I have a 2008 Prius that I bought new in April,2008. I have taken good care of the car and it's always parked in the garage when it's not in use. Awhile back I noticed streaking on the windshield and it was in an arc that followed the movement of the wipers. I didn't pay any attention to it thinking there was some crud stuck on the blades and I'd clean it off later on. That was a couple months ago. Now I'm noticing small grooves on the surface that seem to be following the arc of both wiper blades. They are noticeable when the surface is wet and the wiper blade is moving across it but not when the glass is dry. Also, I can feel my fingernail catch in the grooves. Additionally, I notice that when the glass is wet, it acts like it has a film of Rain X on it. What do you guys think? The blades look and feel perfect and I don't think there was damage from dirty wiper blades.
Sounds like you had some abrasive material caught in the wiper blades. That will definitely scratch the windshield. I suggest you install new blades and then check with a glass company about buffing out the scratches. Sometimes they can do that if the scratches are not too deep.
Do not buff out the glass as that will cause distortion. Get a new windshield. It might be covered by your comprehensive insurance, if you have glass coverage there will be no charge.
just did a search and found this have exactly the same issue/symptoms on our 2008 Prius I have a 2008 Prius that I bought new in April,2008. I have taken good care of the car and it's always parked in the garage when it's not in use. Awhile back I noticed streaking on the windshield and it was in an arc that followed the movement of the wipers. I didn't pay any attention to it thinking there was some crud stuck on the blades and I'd clean it off later on. That was a couple months ago. Now I'm noticing small grooves on the surface that seem to be following the arc of both wiper blades. They are noticeable when the surface is wet and the wiper blade is moving across it but not when the glass is dry. Also, I can feel my fingernail catch in the grooves. Additionally, I notice that when the glass is wet, it acts like it has a film of Rain X on it. What do you guys think? The blades look and feel perfect and I don't think there was damage from dirty wiper blades.
