Sparkles in windshield

[Dadillac]

The sparkles are not ON the glass. They are IN the glass. Believe me on the Mazda3 I tried everything. Scraping, clay barring, cerium oxide polishing. What is being seen is not removable. I have been diagnosed with cataracts and was thinking maybe that is what is making me see these sparkles. But others who see them say that they do not have cataracts. So I don't know

Don

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[Bullitt0819]

My last three new cars have had this also. Right from brand new including the Mustang. First time I noticed this was on a 2018 Mazda3. I made the dealer warranty the glass. New glass had it too. Must be a reason these "sparkles" are there. They bother the shit out of me but I have just gotten used to them

Don

Same here. I don't recall having this issue with my '08 Bullitt; something has changed with the windshield glass IMO.

 

[tcman54]

Your seeing sparkles?.....I would lay off those brownies with the funny taste.

 

[Torched10]

Don et al. Were they in the glass from day one,or just appear.mine just suddenly appeared couple weeks ago.ive tried every surface treatment and nothing happens.before I go to a dealer I think I'll go to an auto glass shop and get their opinion,they must see it alot

 

[WD Pro]

Just a thought - it’s nothing to do with some weird and wonderful additive for thermal properties or similar is it ?

WD

 

[Dadillac]

Don et al. Were they in the glass from day one,or just appear.mine just suddenly appeared couple weeks ago.ive tried every surface treatment and nothing happens.before I go to a dealer I think I'll go to an auto glass shop and get their opinion,they must see it alot

I only notice it when the I am driving directly into the sun when the sun is low. Other times everything is fine. I noticed the Mazda3 the spring after I bought it. The Toyota was noticed nearly immediately. The Mustang also pretty much immediately. Just something I live with now. I usually only experience the sparkles in fall when driving home from work. As that is really the only time that the sun is in the perfect spot to notice

Don

 

[FreddyG]

I get the same thing often on our windshield too.

I usually take some glass cleaner and clean the glass first to see if it will come off with the least amount of effort. If that doesn't work, then I'll take a double sided razor blade along with some ONR (Optimum No Rinse) and spray it down and then blade it and then use the glass cleaner again to clean that off. Then I'll clay bar it to pick up whatever was on there.Then I'll clean the windshield again and it's usually problem solved.

My biggest problem is that I'm Terrible at cleaning glass and find out that the speckles weren't the biggest problem........My glass cleaning skills were!

 

[Torched10]

Noticed today my front windshield at dusk gas thousands if tiny spots that sparkle with low sun.after dark it's clear.never park under tree.cant feel anything on surfacelike tree sap.its a 3rd car and only put 2kmiles on it,rarely on,highway.i used all the normal glass cleaning stuff,both in abrasive,like maguiars clarity.looks like a sand blast.any thoughts

Thanks but I've no surface damage at all.even took a magnifying glass and could see nothing on the glass.but hundreds of spots IN the glass

 

[raydog1]

Is it possible a harsh chemical could have been sprinkled on the glass by accident? Live near a chemical plant? Angry neighbor?

Perhaps something that was a very fine mist might not look like surface damage but cause just enough of a hologram-effect to make the sparkles. Serious DA polishing might help, but you need to be very careful! Heating up a spot on the glass is easy to do when the glass is cold and could cause a wavy distortion that you'll never be able to remove.

Probably best just to have it replaced or professionally polished. Your insurance might even cover it.

Please let us know what the dealership says. This is a very interesting problem!

 

[Robracer]

I have the same problem and tried all the ideas above with no results but the spots are more like thousand

 

[Bikeman315]

Thanks but I've no surface damage at all.even took a magnifying glass and could see nothing on the glass.but hundreds of spots IN the glass

Did a quick google search and found that owners of virtually every brand have the exact same issue. So it’s not just Ford or the Mustang. One BMW owner had an interesting solution. Throw a rock though the windshield and let your insurance pay for a new one.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Did a quick google search and found that owners of virtually every brand have the exact same issue. So it’s not just Ford or the Mustang. One BMW owner had an interesting solution. Throw a rock though the windshield and let your insurance pay for a new one.

Well, the replacement will be a brand new windshield with brand new imbedded sparkles...

Evey new car I’ve driven has this same effect and it can only be seen in low lighting or say when passing under street lights and the illumination hits the glass a certain way.

 

[Emilbadal]

I have this same issue and was searching for solutions. Here are a couple photo with the effect:

These photos were taken after clay barring the windshield...They kinda resemble like dust speck in the sun. I was under the impression that they maybe pitting from driving on highway. However, after reading through this thread, I realized that the specks might not be on the outside rather inside the glass layers. I cannot feel the pitting on the surface at all....My guess woukd be the dual glaze of the windshield is failing internally, either the seal is compromized or something to that effect

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