Help! Hazing with Z-12 glass polish

K

KWANG-SEOK

New member
I tried to use Z-12 Glass Polish this evening to remove a couple of minor scratches on my Corvette's rear hatch. I applied the product per the directions using my PC and a white polishing pad. However, when I buffed out the Z-12, I noticed a good deal of hazing...particularly on the edge of the hatch where it is tinted black underneath (I think the black just makes it very easy to see the hazing). I polished the outside of the glass so I'm 99% sure I didn't damage any type of tint or anything. Anyway, I've tried everything I can think of to remove the hazing (3M SMR, 3M FI2, PPCL, denatured alcohol, distilled water) and nothing seems to help. The abrasives seem to diminish the hazing a little bit, but it's almost like I need an even finer abrasive polish to remove what I'm seeing.



FWIW, I initially applied the Z-12 by hand and it made a hell of a mess...lots of fine scratches and haze.



I've e-mailed Sal already but was hoping you guys could suggest something I haven't thought of yet.
 
I think what you might be seeing is product that wasn't fully removed. On my first use of Z12, I got a bit of residue leftover as well that looked like hazing. Basically, use a clean towel or MF with some water and/or Z6 and it will wipe right away after a few passes. I always use it by hand, even though I have a PC. If it really did scratch up your glass, that's strange, because mine always comes out perfect after the water trick.



:)
 
I have never experienced hazing using the glass polish on glass.....



Do you have pictures?



I am curious as to what you are experiencing.....Is there maybe a protective coating on your glass?....It is very hard to scratch glass and I find the Z glass polish does not remove scratches but kinda removes all the gooky stuff and water spots......
 
I spoke to Sal for about 20 minutes this morning and he suggested that there might be a problem with the way the glass was manufactured. He said he's seen hazing problems in a very limited number of cases with the glass of certain cars after using Z-12. He suggested that I try some Z-5/Z-6 on the affected area to see if that helps. Beyond that I'll probably just have to live with it. :(



I polished the exterior of the glass so I don't think there's any type of coating on there that I've disturbed. FWIW, I've tried using distilled water and denatured alcohol to remove what I'm seeing and have had no luck. I just can't believe that between the Z-12, SMR, and FI2 I can't get the hazing to go away. Also, when I tried initially to polish the area in question by hand, I got a bunch of obvious hazing that I couldn't clear up without the PC.



This sucks.



FWIW I've ordered some Autoglym Glass Polish...I figure it's worth a try before I completely give up.
 
Can I make a small suggestion? Take your car to a high-end detailer, body shop or auto glass repair shop and ask if they have ever come across a similiar problem with glass hazing after polishing. They may have the remedy for your problem.:nixweiss :wavey
 
Lexus apparently have been adding something to their windows help with rain repelling (as per Rain X, AuqaPel) but I believe it may be a coating.



Perhaps a Z06 has the same.. I doubt it though.



Good luck with Autoglm and I'm curious to see how it all works out as I was considering polish my glass as well.



Paco
 
I plan on calling a local detailer that I found through AutoInt.com (Ron Ketcham's website). I'll let you know what I find out. This problem is so minor that non-Autopians just wouldn't see it or take it seriously, so I'd prefer to go through a trusted person. I'm also concerned that some ham-fisted detailer might give my car back to me in much worse shape than it left in. Ron was always on the up-and-up, so I feel confident using a detailer certified by his company.
 
Well, here's what the AutoInt-certified detailer told me. He told me that they'd probably try to polish it out using a rotary buffer and a clearcoat polishing compound. He couldn't guarantee it would fix the problem, but he could guarantee that it wouldn't make it worse. I just think that using a rotary might be going the wrong way -- it seems by looking at the haze that what I need is something less aggressive than an orbital/SMR, not more aggressive. Plus, a rotary will probably throw the glass polish all over my car, making a bigger mess than what I'm prepared to deal with. The detailer generally agreed with these statements and suggested that I might just want to live with it. So, I think I'll hold off until I get a chance to try out the Autoglym glass polish...if that doesn't work then I might give this detailer a try.



What do you guys think?
 
Another glass polish you could try is Griots Garage Fine Glass Polish. I have been using it for awhile and have been happy with the results. It seems very mild too!

Good Luck!
 
I tried to take some pictures to post but since the hazing is most visible when seen with a flashlight in otherwise dark conditions, the pictures sucked.



Thanks for suggesting the Griot's polish. That might be worth a shot if the Z-12 and Autoglym don't cut it.



I think I might give the black pad a try. I only tried the yellow and white pads so far with the Z-12. At this point, though, I might just let a pro take a crack at it. I'd at least be interested in getting their opinion as to what can be done, if nothing else.
 
Nice vette!

Looks like you and I are probably looking at alot of the same websites, this one for starters.

Also I have the same Klipsch set-up you do and the same Pronto remote. Although I wish I had room for your SVS sub.
 
Thanks for the kind words, Erik.



As an update for those of you following this thread and trying to help me out, I've posted links to pictures of the haze problem here.



Thanks again for all your help!!!
 
Well, if you want the long story, click here, but the bottom line is that the AutoInt.com (i.e. Ron Ketcham's) Tech Tip didn't fix the hazing on my hatch glass. Does anyone have any other suggestions? My faith in "professional detailers" has been shaken, so it'll be a while before I try one of them again. I think at this point the smartest (and safest) course of action may be to try to have this fixed under warranty at my next visit to the dealer; it seems as though (and Sal Zaino suggested this might be the case) the glass may be defective.
 
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