I'll add some photos to illustrate my fix but after studying the lift and these blocks it became apparent that dirt was only one problem. All factors considered the main culprit is the small contact area. All of the pressure to guide the glass rests at the pad contact point and the lift rails. Add the compression of the cloth cover and dirt to the equation and you get an abrasive pad. The pad face is under pressure and cannot clear debris like it should because the fibers are compressed.
The goal was to stop abrading the window. To correct this a wider contact area is needed. I have two possible long term fixes for the interior pads:
A) machine new pads from nylon or acetal that are much longer and a bit thinner. The surface area will be larger to give more bearing and less crush to the pile on the face.
B) use the existing brackets and string a tube or channel between them and install the pile seal across the entire span.
If the interior pads don't clean up nicely (I used the same brass wire suede brush I use on the interior to clean the pads) there is a nice fix I picked up from a friend. Clean the old cloth/pile off the nylon pad and wrap the loop (soft) part of some Velcro around it and reinstall. It is nylon and will last a good long time.
Velcro loop wrapped pad
For the exterior the pads were removed entirely. The trim was removed and cleaned. A pile seal (brush) was added just below the factory wiper on the bare metal and runs the entire length of the windows. A second strip was added behind the factory felt wiper for a bit more pressure. The contact of the brush holds the window stable without the pile being completely crushed. This should allow the pile seal to support the window but still allow debris to clear; this rather than the pads which became compacted.
Pile seal installed on trim
It certainly works in testing. The long term obviously will take time but it is a start.
-Mike O