Does 'Wipe New' Really Restore Your Vehicle's Plastic Surfaces?

You've seen the commercials for Wipe New (affiliate link). It's a product that comes in a small bottle and is used for wiping down your car's worn, faded plastic surfaces. The promise is that Wipe New will bring those surfaces back to life, will restore them to some semblance of what they looked like new.

Does it work? First take a look at the review by Lynda Steele, consumer reporter for CTV British Columbia. Steele tested Wipe New on a headlight and a bumper of a Toyota she found in a junkyard. The results appear impressive - but more impressive than other techniques that are available?

Steele rated Wipe New 3.5 stars out of 5, but her report indicated some of the issues with the product. First, the money-back guarantee includes the cost of the product, but not the shipping and handling. Steele said she paid $19.95 for the little bottle of Wipe New, with an additional $15.95 (!) required for shipping and handling of that little bottle.

Most importantly, there are significant safety warnings with Wipe New: Don't breathe it, don't get it on you, don't get it on your car's paint or glass, wear gloves, wear a mask, wear safety goggles. The stuff is strong, in other words. It's also flammable, including the vapors.

Just how strong are the vapors? Take a look at this video review, in which the person holding the camera (his young daughter) can be heard throughout coughing, gagging and choking:

The mechanic in the video above posted an update a couple months after the original video in which he said the surfaces treated with Wipe New still looked good.

However, we've seen and read many other reviews in which just the opposite was stated: The effect wears off quickly. We can't vouch for either take, since we haven't tried it ourselves. And, frankly, we won't be trying it. Nothing that produces such noxious fumes is something we have an interest in applying to our car (or our hands or nasal passageways or lungs).

If you want to try it out for yourself, check Wipe New prices on Amazon.