Very informative! Some people fail to realize there's a difference between CLEANING a a car and DETAILING it. Larry is giving away free detailing tips to car enthusiasts like myself and I appreciate it very much, Keep up the good work!!
Super grateful for this video 10 years later. Driving in the rain became dangerous for my wife because the wipers would just smear and streak. We took the car into the dealership and had them try to clean it and whatever they did wasn't effective. This routine did the trick.
I just discovered this channel. Nice video. My son is a new driver and I recently went through this process on a 14 year old car (his first) as he was complaining he couldn't see. 14 years of water spots, finite scratches, and wiper wear gone, plus getting rid of all the haze on the inside has made a night/day difference. It was a full day spent on all the windows but well worth the hard work.
Yeah; he's Larry Kosilla, a _professional who works on million dollar cars._ If you want professional grade quality, come here. Otherwise, there are other channels with people who don't work on one of a kind cars that can't be replaced. Granted that he doesn't claim to be perfect and you may find a few things you disagree with here and there but at the same time, be careful of just what you criticize.
Working at various dealerships as a detailer and now a body man, the most frustrating thing is being rushed through every job and being forced to do a mediocre job. The push for volume over quality frustrates me to no end, and it's impossible to find someone who doesn't play that game.
This is easily my favorite show on Drive, and probably on RU-vid. High production value and it's completely relevant to everyone. Exotic sports cars are cool to look at, but I'll probably never own one. Everyone who owns a car needs to clean it. Thanks.
spent much of my life cleaning windows..not so much car glass..but similar..I wouldn't "drag" a razor blade backwards on the window..yes forward..with its sharp side..but don't drag backwards..you can pick up a little hard piece of something and "scratch the glass with it as you drag the razor backwards...instead lift the razor off the glass in the back stroke
Have to agree i seen many burrs on a razor scratch a glass. Always go down never back up. But i am the same can't stand any marks what ever they are on a glass.
You are so right, I don't understand a thing from that guy Larry with his polish machines but the Americans love this, unbelievable, what kind of people are they???
did I just watch a 16 minute video on cleaning windows? Damn right I did, and I loved every second of it. I'm headed to the garage to clean my windshields right now.
To clean the inside of the glass we're going to do some prep work to ensure a a great streakfree result.One.Remove the steering wheel. It's just in the way so get rid of it.Two.Remove the driver and passenger front seats. Being able to crouch inside the car gives you leverage you wouldn't otherwise have.Three.Unhook and drop the dashboard so you can really get at the corners.Cleaning your windshield is easy and fun if you have the right tools and the best part is that it can be done in weekends
Another great video. Properly cleaning glass is very technical due to keeping the contaminants from other parts of the car out of the cleaning process. Larry basically explained every detail of how to make this happen. I'm not huge on extensive detailing but I always know if I need to know the perfect way how to do something these videos are out there and explain everything in a well produced detail. Awesome job Larry.
Bradley, yep, I was holding off on this step with my DA Polisher with Griots Garage glass polish and get everything removed from the surface as possible.
Just used most of these techniques on my car windshield, side windows, and moon roof glass. Took me 2 hours! Unfortunately my glass polish and polishing pads haven't come in yet, so I just used Meguiar's DACP and a Lake Country yellow foam cutting pad on a PC random orbital. Going on a road trip tomorrow so I wanted to go ahead and get it done. I'll probably go back and do it again later when the glass pads and polish come in. But the glass already feels amazing!
Nice vid Larry but it does rais a few questions: 1. Why use a razor instead of pre-treating with chemical solvents? 2. How do you get rid of scratches or small pits in the glass - this is a more difficult issue for most of us and it would be more beneficial to get your professional insight on this than just how to clean windows. 3. Won't solvents in the window cleaner remove the hydrophobic layer you added and is this prevented by the type of solvent(I'm guessing polar solvents are the answer)
I love these videos......I take care of 4 family cars, while I will never attain the level of perfection that Larry does (I just don't have the time).....I do get each car as perfect as possible at least twice a year. I really enjoy learning new techniques.....even if it's something as simple as clean glass :-)
Great video Larry... What a genuine art-form that is! Porsche looks terrific... Keep the great videos coming, I feel they are (by far) the best video series on the internet!
I have an OCD on clean windows and this guy just made more sense when Im cleaning mine. However, I did know about using the clay bar outside of the mirror and adding wax or polish.
Awesome video! I was considering replacing the glass in my 370z at some point due to small imperfections... but instead I'll should be able to polish the glass to perfection with these tips. You made my day man. Thanks!
This a great episode..I am ocd about glass also....I do have the most problems with the inside of the windshield..great tips..thank you for your time and effort.
having worked in construction and installing expensive shatter proof glass I'm sad he didn't mention or isn't cleaning the glass properly with that razor. always stroke in one direction being sure to lift the razor before moving and making another stroke. this way you are sure to avoid scratching the glass by accident. also for me a normal wash and then either a clay bar or clay mitt does the job better on window for cars followed up with some sealant, wax and liquid glass in my opinion of course.
mazdarati2 he didn't say anything about tint. If you push a razor on the glass wrong and too hard you can create enough force on that very fine blade edge to scratch the glass itself
Very informative I will be following this again this weekend. And you should put together a glass restoration kit with ( glass polish/ polishing pads sealant, cleaner and the different types of micro fiber towels needed ) to sell on you website like your paint regimen kit
Thanks again Larry! Some great tips in there. Im super particular about glass/windshields myself at work. Nothing like mistaking bug splatter for another aircraft. Now I can be the same way with my cars
Amazing you were still able to understand the intent of his comment. Congratulations on your super smarts brother. Thanks for helping me understand. I honestly thought it was a question. My brain was going crazy trying to figure out what he meant by that.
