It’s a 1997 328i, in case that matters. I have an ugly horizontal line of what looks like oxidation right across the plastic rear “window”. I’ve tried various waxes, gentle abrasives like “Clear Cut” (? Meguire’s thing ?), as well as Zymol wax (?) I think it’s called. It looks like the line of fogginess matches up with the way the top folds when it’s stashed in the…tonneau I think it’s called.
So…ideas on how to clean it please? (Please, no Brillo pads or wire wool). I looked on Google and a few people seem to recommend Zymol, but that didn’t seem to have any effect for me. Has anyone found anything that really works? My mechanic mumbled something about there being a couple of chemicals you can mix to pull it off, but he was sketchy on the details.
Also - to push my luck now I have your attention - what’s the best product/method for cleaning the leather seats and carpet?
Hmmm… I think that maybe once the crease is there, you’re going to have a hard time getting rid of it. The trick is to keep it from forming. For my '00 BMW Z3, which tends to get the same sort of crease you describe, I use two methods. Handily enough, they’re both described here. I use both the window protector, and Meguire’s 18, 17, and 10, and the crease on my window is barely visible. Perhaps there’s something similiar available for the 328i?
Thanks Athena - that sounds very promising (I mean those products you mentioned). I’m a little leery of ordering online from a supplier that only has an IP address for their website - do you know if this one is trustworthy?
Aside: it strikes me as ridiculous that BMW can’t find a solution to what seems a chronic design flaw.
Well, the usual solution is to make it a glass window. Theres a little more weight but that’s usually worth the increased quality. It’s almost surprising that BMW would stick with a plastic rear window for so long. My guess would be that the Z3 replacement (Z4?) coming out later this year will be well appointed, with a heated, glass rear window.
I’ve ordered from them several times, and have had no problems. They have a really good reputation on some of the Z3 message boards, so I’d be suprised if you had a bad experience. Regardless, the Meguire stuff is available just about anywhere - iirc, Meguire itself has a web page you can order from.