[Vwdiesel] Some Bon Ami Dope

[Gavrik Peterson]

I found some information on Bon ami cleanser powder in a discussion on
its suitability for cleaning windshields.  The concern was whether it
would scratch the glass.  Apparently the current Bon ami contains more
abrasive stuff then the original product.  Not sure how this effects
is suitability for seating piston rings.

Read below.

  --  Gavrik

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/carcare/all_use_bon_ami_on_windshield.html

This link contains:

I checked my can of Bon Ami(R) and there's no warning against using it
on glass. So, I went down to my local grocery store and saw that it's
been relabeled. There's now a warning on the new cans.

I called Bon Ami and spoke with a lab tech about this. She said that
they got a couple of complaints of it scratching glass and wanted to
cover their butts. But, she personally has tested it on glass and
mirrors with out any scratching and uses it herself on glass (as do
the others in the lab). She was guessing that in the cases where
people thought it scratched, that it cleaned the windshield so well
that nicks and scratches were then more visible or that they used an
abrasive pad (like the ones to clean pots and pans). Those abrasive
pads can easily scratch your glass.

And also:

The product that is most often sold in grocery stores comes in a round
can and is called "Bon Ami Kitchen and Bath Cleanser." It has a very
low abrasive content. It is not, IMHO, what you should be using on
your windshields. There is another Bon Ami, made by the same company
(Faultless Starch /Bon Ami Company, right here in Kansas City, MO). It
is "The Original Bon Ami Cleaning Powder" and it comes in a
rectangular box. This is the stuff that goes on the windshield, if
you're so inclined.

The Bon Ami Kitchen and Bath Cleanser, according to the label,
contains feldspar, calcites/calcium carbonate. The package lists the
types of surfaces it recommends the product be used on. Window glass
is not on the list.

The Original Bon Ami Cleaning Powder contains only feldspar and soap.
This product's package specifically lists instructions for using it on
glass and mirrors. This quote is from their catalog, "NASA even used
Cleaning Powder to clean the windows on Skylab." (Okay, so we all know
what eventually happened to Skylab, but I don't think it had anything
to do with dirty windows.)