How to keep soft top rear plastic window crystal clear?

Hi everyone:

I need some advise on how to keep the rear plastic window crystal clear on my 360 Spider. It seems some gunk or wax has accumulated on mine so it looks rather foggy. Have not used any cleaners yet because I think that will make the plastic yellow in the long run. Tried just mild detergent soaking then wipe with soft cotton towel. Seems to work after a lot of buffing with the towel, but takes too much effort and hard to get at the edge near the canvas fabric.

Is there an easier way? I'd rather drive it than clean it. Thanks in advance for any comment.

 

The exact name is escaping me at the moment but I know Zymol offers a product made specifically for the plastic convertible windows. You may want to check out www.zymol.com and see if you can find it. You can also always use water and a microfiber cloth for temporary maintence. Hope this helps.

 

Meguiars Mirror Glaze #18 clear plastic cleaner/polish.

 

The plastic get's hazy b/c it has small scratches on it. That's just the way it is with plastic.

The only way to clean it is too have it polished. It took so much effort for you too clean it b/c what you used is not very abrasive, so it takes more elbow grease.

Try the Meguires on a small section first and see how it works. It will also take a lot of work, but not as much.

 

Thanks guys. I will check these products out. BTW it's not tiny scatches, I am 99% sure it's just some liquid wax that got dried onto the clear plastic. It got foggy after I took it to a car wash a couple of times. In Tokyo, they hand wash at request but runs the machine over the car (without the brushes of course) to spray soap solution over the car. I am pretty sure they had mixed in some liquid spray wax in the solution.

Now I specifically tell them not to inject any wax in the soap solution. And it has not gotten any worse. So I think I just need a cleaner that will clean off the wax without causing any yellowing of the clear plastic.

 

I'm assuming the window is a soft plastic -- as opposed to Lexan which is rigid --. If so , I used Lemon Pledge on my convertible top windows years ago. It cleaned, shined, and protected and the window never hazed .

Tom

 

This product is highly rated in the UK

http://www.hindsight.uk.com/

 

I had the same problem and used liquid dish soap which got the dirt off the outside, but it was still not clear. Turns out there was haze on the inside of the plastic window as well, and once I realized that and cleaned the inside it was perfectly clear again.

I have some plastic window cleaner and conditioner left over from my Porsche days. It was supplied with the car. Works fine on the Ferrari. You can order it from Porsche. The conditioner keeps the plastic supple.

 

If the cleaners or Meguiars #18 does not do it the next step may be Meguiars #10. It is a plastic polish designed for soft clear plastics. This has worked well on my Alfa Spider's headlamp covers, lexan, and convertible back soft plastic window. After #10 comes plastic cleaner #17 but be careful as #17 can put small scratches in the plastic that have to be removed by #10.

 

www.novuspolish.com

As i recall they actually MAKE some of the other products mentioned in this thread. Naturally it is less $$$ due to the fact they make it, others just rebrand it into their own product.

Enjoy the Drive,

Steven R. Rochlin

 

I was having a hard time getting the lexan rear window on the F40 clean. I found a product called Plexus. You can find it on line at www.plexusplasticcleaner.com
It feeds the plastic. Leaves it shinny and clear. It also reduces static. It works on all plastics. Neat stuff. Sort of looks like Pledge going on.

Rick

 

Pro Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish works well.

 

I was just looking through my latest Eastwood catalog. You might want to check out their vinyl window polish kit (product 40000 and 40012). They're at www.eastwood.com

-Daniel

 

Here's a well kept secret.

Simi-Chrome polish. Around $3.00 for a tube.

It's used for polishing silverware, etc. This stuff works wonders on any clear plastic. It removes the scratches and takes the yellowing out. I've used it for years for polishing windscreens on motorcycles.

Last time I saw it it was in a green and white package at the hardware store.

-Jeff

 

I'm not currently "enjoying the drive" or "enjoying the music." I'm just enjoying the avatar pictures that Steven keeps providing. Sorry for the OT comment, but I couldn't resist.

 

You can get the Meguiars cleaners at any BMW parts dept. Use the cleaner first and then apply the polish. The polish is like the stuff they use to buff watch crystals. Relatively simple to use and works well. Been using it for years.

 

Wow, thanks guys for the many suggestions. Now I have so many options, I think my problem is no more.