What's the deal with "Armor All"?

I know that a lot of the car washes advertise that they will "Armor All" your tires. Then I heard that some car washes use it on your dashboard and other areas, too.

Then I heard "Don't let them use it on your dashboard, it will cause it to crack!" Well, if it cracks the dashboard, what does it do to the tires? And anyway, what is it SUPPOSED to do for these parts? Just make them shiny, or what? I think I read on the label that it is supposed to "protect". Yet people say it causes damage.

What is the truth about ArmorAll?

Should I make sure it is not used on my new Honda?

Reply to
A. Nonimus
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they have all different products for interior and tire shine. Hopefully the car washes are not using the same products for all! I think armor all tire shine is probably pretty similar to other brands. as for dashboard, I heard that armor all leaves a residue (that's supposed to prevent dust from building up), that's why the instructions say not to spray it on the steering wheel, because it'll make it more slippery. But I don't like having residues on the car interior.

Reply to
Bucky

In at least older Volvos it has been pretty well demonstrated to contribute to dashboard cracking, with extensive cracking appearing within weeks. Other cars and probably even newer Volvos don't seem to have that problem, or at least it isn't well known. Or... it might be an age thing combined with Armor All.

Personally, I allow it on rubber but not on vinyl, especially not on dashboards.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

In the 1980's, my old Studebaker P/U had a perfect dash and I thought that this new fangled amorall stuff would keep it that way. Within months, the dash cover disintegrated and no one has ever reproduced that unique pattern. I was pissed!

Never used the stuff since...

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Tire chemistry is complex, but in a nutshell, tires contain UV protectants, mainly carbon black (which is why tires are black), and anti-ozonants, mainly hydrocarbon waxes. Ozone, a form of oxygen, is the great enemy of tires. UV speeds up oxidation/ozonification. So keep your tires out of the sun if possible. Petroleum distillates dissolve hydrocarbon waxes and are bad for your tires. Most tire dressings contain petroleum distillates and should not be used, especially if you live in a big city swimming in ozone. Michelin, I believe, makes a tire dressing that not only does not contain petroleum distillates, but contains UV and anti-ozone protectants. Not sure about Armor-All but I think it has some kind of UV protectant.

But having said all that, the treads will probably wear out before ozone ruins your tires.

Reply to
rbrailas

Stay away from it. If nothing else, the stuff is a dust magnet.

Reply to
John Horner

i'm convinced that some of the so-called paint protectants are responsible for peeling clear-coat we see on cars too. best u.v. protection possible for any car or its componentry is a garage. forget all this chemical crap.

Reply to
jim beam

yes, avoid. even if it doesn't ruin your rubber, it makes it slippery, and you never know when you may need that extra few ounces of traction in a tight situation.

Reply to
jim beam

Just having a car port will yield a good degree of protection. A lot of folks don't realize that it ain't the moisture that comes out of the sky, it's the moisture that leaves the ground and condenses on every available piece.

No substitute for a heated closed garage though.

JT

(Who's daily drivere don't have a clue of what a garage is...)

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Do you mean to say that you have room in your garage for a car? Mine is full of 4-wheelers, an Argo, a couple of motorcycles, two roll-arounds, a cherry picker, two engine stands and the air compressor. How do you get your car in yours? Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

DaveD

Reply to
Dave and Trudy

Simply drive down to the local free clinic and claim that you are a

*victim* of clutterrossis, whine on how your life has been ruined etc. and perhaps you'll receive a guv'ment grant to remedy your situation which of course is to buy a bigger piece of property with a minimum of a 40' x 60' building to house all your goodies.

Your Welcome,

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Hmmm....I've used it for 18 years on an old Corolla I have, with no cracking or tire dry rot problems.

It IS slippery, aviod on steering wheel. Also, there is better stuff for tires. Don't use it on the brake or clutch!

I live in Mass. I recently had to have a storm door glass replaced, and Mass requires Lexan or other Plexi-Glass replacement for safety. The girl at the counter said, get a Microfiber cloth and Pledge to clean it. Since then, I have been using Pledge on the plastic in front of the instruments (Windex ET AL will eventually break the plastic down and cloud it, found that the HARD way..) and on the dash. Too soon to tell about the cracking, though...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Been there, tried that. They just laughed at me and showed me pictures of their garages. Sigh!!!

DaveD

Reply to
Dave and Trudy

Just clear clean water does the job.

Reply to
Just Facts

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