Polishing plastic windows

Plastic rear windows on convertibles are becoming a rare thing these days as many car makers are opting for glass instead but a few car makers are still putting them out and then we have hundreds of different early model ragtops that have plastic windows.

I have included a series of pictures from various cars that show BEFORE and AFTER. The major cause of scratches are 1) Cleaning with an abrasive towel (contaminated with grit or a cotton/polyester blend) and/or 2) Closing the window when it is dirty. This then causes the window to rub against itself as it closes.

The Novus plastic polishing system is a great system designed for both hard and soft plastics. It comes in 3 abrasive levels. #1 is very fine and mainly a gloss enhancing formula, #2 is a mild abrasive cleaner that gets most of the job done and then #3 is the most abrasive, which I rarely use on "soft" plastics such as convertible tops or covers for gauges or instrument panels. You can purchase the Novus system from most Harley Davidson dealers.

I also use a product called Vanilla Moose. VM (Vanilla Moose) is a cleaner/wax that cleans with a non-abrasive chemical cleaner so it woirks great on plastic, both hard and soft. Now it is also very important to use the correct polishing cloths. Stay away from cotton towels and applicator pads and use instead quality MF (microfiber) towels and pads. I also use foam applicator pads and then a MF towel to buff off the residue.

OK, enough ranting. Here are a few pictures of some exterior plastic windows.