Window Haze

[Tyler121]

well i have a 94 es300 and its running great. it seems lately that there has been this haze that gets on the windshield and all other windows. i wipe it off, clean it, everything and it looks great. the next day...ITS BACK...what else can i do to get rid of this haze???

[amf1932]

Probably caused by air pollution in your neighborhood.

I use "Turtle Wax T420B Clearvue Professional Glass Cleaner"......works great!

[Tyler121]

i dont think it is pollution but i will try the cleaner...thanks for the help

[Lexucan]

Is the haze on the inside of the windows or the outside?

I've found that some interior detailing products can cause a haze to develop on the windows if the car is left closed up in warm weather. I guess whatever residue is left behind from cleaning the dash, leather, etc, evaporates and then clings to the glass. I suppose you'd call that detailing pollution! :D

[amf1932]

I assumed that Tyler121 was talking about the outside of the glass, but if he was talking about the inside......I still recommend the product I mentioned in my above post. It works great!

[Tyler121]

yea i was talking about the inside, and the evaporation of the cleaning products makes sense. i will still try that turtle wax cleaner stuff...thanks again for the help

[homemechanic]

yea i was talking about the inside, and the evaporation of the cleaning products makes sense. i will still try that turtle wax cleaner stuff...thanks again for the help

It might not be the cleaning products evaporating inside because you cleaned the windows and they are back the next day. If you get that haze stuff often, try closing your air circulation system before you leave the car or vice versus. BTW, don't use that antifog stuff inside. It does attract to haze.

[Lexucan]

yea i was talking about the inside, and the evaporation of the cleaning products makes sense. i will still try that turtle wax cleaner stuff...thanks again for the help

If your windows are tinted, be sure you use a tint-friendly glass cleaner. Cleaners with ammonia or other harsh chemicals will ruin your tint. There are quite a few auto window cleaners on the market specifically formulated for tinted windows. Not sure whether or not the one that amf1932 recommended is tint-friendly. I use Stoner Invisible Glass cleaner. Just check the label before you purchase, it should say if it's ok for tinted windows.

[amf1932]

yea i was talking about the inside, and the evaporation of the cleaning products makes sense. i will still try that turtle wax cleaner stuff...thanks again for the help

If your windows are tinted, be sure you use a tint-friendly glass cleaner. Cleaners with ammonia or other harsh chemicals will ruin your tint. There are quite a few auto window cleaners on the market specifically formulated for tinted windows. Not sure whether or not the one that amf1932 recommended is tint-friendly. I use Stoner Invisible Glass cleaner. Just check the label before you purchase, it should say if it's ok for tinted windows.

Read this write up about Turtle Wax ClearVue automotive glass cleaner.......it definitely is safe for tinted windows.

"Once the king of car care, the Turtle Wax Company has been fading quickly in the shadows of companies with newer technology and better advertising strategies. There is still one product from Turtle Wax, however, that no other product on the market can compete with; ClearVue Professional Auto Glass Cleaner.

The Product:

Turtle Wax ClearVue is an automotive glass cleaner that is designed to remove the harshest of elements on auto glass, i.e. greasy road grime, bugs, tree sap, etc. Turtle Wax ClearVue comes in three forms, a 20 oz spray, a 32 ounce spray, or a package of convenient wipes (25 ct). According to the Turtle Wax Company, this product is formulated to rid glass and chrome surfaces of all types of road grime. This ammonia free formula can be used on all types of glass and is also safe for tinted windows.

My Experience:

A problem that I consistently have had with auto glass cleaners is the streaks that they leave behind after use. The streaking left behind by many of these glass cleaning products can reduce visibility just as much as the dust, bugs, and road grime that they are designed to remove. I currently own a 2006 Honda Civic 2-door with tint windows. A 2-door Civic doesn't exactly have the most glass surfaces to clean, however cleaning its windows can still a pain in the butt if I don't have a good glass cleaner. ClearVue Professional Auto Glass Cleaner has always got the job done with ease, leaving a streak-free clean with each use.

