Boy, has it been a hot minute since I have been back here! It's been really good seeing some names from way back when still quite active and dispensing the usual great wisdom and experience as I've been catching up on things. But now I'm hitting a dead end in my searching.

My passenger-side window is blurry. It's always been slightly blurry but I assumed it was the tint that was on the car when I bought it and I just never bothered with it. The tint has been removed as it started to peel at the bottom after ~25 years (pretty good stuff!) and the window is still blurry. All glue and residue has been removed. Both sides of the glass are thoroughly cleaned, etc., and still no dice.

My assumption now is the factory film.

Any suggested next steps? Is there a way to remove the factory film? Any reason not to? I see a lot of talk about removing aftermarket tint/film but I'm not seeing anything about the factory stuff or if it is even possible. Anything special or just get after it in the same way you would the normal film?

All the best,
Jeff

 

This would be one for a high end detailer in your area. The actual laminate on the glass from production doesn't come off but they may be able to polish the hell out of it to make it better.

 

I have OEM door window glass for $100 plus shipping.

 

That's dirt cheap

 

My guess would be bad tint on the inside or it had tint that wasn't removed well and you still have a film of the old tint glue on the window.

I saw a Youtube video recently that using Barkeeper's Friend was the magic for removing hard water spots from glass. May be worth trying and if you aren't getting anywhere get that glass panel from Tom.

Dale

 

I've purchased the window from tomsn16 (thanks!). Once that arrives and I feel good that I have a viable option, I'm going to do some experimenting and see about polishing and/or removing that film to see what happens. If I fix it, great! I have a spare I can store somewhere until I forget it exists or someone needs it. If I ruin the window, great! I have a replacement and we learned something.

I'll update on findings for the sake of prosperity.

 

tomsn16 sent the glass and it survived the transit abuse as it was well-packed. Thanks!

So, the solution to mine being blurry is underwhelming. There was another layer of film/tint on the window. It was very, very well done, nearly perfectly against the shape of the window leaving the edges practically invisible and going down past the door trim. I assume someone put the film on while the window was out of the car which made me think it was a factory item. It's nearly perfectly clear in hue and very, very thin. Quite odd actually. I guess a special-purpose film that went under tint back in the day?

I have not removed all of it yet - it's quite difficult to get ahold of it and I need to go get more tint off - but I can't imagine it not being the issue.