Professional Glass Polishing Kits

Here's the system used by professional detailers to polish glass.
Kit review by Terry Freiberg

    We offer two Professional Glass Polishing Systems developed by Lake Country Mfg. Both kits require the use of a machine polisher (not included in the kit). The products in these kits can not be applied by hand and can not be applied with an electric drill.  The only difference between the two kits is the backing plate. One kit is designed for use with a professional circular polisher and the other kit is designed to be used with a dual action machine like the Porter Cable 7424.

These kits contain:

• 4 oz. Glass Polish
• Two (2) Glass Polishing Discs
• Rain-X Final Sealant
• Sealant Foam Applicator
• Hook-and-Loop Backing Plate (select for Porter Cable 7424 or rotary polisher.

    After hours and hours of working with these two kits, I've come away with a keen appreciation of how hard it is to actually polish glass. The type of machine used makes a huge difference it the results that can be obtained. Both kits will quickly and easily remove surface films, contamination and overspray. If your wiper blades are skipping, chattering or smearing due to bonded contamination on the glass, either of these kits will quickly clean the glass and restore proper wiper operation.

    I'm reviewing these kits in Arizona where we have a huge problem with sand pitting and etching windshields. Here in the desert, a fine layer of sand covers everything. If it rains or if you use your wipers, the sand on the windshield acts like sandpaper and puts fine abrasions in the glass. Using this kit with the Porter Cable 7424, I was able to improve visibility but could not fully remove fine pits and lines in the glass. Switching to a professional circular polisher, I was able to fully polish the glass and remove these fine lines but it took fifteen to twenty minutes of polishing on each half of the windshield. I had to polish much longer to remove fine lines in glass than I would to remove swirls in paint. If your windshield has fine, etched lines or abrasions, don't expect to polish for 20 seconds and have all the defects magically removed. I had to polish, wipe and inspect the glass repeatedly to remove all the lines.

    While I was testing these kits, a neighbor came over with a tale of woe. During a storm, the rubber wiper blade on his car broke off and the metal clamp that holds the blade etched a half-moon arc on the passenger side of the windshield. I had him bring his car over and I spent over an hour using a circular polisher trying to remove this scratch. I made the scratch less visible but I could not remove it. It was too deep. I don't know how long he drove with the missing blade. I suspect, had he stopped immediately when the blade broke off, I could have removed the scratch. If you have this type of scratch on your car's windshield and you know you drove for several minutes with the metal repeatedly etching the scratch deeper and deeper, this kit, even with a circular polisher may not be able to fully remove the scratch.

    After polishing, the final step was to apply a sealant using the foam pad. This step was a breeze. The sealant applied easily. I buffed the glass with a Microfiber cloth (not supplied in the kit) and my windshield looked as good as when it left the factory. Bottom line, these are the best products I've used for actually polishing glass but even these products may not be able to remove deeper etched lines.

NOTE: This kits are for use on glass only. Do not use on plastics, polycarbonates or aftermarket window tint films.