Product Review
Pylon Strip-It Cleaning Compound
Brand: Pylon
Country of Origin: USA
Product Code: No.5205
Store Purchased: Concorde Megamall
Price as purchased: P349.75 (Sale 10% off P314.78)
Other products used/notes: Distilled water spray bottle, 1 terry cloth for applying, 1 3M Microfiber cloth for removal, previously cleaned glass with 3M Glass Cleaner, squeegy, newspapers for final polishing.
Product Description:
Restore your car's windshield to new car condition for the best possible wipe. Over time, tar, bugs, dirt and stones wears your windshield glass surface. Also, waxes and silicon coatings create blinding haze when wipers are operated.
Ordinary glass cleaners do not remove these elements and result in poor wiping conditions. STRIP IT removes these contaminants, lifts wax and silicones, restores weathered glass and buffs out minor scratches for a clean, smooth surface - greatly improving your wiper performance.
Whether maintaining wiper blades or buying new, STRIP IT CLEANING COMPOUND is the first step towards an optimum wipe.
CAUTION: DO NOT APPLY IN HOT SUN. STORE IN A COOL, DRY PLACE.
Directions for use:
1) Wash windhsield to remove surface dirt.
2) While still wet, apply light bead of STRIP IT across small area of windshield. (Apply no more than half and inch for half the windshield)
3) Moisten clean cloth.
4) With firm pressure, use swirling motion to work compound over glass surface. (author's note: Up and down motion is better)
5) Continue until entire windshield is treated. (author's note: continue until most product has been buffed out)
6) Buff off with cloth.
7) For best results, reapply in area of the wiper blade sweep.
Product Review:
I found this product during my usual walk in car care aisles, I've been trying to find a good glass polish that can effectively remove road
grime and hard water mark buildups for my car (or most cars that I detail). Our water and rain here in Manila is extremely harsh, and heavy rainfall is usually followed with intense sunlight and heat, baking the stains into the glass. I've tried A LOT of products and methods, including vinegar, mild acidic cleaners, metal polishes, medium and heavy cut rubbing compounds with no success. These products either did nothing, scratched my windshield (like the metal polish and compounds), or hazed up my glass.
Will Pylon solve my problems? We'll see.
I first cleaned the windshield with 3M Glass Cleaner (you can read about my review on this product in another article), rinsed and squeegeid it.
Then following instructions, I misted the windshield with distilled water, dampened my cotton towel, applied like half an inch to the center of the passenger side windshield. I've decided to do half the windshield so I can clearly see if any improvement was made.
I applied the product as instructed (swirling motion), going back and forth until the product almost disappears, then wiped it off with a microfiber towel. Not much has changed except the heavy hazing seemed to be reduced around the wiper sweep area.
I grabbed my water bottle again and rinsed off the treated surface as instructed. Still, not much has happened, the water just sheeted.
So I sprayed the UNTREATED side of the windshield... SURPRISE!!!
The untreated side beaded and the water seemed to just cling there and the treated surface is smooth and sheets water away!
While wet, you can clearly feel the difference between the treated and untreated side.
I wanted to make sure that it's not by luck that it worked so I tried something that our local
Meguiar's detailer has taught me when making a glass polishing job demo.
I applied the product on 1/3 horizontal strip on my driver side window, diagonal from left to right (upwards). Applied, buffed and dried, spray water to the whole glass. It really worked! The line was so clear and prominent compared to the untreated side.
With windshields like mine (8 years of accumulated stains), it takes about 2-3 repetitions to fully remove all residue and clean the windshield. I'd like to clarify this point. There's no need to rub with excessive pressure with one pass. Several moderate pressure attemps is better than one heavy attempt.
Also, instead of a 'swirling' motion (I hate that word), do a linear up and down motion instead. Not only will you NOT create swirls (which are visible at all angles), you'll generate more even and consistent downforce with a linear motion than a circular one.
I'm not disappointed at all, and it takes a lot to impress me.
Pros:
Availability - Even though I've only seen this product in Concorde branches, it's still available quite easily, there aren't much glass polishing products out there that can clean windshields, I'm glad I found this one. Actually, i bought several tubes the day after just to make sure I have enough to spare.
Price - It may seem expensive, but it's not if you consider than other glass polishing compounds cost twice as much. One tube can treat about 20 windshields or 5 cars (if you do the side and rear glass as well).
Practicality - Unlike other polishes, you only need to use a small amount for polishing, a half inch squeeze of the product will cover half the windshield nicely. Again, more is not better.
Effectivity - If you use a right applicator and right amount, even the thickest of grime will be removed, if it doesn't work the first time, do it again, no need to rub really hard. Remember that.
Packaging - I like the tube design, it holds the grainy cream really well and you'll waste a lot let product compared to tumbler-like containers. You can lay it in any direction and it will not drip (unless you step on it or something).
Cons:
Smell - This stuff STINKS, literally. Enough said. Applying thin layers will reduce the odor.
Laborious - Like all glass polishes, it is best if you have a machine with a buffing pad attached to it. In order to polish a weathered and stained windshield, you'll need a lot of elbow grease to get things going. I suggest a slow speed buffing with a soft buffing pad on a regular drill (about 2000 rpm) will speed up the process a lot.
Like I always say, professional detailers locally charges well within the reasonable price range, the labor involved with cleaning a windshield is really tough. If you can't rub for 3-4 hours straight, you better think twice before proceeding. You'll need at least that much time to thoroughly scrub your glass (about 2-3 repetitions per glass surface). This review alone (just the windshield, one pass), took me (and consider that I've been taught professionally on how to polish glass) an hour. My glass is still not optically perfect, quite a few haze spots and the edges are still untreated, but you see the effort involved, you should be prepared for that.
UPDATE:
I'VE JUST TRIED USING A TERRY BONNET OVER A WOOL PAD ON MY ROTARY WITH THIS PRODUCT. WORKS TERRIFIC! IT TOOK LESS THAN 5 MINUTES TO FULLY POLISH MY WINDSHIELD EVENLY AND THOROUGHLY, UNLIKE BY HAND.
Verdict:
Pylon Strip-It Cleaning Compound claims to be a "heavy duty windshiled reconditioner" and I'm really glad to purchase a product that delivers its claims. Not only is this product very effective and easy to use, it is also a MUST for Manila auto owners since it's almost inevitable that our windshields will be stained in a matter of weeks.
There's nothing else I can say with this product except, if you can hack it, buy it and use it. I highly recommend it.
Rating: (Scale of 1 to 10, 1 being worst, 10 being best)
Value - 9
Performance - 10
Quality - 9
Packaging and Instructions - 8
Availability - 7
Price - 9
Overall - 8.7/10
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