A much easier way of Cleaning, Polishing & Sealing of Windshield glass IMHO is to use Proklear Nano Sealant kit which comes with a Glass Polish / Scratch remover, Nano Glass Sealant and an Antifog spray bundled free. I used it without any tools and result was very good. Rowan
Thanx Mr. Larry ... for the "How To" primer of thoroughly cleaning/polishing a windshield. The windshields in our 993 (911) cars is a ...100 percent cluster F!!!... to replace. A good glass-clean-detail effort goes a long way to minimize the distortion brought on by old age pitting in the 993's windshield. Thanxs again..
After cleaning the tops of the windows, it can help a lot to also give a quick wipe to the seal which the window edge seats into. So many times I've rolled up a clean window, only for it to roll down with fresh crud from a dirty window seal.
Side windows needs cleaning on the upper part that is hidden in the rubber. always roll down the windows a couple of inches and clean that part, and roll it up again and wash the rest.
I like your videos. You are a serious detailer and it shows in your technique and work. I remember cleaning the meat and deli cases when I was just a high school kid working for a local grocer. I was given terry cloth hand towels, some paper towels and foaming cleaning agent. The towels left so much lint, I spent as much time wiping that off as I did the fish oil and fingerprints. A bit later someone got me using newspaper and vinegar and I have found nothing better. Leaves almost no lint and you don't smell anything after a few minutes. If you have glass cleaner, please use it, but I stopped buying it. Rather spend the money on quality tools. I also only use plastic razor blades so I have no chance of damaging the glass, but they only last a single use. Lastly, I would also leave any polishing of laminated services to a professional like yourself, the risk of DIY damage from concentrated heat is more than negligible IMO. Thanks for the video!
Larry, is there any hope for a windshield that has been scratched by worn out wiper blades? Will this clean, clay, polish, protect method have much effect on heavily scratched windshields? Great video, your meticulous detail is what makes these episodes so helpful. Thanks
The best thing to clean the inside of your car windows is Dawn dish washing detergent with water. The inside of your car windows collect alot of grease, oils etc that dawn will easily remove and it will not leave streaks.
Another great video! But be careful if your car is equipped with heated seats. Leaning down on the seat and shifting your whole weight on your knee can break the cables of the heating. (Not on every car of course, but I heard of some cases) Keep up the good work Larry!
Great instructional vid regarding window cleaning. However I do like to dress my dashboard. If it's leather, I use leather cleaner, if it's plastic, I use a little Armor All specifically for plastic. I do spray the glass (when cleaning the glass) but I don't spray the dash. I usually start with the windshield 1st, then the dash. But that's just me. Either way, I learn a lot from Larry's videos. Thanks Larry!
I've found that my favorite results come from letting RainX dry onto the windshield, and then dry wiping it into the glass once it dries, and then cleaning the residue off with Stoner Invisible Glass and any clean microfiber towel.
This is a great tutorial - by the way that Stoner Glass cleaner is great stuff. I actually didn't know it has no ammonia and is safe for tinted windows - bonus!
Any tips for removing thin oil film from the inside of the glass? I switched from smoking to vaping and even though it’s a small device over time it coats my glass. I feel it just smears anytime I try to wipe it clean.
I'd like to ask you a couple of questions: every detailer in my county avoids polishing windshields because of what they call "the eye-glasses effect", where the glass itself, due to a layer being taken away from it, creates a dioptre, or a lens effect, which in their words can cause headaches, and warp the actual view outside of the windshield while driving. I'd like to know your take on this. Doing a great job on these videos, my OCD is very satisfied.
If you haven't tried something like Invisible Glass, you should. You'll never use windex again. The combination of microfiber towels and a product like he uses will get you great results in a fraction of the time. It's not bad for your windows, the results are so much better.
11:40 You are actually taking off the graphite coating from that wiper, which is there for a good reason. By doing that, you make the wipers wear more and cause the rubber to resonate while moving over the glass.
If you're removing tint use an ammonia based cleaner, soak down the tint and tape a plastic garbage bag over it. Let it sit like that for several minutes, reapplying cleaner if it dries out. The ammonia will penetrate the tint film and loosen the adhesive, which is why you don't want to use ammonia based cleaners for normal cleaning, as Larry mentioned.
another great video! Thank you. I follow your suggestions and I like them a lot, they make sense when gas is flowing through your veins. Again, I asked you before: where do I get the black gloves you use?
He should point out that the entire windshield should be cleaned of all grit first before polishing. If the polishing pad picks up on bit of large grit sand it will scratch the windshield very badly. I used Bon Ami scouring powder to restore the plastic light covers and the side window glass. It worked very beautifully.
So, you didn't use the waffle weave towel at any point that I saw. You did describe it as an all-in-one, did you mean as an all-in-one alternative to the short, medium, and high pile towels? And I would assume you mean that it does an all-in-one job, but not as well as using each towel separately.
I think you're talking about a different procedure where actual visible scratches are polished out by progressively finer abrasives, using an automated cutting wheel on a jig. This actually takes a couple of dozens of microns off the glass. If this happens unevenly it could, in theory cause a change in refraction. I'm not sure about the headaches though... I'd be more worried about judging distance in the dark
Older windshields can get pitted from small rocks hitting them while driving on the interstate. Wouldn't these "pits" absorb bits of the clay bar and cause a problem with visibility? Is there an easy way to reduce or eliminate these pits? Keep up the great work, Larry!
I know the video is 7 years old but... How about the hard water spots from windshield washer fluid that have baked on the windshield. They don't ever come off after a regular wash. Will the razor blad and buffing take them out?
Aww Larry. I was hoping you were going to go for a drive in direct sunlight and also spray a hose at the front windscreen seeing as you only cleaned half of it. Would have been a great way to show the visual difference in glary conditions and rain.
