[edelossantos]

I picked up my 328i today from the dealer for warranty work on the seat belt arm assist. I noticed haze/smudge on the windshield but didn't think nothing of it - I figured I was going to wipe my car down and clean the windshield when I back from work.

Well, I can't seem to remove this haze/smudge. Not sure what it is. I run my hand across it and I can't feel any roughness, etc. I then thought that the smudge was from the inside - but that was not the case. It is not sticky, etc.

I called my dealer and I have an appointment to have them look at it on Wednesday.

Has anyone seen or heard of this issue?

[gcreese]

I haven't run into that. My issue is I'll take a car in with a perfectly clean windshield and than as a "courtesy" the dealership "cleans" it -- which includes wiping a dirty rag across the inside of the windshield. I get a hazy windshield, but I've always been able to clean it up.

[John 070]

That's strange, but you're under warranty, right? Because I wouldn't pay $120 to have the dealership look at it and then say it's just dirty.....what happens if you wipe it with 50/50 ammonia and water?

[wilbur_the_goose]

Microfiber and distilled H2O can do wonders too.

[2012bmw328xi]

I would try white vinegar. worked for me.

[Mardio]

Originally Posted by 2012bmw328xi

I would try white vinegar. worked for me.

+1

[AndreyT]

Try to "shave" it off with a razor blade (for a safety razor, or a single-edged blade from a hobby shop). It will tell you whether this is a contaminant on the glass surface.

[edelossantos]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I would describe this "smudge" more like when your windows fog up in the winter, except this is "permanent. The size is like a hand print. I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow for them to look at it.

[tmdals0213]

so what was the problem?

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by tmdals0213

so what was the problem?

+1. Inquiring minds want to know!

[edelossantos]

Not sure guys. The dealer took it to the back and had their detail shop put some compound on it and it removed the majority of the haze.

However, they missed a couple of areas, so I'm taking it back to the dealer to have them address it.

[daveN007]

When I purchased my 2011 335d this weekend it had similar sounding issues with the windshield. It is a problem with the glass. They are replacing the windshield.

The dealer said this pops up now and then (glass defects) but usually it isn't right in line of sight from the driver's perspective like mine was.

Mine looked like maybe some kind of wax or cleaner overspray was on the windshield, but it is actually in the layers of the windshield itself. It gave a slight opaqueness to the glass. Slight like blurry or fuzzy.

[p-brad]

Auto glass is a laminated structure of two layers of glass with a layer of polyvinyl butyral film sandwiched between. Delamination of the layers can cause the normally optically clear polyvinyl butyral to become hazy. This is probably the defect that you experienced.

Fun facts - The polyvinyl butyral layer strengthens the glass after fracture (less likely to be ejected during a crash than regular tempered glass) prevents significant UV transmission and because it is a polymer layer with damping properties actually reduces road noise significantly.

[p-brad]

Edit - That is probably the problem you experienced daveN007. edelossantos, if they were able to rub part of your haze off then it definately isn't the interlayer that is the issue.

[daveN007]

Definitely delamination in my case. Weird. Likely the layers were ripped apart by the massive, stump pulling torque of the Mighty D.