Film on Inside of All 4 Windows

cx5boo333

2021 Cx5 GT AWD
Hi all, at first when I noticed the stuff on the windows I didn’t pay any note since I thought there was just dirt or something on the outside. But when I brought my car to get repaired from the collision they told me that they couldn’t get it off, and then when I brought my car to the dealer the other day they couldn’t get it off either!! (they used glass cleaner, dry wool, etc etc) I also tried rubbing alcohol but it didn’t work either. I have no clue what this stuff is as I never clean the inside of my windows and it’s on all 4 :/ Anyways sorry for the long post but if anyone knows what this is, how I can get rid of it, etc please let me know!! I’m so confused, here’s pics: (it’s really close to transparent so it’s hard to see) also it’s on the inside of the windows, you can feel it’s less smooth than just glass, and it’s more towards the bottom of the windows.
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(the last pic you can also see some dirt on the outside of the window)
 
Try my receipe for homemade window cleaner.

1 cup Rubbing Alcohol
1 cup distilled Water
6 tablespoons white Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Liq dish detergent

I've had really good results with it and it's inexpensive.
 
Window tint adhesive residue?

Do you have someone detail the inside or do it yourself? ... Some kind of "armor-all" type protectant ?

It sure looks like a liquid that kind of "runs" down a little then dried. My gut says some kind of protectant overspray. Maybe something like goo-gone, WD40, mineral spirits, etc. Just have to (carefully) try different things on a small towel or cotton ball to find what cuts it. Heat could effect it also.
 
Is it possible something etched the glass?
Window tint adhesive residue?

Do you have someone detail the inside or do it yourself? ... Some kind of "armor-all" type protectant ?
I really am not sure what happened or when it happened, and I've only had it detailed once (and I'm pretty confident it was there before). I don't look closely at how clean my windows are, and if the detailer didn't point out that they couldn't get it off I would've never realized that it didn't come off since it's so transparent and hard to see.

Also, the windows are not tinted.

Thanks for the ideas!
 
…Also, the windows are not tinted….

I believe what the poster meant was that if the windows were formerly tinted, then the film was removed, any adhesive left behind could be what the OP is seeing. Or not, but it is one potential explanation.
 
It looks kind of like hard water stains. Try @wlong01's homemade window cleaner.

I once bought an old fish tank that had a ton of similar looking stains that were a bit rough to the touch. To get rid of them, I would spray some white vinegar onto a paper towel, lay it flat against the glass, then put a layer of plastic cling wrap over the top of the towel. The cling wrap keeps the vinegar from evaporating too quickly and also holds the towel in place against the glass. I left it alone for like 15 minutes, and when I came back, the hard water deposits wiped off very easily.

With that said, if you try wlong01's cleaner or just straight vinegar, and it now feels smooth to the touch, but still looks dirty, it may have etched the glass as @Martyd suggested. If that's the case, you might need to have someone polish the glass for you.
 
Something to try. Toothpaste first then maybe Soft Scrub. They may polish the glass. Is Bon Ami still around? I remember a cake form. Yes I'm pretty old.
 
I believe what the poster meant was that if the windows were formerly tinted, then the film was removed, any adhesive left behind could be what the OP is seeing. Or not, but it is one potential explanation.
Makes sense, although I’ve owned this car since new and have never tinted the windows.
It looks kind of like hard water stains. Try @wlong01's homemade window cleaner.

I once bought an old fish tank that had a ton of similar looking stains that were a bit rough to the touch. To get rid of them, I would spray some white vinegar onto a paper towel, lay it flat against the glass, then put a layer of plastic cling wrap over the top of the towel. The cling wrap keeps the vinegar from evaporating too quickly and also holds the towel in place against the glass. I left it alone for like 15 minutes, and when I came back, the hard water deposits wiped off very easily.

With that said, if you try wlong01's cleaner or just straight vinegar, and it now feels smooth to the touch, but still looks dirty, it may have etched the glass as @Martyd suggested. If that's the case, you might need to have someone polish the glass for you.
Ahh, thanks!!!! Hard water stains (just had to google it) seems spot on by descriptions and pictures I just read :)

I'm about to go out to get vinegar etc. for @wlong01 's recipe, I'll report back if it works. Thanks for the saran wrap idea though! Happy to have some hope that it might come off with all of these formulas and methods.

