Convertible rear window cleaner

[SeeFive]

Folks.

Any recommendations based on experience for a product to clean and improve visibility through a flexible rear window on a soft top? It is only slightly milky to those of us used to sports cars, but she is used to seeing thru hatchback glass in her rear view mirror.

The car is my daughter's recently purchased 05 Streetka - 36,000 miles on the original window I guess.

Current options:
Turtle Wax Soft Top Window Cleaner (doubtful, too cheap but please advise)
Renovo - Plastic Window Cleaner (not great reviews on the web)
Plexus plastic cleaner (as used on fighter cockpits but is it worth the price compared to the others for soft tops?).

Any experience of these products, or better suggestions would be appreciated.

ETA: I saw Kelly's thread on the machine polishing from February. I am not sure I am that brave, so will probably go by hand, hence looking for a suitable product.

Edited by SeeFive on Wednesday 19th October 00:53

[Kinky]

The best plastic rear screen cleaner I ever had was the BMW one, available from BMW MDs. Worked an absolute treat, and the best of all the ones I tried (on my MX5).

There's a thread on this subject (and more) on the MX5 forum. Might be worth wandering over there

[SeeFive]

Thanks for the pointers Kinky. It seems that the Renovo gets very good reviews on there and similar forums, whereas the BMW product is reputed to be less long lasting.

So the order is in for Renovo and I will report back if I can still use my arms to type afterwards (knackered after some heavy suspension work on the Vette today - bolts not been undone for over 140,000 miles etc).

[Refined Detail]

I can highly recommend Renovo too.

Only photo I have to hand at the moment: http://yfrog.com/hw4nqmj

A 50/50 on a Mercedes SL I did a couple of months back - difference in person is night and day!

[The Rustman]

I used the Renovo hood renovation system and window cleaner I can recommend it. It came up like new

[markbigears]

I have always used Autoglym Super Resin Polish, its hard work but brings it up like glass

[SeeFive]

Sounds very promising guys - thanks for the helpful comments. I can't wait for the man from Amazon to bring it.

With regards to hood restorers, I was in a bit of a hurry (there was a lot of product dust on it from where I had been cleaning the bodywork) and plumped for the Halfrauds run. There wasn't a lot there - Meguires soft top cleaner but no waterproofer in stock, so I used the Autoglym cleaner and waterproofer kit which seemed to do a good job.

The foaming cleaner takes quite a lot of getting rid of before letting it dry and using the waterproofer, but it has come up nice and consistently black and forms the right kind of beads in the rain - a bit like a polished paint surface. 20 quid well spent there I think.

If the Renovo is as good on the window I will be a happy bunny (almost as happy as my daughter who has to drive it every day!!).

Thanks again folks.

[Kinky]

Kev,

I think I still have a load of stuff in the garage that you could have ... if you're close to Hook

I'd need to check - but if I have anything, it's yours.

[SeeFive]

Kinky said:

Kev,

I think I still have a load of stuff in the garage that you could have ... if you're close to Hook

I'd need to check - but if I have anything, it's yours.

That's very kind of you, but if your garage is anything like mine at the moment, that sounds like a lot of hassle for you. I think I have pretty much got it all in stock for now.

The rear window and soft top cleaner is something I haven't had to use since I sold the last Grif about 11 years ago, so I was just really checking out a bunch of new (to me) products against the experience of helpful folks on here. All of the products are obviously the donkeys according to their marketing bumf.

I do appreciate the offer though, thanks once again. You wouldn't happen to have a jar of elbow grease hanging around would you, mine is fairly empty at the moment?

[SeeFive]

Well, I said I would report back.

I actually got the car here today and had a go with the Renovo. The difference is like night and day, and not a difficult job at this level of degradation. It is not a huge bottle, but using it sparingly (which seems to work fine) it should last some considerable time.

It also made a good job of the perspex wind deflector.

I'd recommend it, but I have not used any other products, so all I can say is it worked for me.

[Kinky]

No matter which products you used; it's always very satisfying when you put in a bit of elbow grease and visibly see the remarkable difference