I am OCD as hell about keeping my mini is top notch condition. The only thing that drives me insane is the window film. Nothing i use will get rid of it or eat it away. And believe me i've scrubbed. I want someone with perfectly smooth mirror like windows to let me know the secret! Help!

 

If you used the top end glass cleaners and still have a film, go to the answer to 85% of all detailing questions: Clay Bar.

 

haven't tried that yet. Thanks for the input i'll give it a go.

 

I've had some luck with rubbing alcohol actually.

 

Griots makes a specialized claybar for Glass, give that a try. Once my paint claybar becomes too dirty to use on the paint, I use it on the front and back glass. It allows me a couple more uses before sending it to the land fill.

 

yep

ditto

edit: another hint

once a year I run all over all my glass with a single edge razor blade - a window scraper. You'd be amazed how much stuff comes off! What you have may not be "haze" but accumulated paint over spray, dried sap and bug guts and who knows what else.

You will NOT scratch the glass so don't worry about that - I've been doing this for years - but do be careful around the rubber seals and your FINGERS!

 

What I don't understand is why I keep getting a haze on the inside of my windows. I use Clarity and several days later there a faint haze comes back. You can take a towel and whipe it off. It's like something is being given off from the dash or something. My wife's car does the same thing.

 

Riding with the windows down?

 

if you put your hand near that windshield vent with the air on, youll notice it blows some air out of it, regardless of what setting its at. this may be where its coming from. changed your cabin air filter recently?

 

The following is cut and pasted from a post by chkmini in another thread:

"Plastic emits gases and that is why you get a haze on the inside of your windows."

 

there is even a term for it ... "outgassing" and it is also the source of "new car smell"

as plastics outgas, they change chemically, becoming brittle and even shrinking in size which causes cracking and splitting

uv accelerates the process

scott

 

If it's an oily film, that smears when you drag your finger through it, it's most likely the plasticizers used in the dash. These are the chemicals used to keep the plastic flexible. It's most apparent during the summer when the sun heats the dash and the plasticizers outgas and condense on the windshield. You can reduce the effect by putting something between the dash and windshield when the car is parked (and there is little air flow to dissipate the vapors). Fabric, cardboard or mylar bubble pack style sun screens help. Beware of the rigid accordion folded screens with vinyl - the hot vinyl in close proximity to the glass will fog it in hours. You can also lay something over the dash. Both ideas work by keeping the dash cooler and catching the plasticizers on something other than the glass.

I'm somewhat surprised that an 8 yr old dash is putting out much plasticizer at this point. They usually are pretty much done after a couple of years. If you put any kind of treatment or dressing on the dash, it will make the fogging worse than a new dash. Something to keep in mind when trying to prevent the fog.

As to cleanup, the ideas already presented pretty much cover it and I end up using the following combination, in order:
1. wipe with alcohol dampened cloth
2. clean with ammonia based window cleaner (don't clean the dash with this as it's pretty harsh on plastics)
3. claybar
4. final cleanup with newsprint (black and white newspaper only)

Possibility #2
You can get a similar film from a small coolant leak in the heater core. It would be heaviest where the defroster vents blow on the glass. It's easier to clean off but obviously a much more expensive problem to fix.

Good luck with it and let us know what you end up doing to resolve the problem.