Also, just curious, how could something get etched into the glass? That confuses me especially since I don't know what the filmy gunk even is. I thought etching was cutting into of some sort, can liquid get "etched" into glass just by being corrosive or something?
Something to try. Toothpaste first then maybe Soft Scrub. They may polish the glass. Is Bon Ami still around? I remember a cake form. Yes I'm pretty old.
If W's recipe doesn't work out I'll try these too, I really appreciate the input everyone! (I'm decently young and fairly new to car ownership, let alone dealing with gunk that detailers and a car dealership couldn't remove or even idenify)
 
If it's water spots, citric acid will remove them much better than vinegar (great for baths/sinks/showers too!). You may already have some under your sink as the brand name Lemi Shine (for dishwashers) and it's harmless to humans - regular citric acid is sometimes used in cooking. Anyway, just mix some crystals with a little water into a paste, and wipe on.

Good for cleaning coffee machines & pots and tea pots too!

If not water spots though, I suggest a single-edge razor blade to scrape it off. You can pick up a pack of them with plastic handles as paint scrapers from Dollar Tree.
 
All I see is hard tap water stain. I would use a razor blade and a soapy solution and scrape it off, it works for me.
I have a homemade receipe for hard water stains too if anybody is interested. We have really bad hard water (I live 1/2 mile from Limestone Road, I know where the name comes from). Every time I wash the car there's tons of white spots. The hardwater removed I whipped up (found it on the internet) removes them all and cheap too.
 
I have a homemade receipe for hard water stains too if anybody is interested. We have really bad hard water (I live 1/2 mile from Limestone Road, I know where the name comes from). Every time I wash the car there's tons of white spots. The hardwater removed I whipped up (found it on the internet) removes them all and cheap too.

Sure, post it up!
 
Also, just curious, how could something get etched into the glass? That confuses me especially since I don't know what the filmy gunk even is. I thought etching was cutting into of some sort, can liquid get "etched" into glass just by being corrosive or something?

In a nutshell: Almost all water has varying levels of dissolved mineral in it (aside from distilled water). Depending on how much mineral is in the water when it dries, it may leave a surface stain that can usually be wiped off. However, if the stain is allowed to sit for a long time or build up over time, the minerals can etch into the surface.

If the stain is allowed to etch into the glass, you might have to get the stains polished out using a glass polish. But this would be a last resort type of thing. A good detailer would be familiar with this.
 
In a nutshell: Almost all water has varying levels of dissolved mineral in it (aside from distilled water). Depending on how much mineral is in the water when it dries, it may leave a surface stain that can usually be wiped off. However, if the stain is allowed to sit for a long time or build up over time, the minerals can etch into the surface.

If the stain is allowed to etch into the glass, you might have to get the stains polished out using a glass polish. But this would be a last resort type of thing. A good detailer would be familiar with this.
Thanks for the info!!

I'm still trying different methods (slowly since I've been busy), sadly the homemade recipe didn't work but I'll report back if anything ends up working
 
Thanks for the info!!

I'm still trying different methods (slowly since I've been busy), sadly the homemade recipe didn't work but I'll report back if anything ends up working

For water stains caused by rainX anti-fog, I used nail polish remover.
Basically the anti-fog didn't work and ended up with steam spots and runs on the windshield. The nail polish remover cleaned everything up alot better than vinegar.

For stickers that were on outside of window, i heated up area with hair dryer then used shaver and warm vinegar .
 
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I'm not sure what that is but some youtube detailers use Magic Erasers for interior swirling and off gassing though I've not had much success with that method. I've had the most success with Nu Finish car polish after an alcohol rub down. Some have been horrified when I've mentioned this before but I've been doing it for a couple years now with no adverse affects. Also good for the outside of the windshield.
 
I see you already mentioned they already used dry wool. At the dealer where I worked we used really fine steel wool following a good spray of window cleaner. If that doesn't get it off whatever it is pretty much nothing will. But I'm betting the body shop probably already tried that.
 
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