I have heard from several sources that Armor All is the worse thing you can use on vynil. The solvents in the stuff dries out the vynil. I use it, but have seen the older cars I've used it on over the years crack too. Anybody use something better? - Bill
I haven't used anything in years on my Black, original dash pad, and it's a wee bit warped over the instrument cluster, but uncracked...it's a convertible, too. I just clean it. I've heard some folks say they use Pledge furniture polish...but I don't know if I'm gonna try that.
Meguires makes stuff that is supposed to not eat the vinyl like Armorall does. I've used it on my interior and top and it works pretty good.
Product called 303. Until recently, was available only at Year One in the automotive market. I haven't seen it anywhere else automotively though. Has been used in Marine applications and believe or not the vinyl pool liner industry. My neighbor who is a liner designer has been using it for years. Should be listed in the YO catalog. Mike T
I have worked as a professional car detailer for a few years. Hear is what I can tell you from my experiences. Armor All is something to stay away from. It does have a tendency to dry out vinyl with repeated useage. Meguiars vinyl/rubber treatment is good stuff. You can control the amount of shine you get with it depending on how much you apply. Another good product that is readily available is STP Son of a Gun protectant. It does not have any petroleum based solvents that will dry out vinyl. I still like Meguiars the best though. It works just as well as the "professional grade" crap that we use at the detail shop. Beleive it or not Pledge works pretty well also. However, the shine doesn't last very long. No matter what protectant/treatment you use it is critical that the vinyl surfaces are spotless. It is a really bad idea to just put the treatment on a dusty dash, I see people do it all the time. Just about the best thing to use to clean vinyl is Fantastik all purpose cleaner. It is available at any grocery store. It doesn't have anything harsh in it that can damage the vinyl or dry it out (I still always test a spot first). Other cleaner/degreasers tend to be a little harsh and can take some of the color out of the vinyl. Anyway, this is just what I have learned from experience, take it or leave it. It is not necessary to use fancy "professional grade/detailers choice" kind of stuff. A lot of good products are available at your local auto part and variety stores.
I also like Meguiars products but have found that Mother's "Preserves" is excellent on my convertible top and interior. Just a nice finish without being wet looking.
Best stuff to use...either lexol, or saddle soap. I use saddle soap the most because it actually cleans the vynal...then conditons without leaving an oily residue. Lexol is great because it has the same properties....remember if it says water on the bottle as the first ingreediant DONT USE IT...water dries out the dash, and cracks it. Just a bit on info :TU: Larry
armor all is a water based product . have not used it for years . so who wants water on vinyl ? . big_riv67, i have a question about fantastik - do u use it to clean a vinyl roof, seats & dash ? i never thought about using it for these purposes. i use it to clean rubber floor mats & also my tires once in a while . i use endurance on the tires . what do u guys use to clean the white raised lettering on your tires to make the lettering white again after a couple of years of never being cleaned ? i purchased these bfg radial t/as from a guy who had the lettering side, in . gerry 72 gs350 ht #s 98 gs sc3800
There's a product called Westley's Bleche White that kicks the living hell out of scuff marks on white lettering. You can also try a Brillo pad, but the spray-on Bleche White is great.
This is just my experience but I found that Armour All's ok if you follow the instructions. I think they recommend that you use Armour All Cleaner to clean (strip) the old Armour all off the vinyl every now and then (I then it works as claimed. If you keep re-applying it over itself time and time again it will build up a layer that flakes and peels. I've had people show me what it "did" to their dashboard and I simply took the Cleaner to it and it came up like new. Now, I realise this might be everyone's experience but until I carefully read the label I didn't know either.
I use a dustrag and/or vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment - you'd be surprised at how nice they look without any "protective coatings". I took a Polymer Science class recently, the Professor stated that ArmorAll is basically a coating that does not affect the material underneath - it coats it and makes it look shiny, but does not protect (as the name "protectant" would make you think). No ill effects either. I do know this much - pure vinyl cannot be made into anything useful, it is not flexible enough. Also, you cannot melt it, it turns into HCl. Therefore it is processed below it's melting point, using "plasticizers" (waxes, essentially) that help the vinyl become flexible so it can be molded into whatever shape (i.e. a dash). Over time, those plasticizers (which also make the material flexible) migrate out of the vinyl - this is a time related function, and you can't do anything about it. Vinyl will always become dried out and less flexible, which is why it cracks. This is the same reason that beach balls & raincoats lose their flexibility with age. ArmorAll (or any other similar coating) has no affect on the migration of these plasticizers. -Bob Cunningham bobc@gnttype.org
Hi Bob! Still can't stop talking about it! Sounds like you know exactly what is going on with the Armour all - :Smarty: I certainly can't argue with it Is there nothing we can do to preserve our vinyl? Down here the Ultra Violet rays from the sun are extra strong (you can feel it prickling on your skin anymore than 10 mins in the sun and you're burnt) and the UV protection is one reason why I would want to use something.
Ideally, just keep it in a garage - this keeps the UV away, also the IR (heat also speeds up the process). And if we're going for "ideal", keep the garage cool. See you at Bristol next summer! (assuming I get a job by then) -Bob Cunningham bobc@gnttype.org
You'll get a job and it will be better than your last one. Seriously though, is there no way to add a UV protectant coating to vinyl? There certainly are a lot of products on the market (even Armour All) that claim to have protection against "harmful UV rays".
Vinylex and 303 protectorant Bill, I recommend ONLY 2 products for vinyl or rubber. The first and best is 303 Protectorant. Its hard to find and a bit expensive, but well worth the price. I've used it on my vinyl and convertible tops and tires with STUNNING results. Hands down, the best stuff I've ever tried. The second product is vinylex. It actually cleans a little better than 303 in my opinion. I use it on the hard plastic pieces, seats, vinyl and rubber that needs more "cleaning" than "protecting". Hope this helps. Alan
Yeah, I remember was big with the older crowd in the Classic Car Club of America. They only used it on tires though. I myself don't use anything, I can't stand a shiny dash and greasy feeling vinyl. :gt: Whats with this latest trend of having your tires glossy wet black? Gotta be a ricer thing.
check this out. I think I am gonna get some today. http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=protectant
Vinylex works wonders on the vinyl tops too for our cars. I buy mine at Pep Boys. Not real expensive. Formula 2000 is a product I like for general interior cleaning. Wesleys Bleche White is a tremendous product on tire sidewalls and white letters as mentioned! I remember the day many moons ago when Armor All was the only game in town.
303 protectant Call your local boating supply store or an RV supply store if you have either in your area....both of those type stores typically carry 303 Protectant. Supposedly this stuff was developed for aerospace use...UV rays worse at flying altitudes...but I called a boat supply place near me and they knew exactly what I was talking about and have it in stock. It's not ridiculously priced either. Also, think about this....I doubt any of this stuff actually soaks into the dash...the dash surface is basically melted plastic...so that leads me to think there is really not much open space for the stuff to "soak into"...I think the best thing would be something that has the UV protection to prevent fade. Patton
