Windshield Specks in Bright Sunlight – How to Deal with Them?

The windshield is an important part of the car body that protects you from strong wind, insects, and sometimes even small stones and road debris. Very often, the windshield has a hard time trying to prevent small hard objects from flying directly into the car interior. This causes windshield pitting and, as a result, you can see specks in bright sunlight.

If you observe specks on your windshield when the sun is shining, it means that the surface of the glass has a lot of tiny damages and is not transparent enough anymore. There are several ways to solve this problem: polishing the outside of the windshield, wearing polarized sunglasses, or replacing the windshield with a new one.

Here's what I will tell you in this article:

• Why do you see specks in sunlight on your windshield?
• What are the ways to solve this problem?
• What are the signs that the windshield should be replaced?
• OEM or aftermarket windshield for your car?
• Can you drive when you see only sunlight in your windshield?

Let's get started!

Why are there specks of sunlight on the windshield?

In most cases, you will not see any specks when driving. But when the sun is low above the horizon and you are driving right towards it, the beams are falling directly onto the glass and you see every single imperfection on it. You may remember the time when your car was new and, in this situation, you could see something like a crack in the glass. Fortunately, it was only a little scratch but the sun made it seem like a crack.

Also, in these cases, you may see how filthy your glass is and plan to wash it at the weekend. But what if you see serious specks that just don't allow you to see the road? Well, this situation is disturbing and sometimes you just can't drive because you aren't sure if you are driving on the road or on the pavement already.

Here's why this happens:

• over time, your windshield gets a lot of micro damages that create small cavities and scratches on its surface;
• you can't see them normally or even if you see the damages, it doesn't disturb you from observing the road conditions;
• but when the sun appears to be between your glass and these tiny damages, a bright glare may appear around each of them;
• if there are one or two scratches, you can easily cope with it just by moving your head a little to the side to see the road;
• but if there are a lot of scratches and damages, you will see just bright yellow light instead of the road;
• sometimes, things are so bad that you need to stop your vehicle and just wait till the sun changes its position;
• alternatively, you can change the direction and try other routes if you are driving in the city and have such options.

This is an unpleasant situation, especially for an inexperienced driver. Unfortunately, quite a lot of car accidents happen because of imperfections on windshields that drivers just ignore. They can't see the entire road in front of their vehicles and make wrong decisions when driving. This may lead to bad accidents that may affect the health and even life of people.

What are the ways to solve this problem?

Surprisingly, there are two pretty simple and affordable methods to solve the issue with windshield specks in sunlight. Also, there is another solution that may seem too expensive for you. But if nothing else helps you solve the problem, you better invest some money and get rid of this issue.

Here are the possible solutions for sunlight specks on the windshield:

1) Wearing polarized sunglasses

Just the cheapest way to see everything without any specks. High-quality polarized sunglasses are made to cope with glares. What you see on your windshield is actually the glare of sunlight and you can cope with it just by wearing such glasses.

Choose good glasses from a well-known brand because cheaper ones may not be that efficient. But anyway, this is the cheapest solution that also gives you a pair of wonderful and stylish glasses that you anyway need in the summer.

2) Polishing the windshield

I will not describe the process here because it would take a lot of time. But still, you can polish the windshield on your own and you will only spend ten or twenty dollars on the products you need for this.

There are numerous videos and tutorials on how to do that and you may use the methods that require or don't require special tools and expertise. Even if you just rub the polishing paste with a rug, it will partially solve the problems.

Unfortunately, this method is not really long-lasting, and very soon the glass will get a new portion of scratches and other damages. Polishing the windshield is not recommended too often - it will destroy the outer protective layer.

3) Replacing the windshield

The last and the most expensive way to solve this issue is to replace the windshield. It may cost you $150 to $1,000 depending on the brand and model of your car. Also, dealerships will take more money for parts and labor while independent shops will do the job for less money.

I don't recommend cheap and unknown shops because you need high-quality work. Otherwise, your windshield will leak and will not do the job of protecting your car's interior.

Some signs that a windshield should be replaced

Although the majority of the readers will want to try and leave the old glass in their cars by polishing it and buying polarized glasses, sometimes these methods will not work.

Here are the signs that your windshield requires replacement:

• a huge number of scratches and other damages that will not allow you to see the road whatever you do;
• deep scratches and damages that disturb you from seeing the entire road in front of the car;
• cracks in the windshield - whenever it's cracked, it will continue destroying till you replace it;
• cloudy glass - when there are tons of little scratches in one place, the windshield may become cloudy;
• after it was polished several times - such glasses need replacement because the whole protection layer was destroyed by polishing.

It's important to replace the windshield if it doesn't work as it should. A lot of people underestimate the role of this part in safe and confident driving.

OEM or aftermarket windshield for your car?

One of the common questions people ask is if they should buy exactly the OEM glass or if the aftermarket option is OK. The answer is not that clear. On the one hand, all options of windshields for your vehicle look the same when they are new and there is no reason to overpay and buy the OEM one which is often three or four times more expensive.

But still, the OEM glass offers several important benefits:

• it's certainly the needed size and it won't leak if properly installed;
• the glass is of high quality and you will not worry about possible issues;
• the scratches and cracks will not show up for a long time;
• the transparency of the new OEM windshield is perfect, there are no distortions.

So, the OEM glass will live longer and be of higher quality. If you find the OEM glass for a reasonable price, this is the greatest choice for your car. I don't recommend cheap aftermarket options because they often have serious distortions and driving cars with them is quite a challenge.

Can you drive with sunlight specks on your windshield?

This question is hard to answer without seeing the level of the problem. You can drive if you clearly see the road in front of you. If the specks create serious obstacles in observing the road conditions, the vehicle shouldn't be driven. This is unsafe and can easily lead to an accident even if you are a super-experienced driver.

Be careful with sunlight specks in the windshield because they may lead to issues with sudden changes in the road conditions without you noticing them. The best idea for you is to follow the three offered solutions in this article and deal with the problem of specks on the glass.