Looking for ideas on how to remove scratches from car windows on your own? With a little patience, time, and effort, it’s possible to remove minor scratches without replacing the entire window.
Scratches on your car windows are distracting and dangerous. On the road, these fine scratches can obstruct your vision by reflecting light from sunlight or headlights.
It is important to get rid of any light scratches on your auto glass as soon as possible. For example, minor scratches (like wiper blade scratches) can worsen overtime, making it more expensive and difficult to fix later.
Thankfully, there are many clever ways to repair scratched windshields or side windows on a budget. In this post, I’ve gathered the best tips on how to remove scratches from car glass windows.
I may earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this post at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Frugal Home Addict! Learn more about my disclaimer policy here.
What Causes Car Window Scratches?
Something as simple as improper cleaning methods can cause minor scratches to your car windows! Always use a microfiber cloth to wipe down your car!
Car window scratches are distracting and pose a safely concern for drivers and passengers. While fine car glass scratches can be fixed without going to an auto repair shop, this type of damage is still annoying to deal with. In order to prevent future scratches, it’s important to understand why they are there in the first place.
Here are several common reasons for scratched side windows and windshields:
- Flying road debris
- Defective and old windshield wiper blades
- Using damaged ice scrapers to remove ice from your windows
- Tree branches
- Cleaning your car with abrasive cleaning agents or tools (use a microfiber cloth and gentle car cleaner instead!)
Without further ado, here’s how to remove scratches from car windows! Below, I’ve also listed a few helpful products I felt had the most value for the cost.
Best Products To Remove Scratches From Car Glass
How To Remove Scratches From Car Windows
- A windshield repair kit can help reduce the appearance of minor cracks and chips, and prevent further damage.
- For professional looking results, use a cerium oxide mixture to polish and remove scratches from car windows. This process is more time consuming, but gives scratches an invisible appearance.
- Glass polish, used alongside glass polishing pads, can be used to repair lightly scratched glass surfaces.
- Although intended for plastic surfaces, an acrylic scratch remover can be used to fill in light and deep scratches on car windows.
- If you are looking for a cheap DIY solution, try using whitening toothpaste to polish and fill in scratches on glass surfaces.
Note: Minor chips and cracks are not difficult to get rid of. However, major windshield damage can pose safety risks for passengers during an auto accident. In this case, it is safer to replace the glass instead. Talk to a professional if you aren’t sure which method is best for you.
1. Windshield Repair Kit
Rain-X Windshield Repair Kit | Amazon
Looking for an effective method on how to remove scratches from car glass? Try using a windshield repair kit for minor cracks and chips. If you have deep scratches, a windshield repair kit should be able to fix it (as long as the damages don’t go beyond one layer of glass).
For auto glass scratches, I recommend using Rain-X’s Windshield Repair Kit. This kit contains everything you need to repair car window damages on your own: 1 gram bottle of repair resin, a window scratch repair device, and much more! This product works best for round chip damages (no more than one inch in diameter) and cracks (no longer than 12 inches long).
This is the perfect car window repair kit for beginners. The instructions are easy to follow and the resin does a great job taking minor scratches out of the glass. If you’ve waxed your windows, I recommend removing the wax around the chipped or cracked area before repairing (you easily do this with acetone on a paper towel).
How To Remove Scratches From Car Windows With A Windshield Repair Kit
For best results, follow the product’s instructions as directed. Here are quick instructions for using Rain-X’s Windshield Repair Kit:
- Park your car in a shaded area if you are outside. Start by cleaning the damaged section of your window, removing any dirt and water. Before beginning, wear protective eyewear and a mask.
- Squeeze the resin into the scratch and/or chip.
- Let the resin cure with the cure strip. Park your car under the direct sunlight to help the resin cure.
- After drying, peel off curing sheet and scrape the glass with the blade perpendicular to the glass.
2. Cerium Oxide
Cerium oxide is a powder that is mixed with water to form a slurry. This mixture is then used to polish and remove scratches from glass surfaces. This solution can get rid of both fine and deep scratches (although it works best for lightly scratched windows like wiper scratches).
To remove scratches from your car’s glass window, I recommend using Gordon Glass’s Cerium Oxide Glass Polishing Kit. This kit comes with an eight ounce bag of cerium oxide and a felt polishing wheel (attach it to any electric drill). It is a great product to restore scratched windshields and side window without replacing the glass.
Unfortunately, the scratch removal process can be difficult to get used to for beginners. Unlike the windshield repair kit, this method is time consuming and requires patience. However, cerium oxide is a great way to get a professional looking finish at an affordable cost!
