What do you guys use to clean and protect your consoles and dashes. ive already made the armorall mistake and my damn dash split right down the middle. ive heard mothers and meguirs make some good stuff, but i want opinions from those who have used different products. im replacing most of my interior and i dont want any more cracks.

 

I made the same damn mistake, got in the car one day and I had a large fricken crack right down the middle. After getting this, I believe people mentioned using Meguairs.

 

I'm going to sticky this thread. Try to keep on the topic please, thanks.

 

Im a fan of Meguairs Natural Shine & Protectant, get as glossy as you like by adding more coats and it also doesn't leave that terrible greasy feel. I use it on all my vehichles.

 

i had an old man with a show quality 64 chevy truck tell me he uses a light weight motor oil on all his cars, he said to just wipe it on lightly with a rag, ive never tried it but he swore by it.

 

YES YES YES!!!


this stuff is THE stuff to get.


once it dries, its not greasy... so you can put it on the steering wheel(big deal on airbag cars), the dash and everywhere.


one coat and it looks like new plastic.. not fake looking.... two coats and it has a deep glossy shine some people like.



because it doesnt leave the surface oily, it will not attract dust. not a huge deal now, but in the summer with the top down or ttops off, its great.

it doesnt dry out the plastic, and will not make your dash crack. it also works on your tires and hoses underhood, and a bottle lasts a long time..

good stuff..

 

thats what you do when you have a metal dash and interior... lol..

but it isnt a great thing to do to a 3rdgen interior

 

Vinylex Protectant by Lexol.

WWW.LEXOL.COM

 

lexol is the stuff for leather btw...... mades my seats soo soft.... and thats saying alot for 13 year old seats in a convertible that sits in the sun....

 

Meguires natural shine is far superior to anything else that I've used. Formula 2001 gets everything really really shiny, almost to shiny, and it leaves a greasy residue on everything which attracts dust. Armorall works ok but I have heard numerous stories of cracking dashes the day after it was used, although this never happened to me. So I stick with Meguires, and as an added bonus it smells really good to.

 

You know what? You are right...it does smell kinda pleasent. Which is an added bonus to an already wicked protectant.

 

i sniffed my bottle lastnight after you mentioned that..

it does smell nice. i never noticed.. lol.

 

EAGLE makes one too works jsut as good as meguires but had a better smell to it.

 

The Best stuff I've EVER used is "Prolong Super Protectant" here is the website: http://webhome.idirect.com/~carcare/prolong.htm

It's not greasy AT all, it goes along way, lasts along time, and even comes with an applicator

 

Another vote for Meguiars :hail:
All there stuff seems to smell good like their gold class wax and tire protectant stuff

 

I use the 3M interior protectant.

I don't understand why you guys like the super shiny look. The dash and the plastics are supposed to have a satin finish, not a glossy finish. Armor All and the cheap crap you find in most parts stores can damage your vinyl and plastics. The better stuff is found at automotive paint and detailing suppliers. They usually only stock the 3M, Mothers or Meguires products. 3M products are the choice of reputable detailers and body shops, so it works for me. Here's what my interior looks like with 3M products applied.

 

you talk about satin, but your dash it soo shiny


the natural shine stuff doesnt make it that fake overly shiny stuff unless you put multiple coats on

 

thats a great looking interior scott whats the part number of the stuff you use?

 

There are different flavors, but this what the stuff looks like. I use the unscented.



Here's the link to 3M's site.

http://www21.3m.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.En...P=0&CACHE_ID=0

 

I like shinny and ive used this on my camaro dash sence i bought it early in 2001 and still no nasty splits!!
to clean off the greasy dusty residue i used Spray nine(as it works the best and you can get alot for cheap,,also works perfect to clean tires!!!!!) then i like to use the Ultra shine armour all protectant. But i used to use Formula 2001 glossy stuff on my older cars but i cant seem to buy it here anymore, and i liked that alot. Id like to try the Meguiers stuff but i want to make sure i dont have to use half a bottle to get it shine im used to.

Good tip for shinny tires is spray the protectant like untra shinny armorall or formula 2001 and DONT wipe it just let it bake in the sun and dont drive the car for a hr or so. Youll see bakeing it works cause the sunny side of the car will always look better, so if your real **** you can turn your car a 180degrees and bake the other side too.

 

jcurrieirocz mentions stuff for tires so I thought I would throw this in. I used to spend the money for stuff to put on the tires to give them the "Wet Black" look. Many years ago a friend who detailed for a car dealer gave me this tip.

For the wet look on tires - use floor polish. It is MUCH cheaper than that tire stuff that you buy and it lasts longer. Think about it. floor wax is designed to give a shine and to stand up under foot traffic... I've found that it doesn' t matter whether you get the cheapest or the most expensive you get about the same results on tires... (NOT RIMS - just tires)

 

I really like the Zaino tire dressing. It works very well on all interior plastics.

I have this stuff called S Dressing, its pretty much pure silicone. I used it on my dash about 3 months ago and haven't touched it since. It looks like I just put stuff on it yesterday.

 

Im a preety big fan of black magic products myself. The spray gives a nice shine but also kind of leaves a little greasy residue, however they also make protectant/shine wipes, they dont leave the residue

 

I use meguiars plastic cleaner, and mothers protectant.

