Bilt Hamber Re-View | Cerium Oxide Glass Polish
Cerium oxide, and Bilt Hamber say so
Re-View contains cerium oxide — Bilt Hamber state it directly in their own quick guide, which is refreshing, because most glass polishes are coy about what's actually doing the work.
Cerium oxide (CeO₂) is the classical glass-polishing abrasive. It's what optical laboratories use to finish lenses. It works on glass in a way that ordinary abrasives don't — a genuine chemical-mechanical interaction with the silica surface, not just scratching it smaller. That's why it can take out mineral staining and hard water etching that a purely mechanical polish simply burnishes.
Dual action
Bilt Hamber describe Re-View as an "advanced chemical and abrasive dual action" polish. The abrasive half is the cerium oxide. The chemical half they don't disclose, and we won't fabricate it.
Between them, they strip glass-contaminating films, water-repellent coatings, hard water marks and mineral staining — including failed, patchy rain repellent, which is the usual reason people end up here. If your Rain-X or Glaco has gone blotchy, you cannot fix it by putting more on top. You have to take it all off and start again. This is the product that does that.
The critical warning
Do not use Re-View on aftermarket or plastic tinted windows. That is Bilt Hamber's own explicit warning, and it is not optional — you will destroy the film. Do not use it on textured glass either. It is for glass, not for film.
It works by hand
Unlike most glass polishes, which need a machine to do anything at all, Re-View will remove these films used by hand. Machine use is also possible.
How to use it
Cool glass, in the shade. Roughly a pea-sized amount per 30cm² — it goes further than you'd expect. Use a damp soft cotton cloth or suede microfibre, small circular motions. If machining, mist with a little water. Rinse it off while wet, or buff it off once it's fully dry.
Check your work with a sheeting test. Genuinely clean glass produces a flat, uniform film of water with no beading at all. If it's still beading anywhere, there's coating left and you're not done.
Then re-apply your glass sealant. You've stripped the glass to bare — protect it.
Safety Data Sheet (Australia)
Download the Bilt Hamber Re-View SDS (PDF)