What kind of Armorall do you use...

Crash · 04-30-2009, 04:03 PM

If armor-all is used on a very regular basis, it doesn't hurt anything in the short term. But what happens is that oil gets into the pores of the vinyls and plastics and over time starts a drying effect on the materials. When in constant use, the oil keeps the materials in check, but the materials then have a dependence on the oils. When you neglect the panels for a little while the drying can start to cause the panels to turn either brittle or give them a VERY dry look. After some time, the panel will eventually crack.

The best thing to do is use a UV protection that doesn't have any oils in them. Water based products are usually better. I've never used the 303 stuff, so I can't comment on them. I'm pretty OCD about my cars, and I use a slightly damp cloth (water) to wipe down my dash. I have leather protection wipes for the seats, shift boot, and e-brake boot. For the rest, damp cloth. I also I hate the glare from the shiney crap... I wear polarized sun glasses most of the time I'm driving, but at night when street lamps go over the dash, the glare is there without any way around it.

3 years of using a damp cloth. NOTHING bad so far.

BTW: Just an observation, but I noticed that when I used some cleaners, it seemed to attract dust even more... I don't know if dust was just attracted and sticking to the oil in the cleaner, or if the shiney crap made the dust more obvious. One things for sure, the way I do things now, you don't notice dust until you wipe the panels down and look at the cloth.

04-30-2009, 04:03 PM	#18 (permalink)
Crash A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,853 Drives: 02 Corvette Z06 Rep Power: 591	If armor-all is used on a very regular basis, it doesn't hurt anything in the short term. But what happens is that oil gets into the pores of the vinyls and plastics and over time starts a drying effect on the materials. When in constant use, the oil keeps the materials in check, but the materials then have a dependence on the oils. When you neglect the panels for a little while the drying can start to cause the panels to turn either brittle or give them a VERY dry look. After some time, the panel will eventually crack. The best thing to do is use a UV protection that doesn't have any oils in them. Water based products are usually better. I've never used the 303 stuff, so I can't comment on them. I'm pretty OCD about my cars, and I use a slightly damp cloth (water) to wipe down my dash. I have leather protection wipes for the seats, shift boot, and e-brake boot. For the rest, damp cloth. I also I hate the glare from the shiney crap... I wear polarized sun glasses most of the time I'm driving, but at night when street lamps go over the dash, the glare is there without any way around it. 3 years of using a damp cloth. NOTHING bad so far. BTW: Just an observation, but I noticed that when I used some cleaners, it seemed to attract dust even more... I don't know if dust was just attracted and sticking to the oil in the cleaner, or if the shiney crap made the dust more obvious. One things for sure, the way I do things now, you don't notice dust until you wipe the panels down and look at the cloth. __________________ 2002 Corvette Z06 - Totaled 2003 Corvette Z06 50th Anniversary