 

Everyone has their own products that they like, mine are Zaino and Duragloss.

This is the Duragloss product I use.

 

The best thing I have ever found to use is a product called "Vibrant" I get it at body shop I work at you have to buy it a gallon at a time but it's still only $25.00 it works amazingly and it smells like bubble yumm

 

I guess I've missed it, but what's up w/ the STP hating? I've always liked the color it gave, but if there's some chemical that is doing a number on my vinyl, I'ld like to know.

I used to use Prolong or 2001, and was always happy with it, w/ the exception of Prolong's price.

 

alright guys, as i take it armor-all is bad for the car? how so? I used to use it all the time, nothing ever cracked. It might be becuase i live in florida and temp changes arn't very common. I dunno. Why does it react so badly? What kinda physical effect does it leave inside the plastic to make the dash crack????




Shane

 

it pulls the oils from the plastic and vinyl.

if you use it on a consistant basis, nothing happens for the most part.... but once you stop using it, it will crack very easily.

 

I have also had very nasty results from Armor All, both on dashes and tires. There is no way I will ever use it again. i would never use light oil, your car will be a rolling dust collector, as well as leaving oil stains on anyone who touches anything. mad

I got a sample of "303 Aerospace Protectant" product that is sold in aircraft and boat stores. It is a UV sunscreen (which none of the other stuff is) and protectant/restorer, and it brings back color to sun faded plastic, chemically repels dust, and leaves a nice matte glow to everything. It works great on plastic, rubber, vinyl, leather, fiberglass, almost anything that will ever see the sun (except your skin, I haven't tried that!) This stuff really does what they say it will, but beware, once you start with it, it's hard to stop.

Everyone comments on how clean my cars/motorcycles are, and this is a key secret if you don't want to work real hard at it. You can check it out at www.303-products.com if you are interested.

Troy
So Cal

 

I am interested in the 303 product mentioned above. What I would like to know is is it clear? My interest is in finding something that would protect the rear window of the Convertible Top. It's the UV that causes the windows to get cloudy over time...

Do you think it would work for this?

What is the co$t?


THANKS!
Speedy

 

I've been using Armor-All on my car since day one... now after reading this thread about how it can result in cracked dashes, im going to stay away, and lean towards meguiars... it does attract alot of dust too, which gets annoying, thanks for the help b4 another good condition dash pad is cracked!

 

I have used all kinds of different products over the years, Armor-All, Simoniz, Eagle One, the list goes on and on...

Until I used Meguiar's Natural Shine Vinyl&Rubber Protectant. This stuff is the best I have ever used and I will only use it from now on... one application gives a nice clean look (not to glossy), two applications and you get a deeper glossy finish, three applications and it looks really shiny....I personally like using just one application for the dashpad (I don't like a really shiny dashpad because of the glare) and two applications for the rest of the interior plastics.

And it smells really nice too

 

For Speedy:

My understanding is that the 303 stuff was originally developed for use on aircraft and boat windows, which are plastic, because they sit out in the sun constantly and are VERY expensive to replace. It should work perfectly on your rr 'Vert window.

The 303 is a milky whitish in liquid form, but drys clear, almost like a wax. I've seen it in a few auto parts stores in a small squirt bottle for about $6, but I went for a big bottle for 18$ at a boat store, because I use it on everything. If it doesn't take the whitish damage out of the window the first time, let it soak in real good, and give it a few more applications. And it repels dust, which will scratch up the window when you have it folded up.

Good Luck

Troy
So Cal

 

Troy, thanks for the info. I'll give it a try!

Speedy

 

i use tuff stuff to clean and then Sun of a Gun protectant and i love the stuff!!

 

heres a pic of my door panel:

 

Wow not to many people use black magic products eh?
I use there spray protectant/detailer for a good cleaning shine and i keep a bottle of the wipes in the car. the wipes arnt as greasy as the spray so there nice. Also just to throw this in here, the black magic brand wheel cleaner spray is the best ive tried so far, and ive tried alot. You spray it on, let it eat away at the break dust and stuff for awhile and then spray it off within 30 seconds. any longer and it could eat through ur wheels clear coat, or so the bottle says! works like a charm!

 

Bought a bottle of the Meguirs stuff yesterday, not cheap. Does seem to be a notch above the other stuff I've used. Looks just right on the dash. Smells ok too. Just hope it does something to preserve the upper dash panel, mine is perfect even after 15 years. Time willl tell.

 

I use stuff called vynlex from the lexol guys. Works great.

 

all yall talking about meguires n shine made me go out and buy a bottle and man it smells so good i started to use as my shampoo to keep my hair from getting damaged when taking off the t tops on sunny days.

 

what is it with everyone huffing there solvents? They sell additive to make your exhaust smell good too, maybe i should try that with my garage door closed to make my whole garage smell good, huh Just razzin y'all. I use the meguires too, can't say i ever huffed it though, i guess i am just not hard core

john

 

I've got some Meguiar's Natural Shine as well... but I don't seem to be getting the results everyone else says they get.

When I use it on my car, everything seems to turn out too shiny and somewhat greasy. Perhaps I am doing it wrong?

I like the look of MrDude_1's car. If I could get results like that, I'll gladly switch over to 3M products.