I just bought a 2013 JK with only 13k miles on it. Unfortunately that is more than enough time for the previous owners dog to scratch the heck out if the inside of the rear plastic window. I have seen videos on YouTube of people buffing out cloudy oxidized windows but I am wondering if you can do the same with a scratched window I the scratches aren't deep. I think the dealer will buy me a new window but I still want to know if this will work. Any input is appreciated.

 

Yes, you can. I used to wax my windows to prevent scratching when I'd take them out or store them, but that was hand wax. If you're going to use a machine buffer, keep the speed low and the pressure light. You don't want to melt or "burn" the surface. Using a machine buffer is probably best left to a professional, along with selecting the right cutting agents and technique to get a really clear shine back.

Depending on how bad the scratches are, a light coat of wax applied and stripped by hand may do the trick.

Here's the deal, though... Most waxes have petroleum distillates, especially the "cleaner wax" types. Those will eventually eat the plastics and cause the clear to start to turn yellowish, especially with lots of exposure to the elements. I used straight up carnauba wax for a couple of years on mine with no ill effects. That's because it's mostly just wax and no other caustic crud.

Waxing will also improve optics and visibility when your plastic windows are dirty and it's raining. The wax will cause the water to bead up instead of spread and distort light.

Option B... One of the OE windows on my old Jeep was damaged in an attempted theft when someone tried to tear apart the top to get inside (hello, there are zippers....). I ended up replacing the rear and side clear plastic windows with tinted versions....much improved performance and look, and they were cheap if I recall. Got 'em through Quadratec.

 

Are the Quadratec replacements a good fit and color match?

 

FYI, Bestop makes the stock top, so anything from them should fit perfectly. Or as perfectly as this stuff fits, anyway. LOL.

 

I used my griot's orbital polisher with an orange pad and mothers plastic polish, worked pretty good for me and there's no risk of burning/melting the windows because the machine is oscillating instead of rotating.

I wouldn't even bother hand polishing because of how much effort it requires to see decent results.

 

It depends on how bad the scratches are. A good hand wax will hide a LOT.

Re: the aftermarket BestTop stuff...it's the same material as your factory soft top, but they are brand new pieces. If your top faded significantly, then you'll notice the window pieces are probably darker and newer looking. Otherwise they are an exact fit (with just a little stretching/pulling since they haven't "lived" on an old top that's already gotten comfortable on the Jeep. I put new windows on my top that was 3 years old, and the visible difference was negligible.

 

I suppose, however in my case I am looking to permanently remove scratches not hide them for the time being.