Anyone know what causes this?

[stevej37]

I've owned my Honda Fit for four years now...can't figure out what this is.
Driving into the sun....there is always a distinct glimmering cable like light.
It's ends are at the sun and the other end is my drivers side headlight.
It's distracting when driving. Once the sun is over 60-70 degrees...it decreases.
I asked on the Fit Freak Forum and nobody had the same problem.

Any ideas? Windshield is dirty in pic...does the same when super clean. Pic was taken this am...lots of thunder clouds, the sun is above the pic

[cabmandone]

It's called a "dirty windshield". Buy a windscreen polish kit to thoroughly clean the windshield. You use a drive through car wash don't you?

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by cabmando

It's called a "dirty windshield". Buy a windscreen polish kit to thoroughly clean the windshield. You use a drive through car wash don't you?

Nope...almost never use a car wash.
I use 'magic eraser' inside and out to scour the glass, followed by Sprayway glass
cleaner using only micro-fiber cloths.

The pic shown, is just after a storm came through and the ext glass is dirty.
It does the same when clean.

[mattdavis11]

Passenger side wiper. That is where it stops on the up stroke, and has scratched the glass. Same with our 2002 Accord.

[stevej37]

^^^ OK...but why does the 'cable image' move when I slide over in the seat?
If it was the glass..wouldn't it stay in the same spot?

[svandamme]

your windshield has a certain thickness. and it's laminated.

the light breaks on the mark on the outside..
that makes it move on the inside

[stevej37]

Shortly after taking the above pic...I stopped and slid over as far as I could into the passenger seat.
It was still there..but shifted to about a foot over to the left.
The scratched glass would cause that?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ OK...but why does the 'cable image' move when I slide over in the seat?
If it was the glass..wouldn't it stay in the same spot?

Because it's more like a smear of a chemical film or thousands of concentric scratches.

Think of it as being like swirl marks on paint, except they are on a windshield and the swirl is the size of the circle created by the windshield wipers.

I think it's worth a shot at cleaning the hell out of it.

[javadog]

It's not a scratch. It's some interaction with the various layers in the glass. Probably not fixable without changing the windshield.

[stevej37]

As for the interior....I've cleaned it so much that it's like new...It's amazingly clear.
If it's exterior scratches...what's the answer...other than a new windshield?

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by javadog

It's not a scratch. It's some interaction with the various layers in the glass. Probably not fixable without changing the windshield.

That's more of what I'm thinking. I just wonder why no other Fit owners have seen the same.

[javadog]

That’s hard to say. If I were you, I’d try to get on the phone to a customer service engineer at a glass manufacturer, send them pictures and get their opinion. If it turns out it’s a defect in the glass, I’d ask Honda for a new one.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by javadog

It's not a scratch. It's some interaction with the various layers in the glass. Probably not fixable without changing the windshield.

Probably this. Light refracts as it passes through glass. That's how eye glasses work, as we all know. Glass and all other transparent substances have a specific refractive index (RI). The windshield probably has outer layers with different RIs than the inner glass layer. This causes concentrated light where you are seeing it, only occurring at one small range of angles in relation to your eye. It's kind of like a rainbow, except the light isn't getting split into different colors. If all layers had the same RI, this wouldn't happen.

[pavulon]

Is it a factory Honda or replacement windshield?

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Is it a factory Honda or replacement windshield?

Not sure...I'll have to check that out later.
It's a 2010 with 230K miles...so I think my Honda options are gone.

[john70t]

The new purchase Fit has a very wide and very flat windscreen.
(That was the first thing noticed)
And the very first thing I applied on it was original formula RainX. Warm and dry day.

It is difficult to tell, but that visual effect might be from layers contained within an replacement windshield..
A flaw.
Or not.
If the new glass is overly aftermarket strong...

[stevej37]

^^^ I use the original formula rainx also.
I spent more time on the interior glass...than I have on the ext body. The prev owner was a smoker and the smoke film took a lot to remove. Magic erasers were the best for cutting it.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by stevej37

The prev owner was a smoker and the smoke film took a lot to remove.

Oh daym. I understand.

Now you are talking about 3-4 coats of primer, to clean up, after previous tenants were burning candles indoors.
Just to make new wall paint primer even stick.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Is it a factory Honda or replacement windshield?

It has the Honda H and and says Lami-Pane Nippon Safety
so I guess it's factory?

[Starless]

My 2010 Toyota Rav 4 has the same issue. I've cleaned the hell out of it and it's still there. Hoping for a kicked up stone to chip the windshield so my ins. will pay for it.