Re: To use Armor-All (or equiv) or not to?

Well, I can honestly say you don't live much different from me..... I used ArmourAll many years ago and had a few episodes of premature aging..... aging I didn't have when, years before, I didn't use ArmourAll. UV light seems to be Gods answer to petroleum based compounds...... Personally, ArmourAll leaves things feeling less than ideal to my calloused old meathooks. I have seen no real life evidence to show me it prevents problems and have seen indications that it may exacerbate problems.

Let's look at it this way.... if I washed my face properly, I wouldn't need Clearasil..... but then, if I don't wash my face properly Clearasil might possibly, perhaps, maybe, kinda make it look like I washed my face properly. Most owners manuals will tell you to use 'gentle' detergents for cleaning purposes and say little about preservatives. Pledge and vegetable oil will both give the appearance of ArmourAll..... like ArmourAll, they will attract dust in the end.

I didn't get to be this old by being dumb...... I do my tires with soap and a potato brush.... they come out looking like tire and not shiny donuts. I do my dash with a soft kitchen sink brush..... it ain't shiny but it's clean (hint... it wasn't shiny when you bought it). Elbow grease beats the diddly out of chemicals and offers a better chance of survivability.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

I won't let any ArmorAll product touch any of my cars.

If you need a plastic cleaner/protectant, try Meguiar's #40 (one of the few Meguiar's products that I think is any good). I've never tried Lexol's Vinylex, but I trust their leather products, so I'd be willing to give Vinylex a try.

-Jonathan snipped-for-privacy@sonic.net

Vinylex is the good stuff. It doesn't contain silicone oils, so it's not greasy like the other stuff. It protects and leaves a matte finish. Without the silicone, it doesn't prematurely age the surface, either.

You're right, Lexol's leather product are great as well. Good company, good products.

Jack

I have been using plain old baby oil for a good number of years. Its cheaper and does a pretty good job

A hush fell over the crowd when, "steve" stepped up to the podium and announced:

I would think it would attract a ton of dust? Not to mention it being slimy/slippery to the touch for quite some time.

Here's the best info (below) I've ever come across on it. I stopped using it after seeing several of my Dashboards get a lot of cracks. I've been using a product that comes in a bright green bottle called "2001" or similar.

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From: Andy Williams Newsgroups: rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang Subject: Re: Armor All and your stang Date: Sun, 14 May 2000 15:28:21 -0400

patrick wrote:

OK, if you want a detailed chemical explanation, here goes. Soft vinyl plastics (as opposed to things like PVC pipe) contain a large amount of plasticizers. The one that is almost universally used is dioctyl phthalate. It is a relatively high molecular weight, water insoluble, nontoxic compound. Over the course of time, the plasticizer will vaporize and leach out of the vinyl causing it to become stiff and brittle, which is when it cracks.

ArmorAll is an emulsion of dibutyl phthalate in water. Dibutyl phthalate has a lower molecular weight than the dioctyl phthalate in the factory soft vinyl. While it will plump up and soften the plastic (good) the lower molecular weight means that it is more volatile and more water soluble. Therefore it will be lost more quickly to the environment via vaporization and leaching. A nasty side effect is that it will take the original plasticizer with it as it is lost.

What this means to the end user is that if you start using ArmorAll you had better continue to do so, or your vinyl will degrade much faster than if you had done nothing.

Ordinary glass blocks UV anyway. Ever try to get a suntan through your windshield? Doesn't work. That is not to say that maximum tint is a bad idea. UV damage is not the only light-related way to destroy plastics. Your plan is a good one.

Armor-All does attract dust, and leave a greasy dusty film in some cases (even when you rub it in all the way)

The best thing you can do is prevent the amount of heat and exposure to the sun by using DashMat's and the fold-out panels that you can put in the windshield to keep the car cooler.

From what I've read, today's vinyl has UV protection built-in, but it does'nt last more than a few years. Google for 303 Aerospace Protectant. People in several other forums swear by it. I just bought some (at a marina store) and I like it so far. It leaves no greasy residue and *repels* dust, or so they say. It certainly doesn't seem to attract dust, like armor-all.

Dave

A friend of mine who has been involved in the car industry many years believes that those types of products actually break down the vinyls in the cars and told me I should not use any sort of that product on a vehicle I planned to keep. Soap and Water.

Sid

A question there.....

What kind of soap? We all know not to use dish-washing soap on your car's exterior as it will strip the wax......

BUT is it safe to use on the interior? or are we looking at, still, some other kind of soap?