I hope that someone can help my mister with a seemingly simple problem..

[Ecumenist]

Himself bought a Dodge RAM 2500 4X4. He's got a problem with the back window and we've done everything that we can possibly do and don't seem to be able to get rid of what seems to be scale on the back window. It is obviously the result of water running off of the cab and down the back window into the bed of the truck. Try though we may, we just cannot get that scale off of the window. It looks like the window is coated with "wetted" dust with the very clear drip lines where the water ran down the glass.

Does anyone have any idea what we can do to get this water scale off of the window?

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Try Lime-Away or CLR

It will probably clean the glass. But be VERY careful about getting it on the paint. It may or may not react with it.

I usually use CLR and a sponge with a blue scrubbie on one side (blue is the non-abrasive grade of scuff pad). Wet the sponge and wipe the window then scrub it with the blue side.

(This all assumes the stain (scale as you call it) is some form of mineral or lime scale and not a true chemical stain.)

[Jersey Devil]

2. What is running off the roof of the truck to make the stain?

Is your husband in construction and getting his vehicle dusty with some sort of construction debris? This doesn't sound like a problem from Dodge but more like a problem that would affect any auto glass.

[yy4me]

3. If the CLR fails, try Nevr-Dull, available at hardware stores and

Wal-Mart (cheaper at WM). It is a wadding cleaner and polish for all types of metals and glass. You tear off a wad of the stuff and buff away. Then polish with a dry cloth. It should help. We used it for years in our Antiques business to polish antique hardware, brass fireplace equipment and all types of glass.

[AlCzervik]

4. A-maz and i guarantee it works, i have the worst water where i live and when i was thinking

of selling my house the shower doors were tragic, just for the hell of it i tried this stuff and O M G it worked, shower doors look brand new. Ok now i'm gonna tell you the truth--this stuff requires some elbow grease but it works A-Mazingly well (see what i did there?)

scroll down to the bottom, i got mine at the local Ace hardware store.


http://www.acehotline.com/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamMan=102&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtsearchParamCat=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL

[Hotler]

5. Try Bon Ami or Bar keepers friend. Sometimes....

chrome polish works if the surface is not to pitted. Might even try plain old car wax.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. Read this article...it may answer your question

http://men.msn.com/articlepm.aspx?cp-documentid=760921

A Basic Problem


Q: I have a sprinkler system in my front yard that splashes water onto my car on breezy days. I think the water droplets that evaporate from the side-window glass leave mineral deposits behind. Oddly enough, the paint doesn't seem to collect any deposits, nor do the windscreen or the back glass. I've tried every window cleaner I can imagine, but nothing gets rid of these annoying stains. My son-in-law suggested I try using hydrochloric acid to dissolve them, but that really doesn't sound like a good idea to me. How can I remove these spots?

A: Bad news: They probably aren't mineral deposits. The glass has been etched by corrosion. Here's the phenomenon: Your municipal water--or whatever water supply feeds the sprinkler system--may have a high pH (it's alkaline, or a base), or you may have had some highly alkaline surface dust on your glass, which dissolved into the water. This high-pH water then slowly dried in the sun. As the volume of water decreased, the concentration of minerals, and consequently the corrosive quality of the solution, increased. This could have etched the surface of the glass, leaving not a deposit, but a ring that is below the surface of the surrounding glass.


Worse news: You can't remove these rings with glass cleaners or acid. You have three options:
1. Get an auto glass shop to polish the surface of the glass.
2. Polish it yourself. This requires a felt wheel, a variable-speed electric drill and a kit of various grades of cerium oxide abrasive. Think of grinding and polishing a telescope mirror.
3. Replace the glass.

Why didn't the water also etch the windshield and backlite? They use a more durable, laminated glass. Most important, how do you prevent this from happening again? Keep the windows clean and waxed so the water doesn't pool on the surface in big spots.

And, as an aside, the only acid I would suggest you try is straight household white vinegar. Put some on a rag and don't let it dribble. Don't rinse until it has dried, to avoid getting any acid into the door.

[youthere]

7. Try "Lemi-Shine"

It comes in a powder and is found by the automatic dishwashing detergents and is formulated specifically to remove mineral deposits from glass. just mix a strong solution and put it in a spray bottle, spray on, let set for a minute and wipe off. It might take a couple times but it shoud remove it. I think its citric acid crystals.

[Kolesar]

8. but don't tell the mister that his Dodge is a lemon

har har