Will Ceramic or Graphene on Windshield fill in pits?

[starlights]

If I graphene coat my front windscreen, will it fill in the tiny pits that shine when driving into the sun?

[AJSK]

Hi, no it will not you will need proper window adhesion to rectify this

[tracer bullet]

Agreed, it won't "fill in" anything. It's far too thin.

[slilley]

There's no practical way to improve a pitted windshield (besides replacement). The best you can do is to keep it clean, but that won't help with pitting. I've seen people say you could polish out the pits, but that's never successful. I use a windshield film (similar to PPF) on my windshield on my garaged "fun" car, but that film needs to be replaced every other year on a car driven just 5K miles a year - so it would probably require a nearly-annual replacement for a daily driver seeing 10-12K miles a year. Still, it's nice when they peel off the film to replace it - only the biggest stones have pierced the windshield film enough to leave any windshield pitting behind. I've used ClearPlex and ExoShield windshield films so far, and will probably try the new Xpel film next.

[starlights]

Originally Posted by slilley

There's no practical way to improve a pitted windshield (besides replacement). The best you can do is to keep it clean, but that won't help with pitting. I've seen people say you could polish out the pits, but that's never successful. I use a windshield film (similar to PPF) on my windshield on my garaged "fun" car, but that film needs to be replaced every other year on a car driven just 5K miles a year - so it would probably require a nearly-annual replacement for a daily driver seeing 10-12K miles a year. Still, it's nice when they peel off the film to replace it - only the biggest stones have pierced the windshield film enough to leave any windshield pitting behind. I've used ClearPlex and ExoShield windshield films so far, and will probably try the new Xpel film next.

Too late for me I suppose . Already have some pits - not a distraction but wanted to see if ceramic will help since I have some Adams Graphene left over and I did not apply to my front windshield.

Edit - thanks for the info on the films. Just looked at Clearplex website and it states that it blocks 99% UV rays. Wondering if it will be good for on top of sunroof to block heat?

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by starlights

Edit - thanks for the info on the films. Just looked at Clearplex website and it states that it blocks 99% UV rays. Wondering if it will be good for on top of sunroof to block heat?

I've read post about tinting sunroofs & how it's not recommended. Don't know if the same applies to a clear layer. They tend to explode on their own!

[starlights]

Originally Posted by John in VA

I've read post about tinting sunroofs & how it's not recommended. Don't know if the same applies to a clear layer. They tend to explode on their own!

except this will be on top of the sunroof so no heat comes into the glass to get trapped - at least in theory

[stbm5]

if windshield is significantly pitted insurance will usually cover a replacement.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by starlights

Adams Graphene

I put some on my (new) Z4 windshield. Shortly after the rest of the paint. I learned that it's far less forgiving, and not as easy as their videos make it seem.

Application is of course apply, wait a bit, buff off the majority with one MF towel then perfect it with another. For the paint it's kind of easy, and looks incredible. On the window, driving towards the sun, you see EVERY little streak and imperfection that you can not see in the paint. I ended up cleaning it (standard light polishing process, using Meguairs Scratch-X) off to have the window be perfect again.

So if you do go for it, be sure to do a super good job at the removal step.

[starlights]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

I put some on my (new) Z4 windshield. Shortly after the rest of the paint. I learned that it's far less forgiving, and not as easy as their videos make it seem.

Application is of course apply, wait a bit, buff off the majority with one MF towel then perfect it with another. For the paint it's kind of easy, and looks incredible. On the window, driving towards the sun, you see EVERY little streak and imperfection that you can not see in the paint. I ended up cleaning it (standard light polishing process, using Meguairs Scratch-X) off to have the window be perfect again.

So if you do go for it, be sure to do a super good job at the removal step.

Good to know! I did not originally apply it on my windshield because I wasn't sure if its a good idea - thanks for the heads up

[starlights]

On a whim I did actually apply a single coat of Adams Graphene to my front windshield and ensured that I leveled it with a vengeance . All seems good for now - no wiper chatter and the raindrops fly off. If it lasts a couple of months then I may apply again as I still have half a bottle left over.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by starlights

If I graphene coat my front windscreen, will it fill in the tiny pits that shine when driving into the sun?

Definitely not.
Most ceramic coatings are 0.5-1 mil thick.
For comparison, outer layer of laminated windshield glass is typically around 2.1mm to 2.5mm, or 82-100 mils thick. Clear-coat is ~5-7 mils.

As you can surmise, ceramic coating will not fill scratches or chips in either clearcoat or glass.

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

I put some on my (new) Z4 windshield. Shortly after the rest of the paint. I learned that it's far less forgiving, and not as easy as their videos make it seem.

Interestingly, I've used Adam's Ceramic and Graphene coatings on my cars paint. I found the former (ceramic) to be more long lasting, and easier to work with that the newer graphene one.

I've also tried applying multiple water beadings coatings to windshields in all four (4) of my cars for many years. None last longer than ~6-9 months when exposed to wiper abrasion.

Of those that I've personally tried, I find all of the following to perform similarly, with the only distinction being how long they last before requiring re-application:
Griots glass ceramic < RainX < Griots rain sealant < Aquapel Glass Treatment < Stoner Invisible Glass Ceramic.

GYEON Quartz QuickView is next in my "to try" queue.

HTH,
a

[NSXR]

I have one pit that's a bit distracting and have been looking for a way to fix it. I have wondered about several coatings, but I don't like the idea of coating my windshield with something. I need a spot fix, but it's not large enough to fix the standard way IMO.

[BroDoze]

I’ve got windshield film on 2 of my cars right now. It’s a love/hate relationship.
I love knowing there’s a pristine windshield underneath the film.
I hate seeing the wiper micro-scratching on the film. It’s pretty delicate stuff.
It’s supposed to self-heal, and it might, but my OCD struggles when the sun hits the windshield. Not as bad as permanent pits in sunlight, however.
I live in the land of 365 days of gravel and sand on the pavement, trashing everybody’s paint and windshields.

[Grease23]

I used the Eastwood polish kit on a windshield that had thousands of tiny little pits from 20 years on the road. Kind of like it had been sandblasted. It was awful driving into the sun.

The improvement did not make it look like new, but it was certainly enough to make it easily tolerable and it was no longer bad enough to consider a replacement.