Here’s how to remove scratches from car windows using cerium oxide:
How To Remove Scratches From Car Glass With Cerium Oxide
- Clean the window thoroughly. Make sure there is no dirt or grime on the glass. Wear protective eyewear and a mask.
- Get two small plastic tubs. Fill one halfway with water.
- Dip the polishing wheel into the water. Make sure the wheel is damp, but not dripping wet.
- In the empty tub, add some of cerium oxide powder and mix warm water to create a slurry (a thin, paste-like mixture).
- Attach the dampened polishing wheel to an electric drill and dip it into the slurry.
- Move the wheel in an up and down and circular motion over the scratched area. If needed, use a spray bottle to wet the wheel if it dries out.
Note: The cerium oxide polishing compound can be left to dry and later reused by adding water.
3. Glass Polish
Window shield repair kits and cerium oxide are great options for removing both light and deep scratches from car windows. If you only need to restore lightly scratched auto glass, you can just use glass polish.
Glass polish is often used to deep clean and remove water stains from glass surfaces. When used alongside a glass polishing pad, this combo effectively takes fine scratches out of glass windows. If you are looking for a quality glass polish to fix lightly damaged windows, I recommend using Griot’s Garage Glass Polish.
Here’s how to remove scratches from car glass with glass polish:
How To Remove Scratches From Car Windows With Glass Polish
- Clean the window thoroughly. Make sure there is no dirt or grime on the glass. Wear protective eyewear and a mask.
- Tape around the areas you want to polish.
- Apply glass polish onto a glass polishing pad.
- Using the lowest speed setting on the polisher, spread the glass polish over the scratched area.
- Turn up the speed and buff until the scratches are completely removed. If needed, use a spray bottle to wet the glass polishing pad if the glass polish dries out.
4. Acrylic Scratch Remover
Acrylic scratch remover is a product that is designed to reduce the appearance of scratches on acrylic and plexiglass items. Although meant for plastic surfaces, you can also use acrylic scratch remover on glass windows.
For scratched car windows, try using Quixx’s Acrylic Scratch Remover Kit. This DIY kit comes with everything you need to fill in and take scratches out of damaged surfaces. Acrylic scratch remover works great for both light and deep scratches.
Here’s how to remove scratches from car windows using an acrylic scratch remover:
How To Remove Scratches From Car Glass With An Acrylic Scratch Remover
- Clean the window thoroughly, making sure there is no dirt or water inside the scratched area. Wear gloves.
- Using a clean cloth and a little pressure, rub a small amount of acrylic scratch remover in a circular motion over the damaged area for two minutes.
- Wipe off the excess product with a clean microfiber cloth. If the scratches are still visible, repeat steps two and three until the damage is completely removed.
5. Whitening Toothpaste
Looking for a cheap DIY solution on how to remove scratches from car glass? If you have lightly scratched side windows or windshields (like wiper blade scratches), you can use toothpaste to repair the auto glass!
Whitening toothpaste works like sandpaper and helps polish out scratches on a glass surface. The toothpaste also fills into the gaps, making the damages less visible and sealing it from further damage. This is a great DIY method for people on a budget!
Here’s how to get rid of fine glass scratches with toothpaste:
How To Remove Scratches From Car Windows With Toothpaste
- Clean the scratched area on the window thoroughly. Make sure there is no dirt or water inside the gaps.
- Apply a small amount of whitening toothpaste onto a clean cloth. Using the cloth, gently rub the toothpaste over the scratched area in a circular motion for two minutes. Wipe off the excess toothpaste with a clean microfiber cloth before it dries on the glass.
- Repeat step two as needed until the scratches are completely filled with toothpaste.
Recommended Products: How To Remove Scratches From Car Windows
In this post, I’ve gathered several helpful products and methods on how to remove scratches from car windows. Here are all the recommended products in one convenient list:
- Rain-X Windshield Repair Kit
- Gordon Glass Cerium Oxide Glass Polishing Kit
- Griot’s Garage Glass Polish
- Quixx Acrylic Scratch Remover Kit
Conclusion
Scratches on car windows are a huge nuisance. The scratches can obscure the driver’s view by reflecting light, making them dangerous to drive with. This is why it is important to remove scratches from car windows as soon as possible.
Luckily, there are many reliable methods on how to remove scratches from car windows. In this post, I’ve recommended several auto glass repair techniques to fix fine scratches. If you have deeply damaged and scratched windshields and side windows, replace the glass instead. Extensive cracks and chips are difficult to get rid of, so it’s important to repair light scratches (like wiper scratches) before they worsen.
I hope this post gave you some helpful tips and tricks on how to remove scratches from car glass. Using a little effort, patience, and time, it is possible to take scratches out of your car windows yourself without going to a professional!
