bah! ... caught in the Palm Springs Sand storm

[JDC]

I was caught in the Palm Springs sand storm yesterday and it ended up blasting and pitting the windshield and headlight covers.

Does anyone know if there is a good method to 'restore' the windshield -n- headlight covers?

Thanks.

 

[bradyb]

aaaarhg! I feel your pain. I do know there are some products for the clear plastic that will buff out mild scratches and the cloudy haze. i forget the name but you can get it from several auto/detail/parts stores and there is also a product that is sold @ motorcycle dealers/parts shops designed to take out scratches from wind screens.

im not sure about the glass but i would steer you towards an auto detail/paint supply for a glass pollish.

hope it helps.......

 

[nearwater]

Sorry to hear that JDC.
I think it all depends on how severe the damage is.
If it's some minor surface damage, I think a glass polish will do.
Good luck with the fix. I hope the insurance is covering it!

Dan

 

[Rey]

I think Maguire or Mothers makes a product for polishing plastic scratches. Check with any auto store. If you cannot find a product there check with any general aviation facility. They carry plastic polishes for plastic aircraft windshields. Do read and follow directions - it is to be used sparingly with lots of elbow grease.
As for the windshield I would check with your insurance carrier. Dust storm damage is usually included in comprehensive coverage. Even if you are denied coverage your insurance carrier may be able to recommend curative action.

 

[Disaster]

There are lots of different plastic polish kits. I used BlueMagic to restore the headlights in our Avalon. However, you might need to go at it a bit more first...with 1000 grit sandpaper and some wet sanding. With plastics you have to go slow and keep the surface cool or else you will start melting it and do more damage than good...which is one reason to wet sand. Also, you probably need to recoat it with UV protection so it doesn't yellow. I'm not sure about newer plastics but a lot of the older headlights had a UV protective coating and when it would wear off the plastic would yellow. They sell kits with this UV protection in a spray can.

 

[STREETS]

A couple manufactureres (check Auto Zone, etc.) have headlamp refinishing product that combine a abrasion & polish kit and drill attachment that polish and buff out abrasions, pitting and yellowing of plastics. I would go to the glass guy and replace windshield (if no deductable on insurance)- hello ball peen hammer!

How did the paint on the car do?

 

[jwaters943]

I don't live in Palm Springs, but I just had this happen to me. I live up in Reno and we had some winds that were gusting to 90 mph in the valley on Tuesday! My car got blasted with all sorts of crap, including lots of sand.

I'm just glad I didn't get hit by a large 4' x 10' section of aluminum roofing that was flying down the road on my way to work. Friggin' wind!

 

[JDC]

great info guys, thanks.

I'm washing the car today so will have a better idea of the paint.

"jwaters - I'm just glad I didn't get hit by a large 4' x 10' section of aluminum roofing that was flying down the road on my way to work. Friggin' wind!"

Yes, there was a 4 x 8 piece of plywood up about 150 in the air for about 90 seconds spinning and hovering and moving along over us... it came down just off the shoulder of the freeway, just missing a semi. When we got up about 1/2 mile ahead I saw the pick-up truck on the side of the road that the wind was just lifting up sheets of plywood like in a movie.


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[Disaster]

Yes, there was a 4 x 8 piece of plywood up about 150 in the air for about 90 seconds spinning and hovering and moving along over us... it came down just off the shoulder of the freeway, just missing a semi.

The freakiest thing I ever saw was a tire get launched in the air and come down in traffic. The guy was driving in front of me. Suddenly he swerved as the front of his car slammed down on the ground and his tire went off on it's own. The center of the road has a concrete barrier with a shallow lip on the bottom. The tire road up the lip and then the wall and kept going...20 to 30 feet in the air, before coming down on the other side of the freeway, where traffic was going in the other direction. Because of the wall blocking my vision I don't know if it hit anybody but I figured if it did, it would likely cause a major accident or death. I can just imagine driving down the road when all the sudden a tire comes falling out of the sky!!!

 

[nearwater]

The freakiest thing I ever saw was a tire get launched in the air and come down in traffic. The guy was driving in front of me. Suddenly he swerved as the front of his car slammed down on the ground and his tire went off on it's own. The center of the road has a concrete barrier with a shallow lip on the bottom. The tire road up the lip and then the wall and kept going...20 to 30 feet in the air, before coming down on the other side of the freeway, where traffic was going in the other direction. Because of the wall blocking my vision I don't know if it hit anybody but I figured if it did, it would likely cause a major accident or death. I can just imagine driving down the road when all the sudden a tire comes falling out of the sky!!!

A VERY scary situation and often times deadly.
An automotive jounalist was testing out the new Ford Fiesta on the freeway when a tire/wheel landed on the roof just like the situation you described.
He was okay, but the car wasn't. Had it been a little closer to the windshield, he wouldn't have been able to write that review.

Dan

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[ctrcbob]

When you clean things up, make sure you check your Air Filter and Cabin Filter.

Last year, while driving I-40 between Flagstaff and Albuquerque, I drove through three (yes three) dust storms. No damage to the headlights or windshield, perhaps because this was Red Dust, not sand. Before I left Phoenix, I figured that I may hit dust storms on I-40, so I placed a "pre-filter" over the filter opening above the radiator, and oiled it to catch any dust before the dust got to the engine air filter. When I got to Roswell, I checked the engine compartment and filters. The pre-filter was filthy with Red Dust, and the engine compartment was loaded with the same Red Dust. The dust was as thin as talcum powder. While driving through the dust storms, I kept the A/C on recycle so no dust got on the cabin filter, much less inside the car. The engine air filter was clean as the pre-filter did its job. Driving through those three storms, I never did step hard on the gas pedal, so the second stage intake did not open, only the primary intake was open, filtered by the pre-filter. Did I mention the engine compartment was filthy red? Went to a coin wash, and washed down the entire engine.

Again, check and clean or replace both the engine air filter and the cabin filter.

 

[JDC]

When you clean things up, make sure you check your Air Filter and Cabin Filter.

Again, check and clean or replace both the engine air filter and the cabin filter.

excellent ideas, thanks