If you own a vehicle with lots of glass i.e. RV’s or just have not cleaned your vehicle's windows for some time, you will appreciate just how effective this product is. If I neglect my car’s windows for too long, it can take hours to get them back in shape using many glass cleaners on the market; this isn’t the case with ClearVue. Even when my windows are caked with dust, bugs, and road grime, it simply takes a few swipes of this cleaner and a paper cloth to get everything off my car’s glass surfaces. This product's especially comes in handy when cleaning those hard to reach glass surfaces where some products force you to spend all day in an awkward position trying to get an area clean. As for chrome, ClearVue also works very well. I have used this product on some of my older cars' chrome surfaces and received excellent results each and every time.

In addition to automotive use, I have also used ClearVue on the mirrors and windows in my home. Although ClearVue has a very strong chemical smell to it (it even smells worse than Windex), it does a much better job cleaning my windows than many of those household window cleaners i.e. SprayWay and Windex glass cleaners.

Price and Availability:

Unfortunately ClearVue isn't as widely available as many of those less competent automotive glass cleaners on the market, i.e. Armor All Glass Cleaner. While most automotive glass cleaners can be purchased at WalMart and Kmart, you most likely will have to visit an automotive store to find ClearVue Professional Auto Glass Cleaner. The 32-ounce bottle will probably set you back around $4.99-$5.99. Although ClearVue does cost about a buck more than its competition, this product works so well that you only need to use about half as much as you would with those other brands. A 32-oz bottle will usually last me over a year if I use it solely on a small or mid-sized vehicle 2x every month.

Final Thoughts:

Despite this product having a formulation that is decades old, ClearVue Professional Auto Glass Cleaner from Turtle Wax is still one of the best auto glass cleaners on the market today. If you don't like spending an eternity trying to get your glass surfaces streak free, I highly recommend checking out this offering from Turtle Wax, whether it be for cleaning your car’s windows or cleaning your bathroom mirrors."

[Lexucan]

Here is some more technical info on the possible causes and remedies for interior window hazing, taken from LOC's resident chemical engineer TOGWT !!

Maybe reading this about a year ago was where I got the idea to try Stoner Invisible Glass cleaner

Windshield Haze or ‘Fog’:

The vinyl used on vehicle dashboards contain plasticizers, these low molecular weight compounds maintain semi-rigid vinyl’s flexibility. The vinyl used in modern vehicle interiors vent (out-gassing) these are the plasticizers evaporating (more prevalent on newer vehicles or a dash with freshly applied vinyl dressing) Crack open vehicle windows when parked to allow the gasses to vent.

UV and heat radiation will also cause the plasticizers to dry out, resulting in a chemical film that when combined with road oils, dirt and grease introduced via by the vehicles a/c system results in a stubborn haze or fog that forms a cohesive bond with the interior glass surfaces.

Glass cleaning Methodology

•Use Stoners Invisible Glass TM in a trigger spray bottle and mist the entire glass surface

•Allow the wetted surface dwell time, to enable the chemicals to break down the deposits that have out gassed from the vinyl, any smoke residue, or road dirt/grime that has entered via the AC system

•Use two glass cleaning towels (or clean surgical towels) folded into quarters, use one to agitate the wetted surface, the second to dry the surface and pick up any residue.

•Always use the second towel in the opposite direction that you agitated with, this small difference reduces a lot of problems.

•If after cleaning there is still a persistent ‘fog / haze’ pour some Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) on to a clean dry cloth and agitate the surface film, fold towel to a clean surface and remove residue.

[GeneralTso]

I use Invisible Glass too...great stuff!

well i have a 94 es300 and its running great. it seems lately that there has been this haze that gets on the windshield and all other windows. i wipe it off, clean it, everything and it looks great. the next day...ITS BACK...what else can i do to get rid of this haze???

[Tyler121]

ahhhh you ppl are great...i love this forum so much info..you just dont know wat to do with all of it

thanks everyone!!!