car off the road and thus no enjoying your pride and joy. For all the people on social media, when it's your car and you have the budget and desire to tear apart your car, go for it. But a lot of owners simply don't want the expense, or they don't want to take their toy off the road for years. For car owners and cars that fit this description, polishing the glass is a better option compared to replacing it.
3: There may not be any OEM, factory original replacements available
I've come across this issue at least 2 times in my life, one car was a classic Ferrari, and the other was a 1970 Plymouth Superbird. Both of these cars were fully restored, and 100% factory original and the owner does NOT want to replace the glass with a non-OEM, factory original piece of glass. In the case of the Ferrari, the car will lose points at a concours show as well as decrease the resale value of the car. Again, for the owners of these cars, this is THEIR choice. And for car owners with cars like this, polishing the glass is a better option than replacing it.
When should I replace glass instead of try to fix it via polishing?
If you own a car from the late 1980's through to the present, if your fingernail drops into any scratch in the glass, it will be faster, easier and in most case, less expensive to simply call Safelite and replace the glass. Any scratch you can feel with your fingernail will take hours to remove via polishing, lots of hours. Polishing glass isn't like polishing car paint, it's super hard and it does NOT abrade easily. Replacing glass is a great option for all the people on social media.
There, now that I've succinctly summarized the 3 main reasons to polish glass instead of replace glass, I can share this article with all the people on social media that need more information on this topic. Not that it will help for some of these people. LOL
Mike
