Windshield scratches

96 RT, is there any way to polish out or recoat a factory BMW windshield? Nothing major, just lots of little scratches. Or is replacement the only option? Dave

I've gotten rid of scratches with rubbing compound followed by a light polish. Alex' method looks like it works. Not sure about the nano stuff though.

96 RT, is there any way to polish out or recoat a factory BMW windshield? Nothing major, just lots of little scratches. Or is replacement the only option? Dave

Evening Dave P

Your factory windshield has a special coating on it so if you try to polish it you will have a real mess on your hands.

I have heard of people polishing the coating all the way off (LOTS of work) but then you end up with an easily scratched windshield

with probably some distortion from all the polishing.

Another possibility is to use Novus plastic polishing products. They come in different grades Number 1 is the least aggressive and is an excellent final polish. Novus 3 is for extra deep scratches. All three grades are available from Aircraft Spruce Inc. Lemon pledge is also a good final polish but won't take out deeper scratches.

Later - What DR said above. I have seen evidence of a certain amount of that extra BMW layer, too & I suspect is probably beyond Novus products.

Yeah I've heard there is some magic coating on there that could get really messed up if I try to polish it out. Now that I think of it, I have a bottle of clear car polish I just used on the painted parts, maybe I'll see what that does. D

I wonder what that special coating is. If the windshield is a mess, you probably don't have anything to lose by experimenting with it. You might be able to just clear coat the thing. Either with, or without removing the factory coating. But if it's just a little blemish, you're probably better off leaving it alone.

It's a 96 !

Time to let go and just get a new one or look on ebay for a good used aftermarket.

Any of the factory ones by now will be fogged, crazed, or in the landfill.

If it's anything like the coating on my 1994 Pacific Coast windscreen, the hard protective coating dissolves with Rain-X (or I suspect just plain 91% isopropanol). As others have reported, when that happens, it's a mess to get everything off, difficult to scrape off the coating without also scratching the plastic.

The least bad solution is probably to clean and lightly polish with plastic polish, then wax, to fill in the scratches to some degree

Well it's not fogged, crazed or ready for the landfill. It is clear, not yellow. Just has a few scratches on the surface. Love to get a new one, but it's not bad enough to warrant replacement, just thought I'd ask if anything can be done to take the scratches out. Dave

I'm in the same scenario. Some light scratches, and a slight haze. No yellowing or oxidization. 

I'm hesitant to do anything, especially after reading about this "special coating" on the OEM windshield.

Has anybody got any first-hand experience with this?

Some horror stories regarding products/techniques that you should stay clear of perhaps?

Many riders, including me, use Plexus.It does help with light scratched by filling them, presumably. I have been using it on both my windscreen and face shield without issue for at least a decade. Miguel

Aftermarket windscreen??  

Lowndes,

Are you implying that purchasing a new windscreen is the solution or are you asking if mine is aftermarket?

The one on my bike is original OEM and in really good shape considering it's age.

I tried sanding down an oem shield and discovered the coating is extremely difficult to remove and repolish. I gave up and replaced it.

Shane, Thank you for your input.

Yes, I'm hearing that a lot. Apparently wetsanding is not the way to go in this instance. I was headed in that direction, but thought I better put it out there and see what other might have to say.

My Dad always said, "Mistakes are learning opportunities, and there are two type of mistakes you can learn from: your own, and those made by others. I always find the later to be the better option...

56 years later, and I'll be damned if he wasn't right!

Miguel,

After reading many posts and watching a few you tube videos I came to the same conclusion.

I just placed my order for a 13oz can Plexus; it will arrive on Friday.

There are so many products and methods out there for this issue; It's hard to sort through all the information. 

My general take on it is that most of the "off the shelf items" are short-term solutions that have mediocre results.

I'm still curious to see what the community has to say about their experiences with other products. Some use abrasives, some use a regiment of wet sanding followed by rubbing compound. Others, you just spray on and wipe off.

I realize there are two different processes . One you fill the scratch in with a substance and buff it out, scratch or swirl is still there but remains invisible for a period of time at which point you rinse and repeat. Second (the more radical approach) is where you remove material to blend the scratch out permanently.

 I'd still like to hear from this community about the products they love or hate.

Wipe-New Headlight restorer?

3M?

Novus?

Sumner Laboratories?

Quixx Acrylic Scratch remover?

Meguire's PlastX?

I was impressed by the number of people who swear by lemon pledge for light scratches and swirl marks!

15 minutes ago, Deesdesk said:

I just placed my order for a 13oz can Plexus;

At my old work we used Plexus exclusively with great results. I also have (I think three) NOS factory windshields for 1100/1150.

I use Lemon Pledge for cleaning.

Before I tried wet sanding the oem shield I tried a headlight buffing kit. That was useless for me on the factory coating. That's why I moved on to wet sanding. I think with enough time and patience you can wet sand the coating off, but then you are left with having to sand and polish the softer plastic. I just don't think it makes sense to use that much of ones time to end up with a product that is still inferior to a new shield.

I have a factory windshield from my '97 R1100RT that is in very good shape. Not perfect but no scratches as I recall. . I pulled it when I got my Parabellum. Let me know if you are interested.

Some guy is selling some brand new OEM windshields on ebay. About $100 shipped.