Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plastic ?

[bsrosell]

Hi,
disclosure, I WORK for 3M (26 years!), and I spent 1/2 an hour in the company store today looking for a Meguiars product for my new Toyota Highlander to apply to the weatherstripping (I don't like the typical recommendation of 'silicone', too many down-sides and mixed reviews on 'good or bad'..) and figure Meguiars MUST have something designed to keep the weatherstripping rubber nice and supple over the years....
Ditto for trying to find a vinyl/plastic 'protectant' (dash, panels, fender/bumper trim) that is FLAT, not "shiny or slick" which all of the stuff in our store (including the "Ultimate Protector" I've read about on this blog) specifically says "do not use where a shiny or slick surface is not desired!"

As many of your vehicles probably are, mine has a flat-black vinyl dash, and flat-black bumper and fender trim. Isn't there a plastic protector/rejuvenator that will STAY "flat", and not add a gloss that I DON'T want?

Yeah, we all love glossy shiny paint, but plastic (especially the dash, for reflection!!!!!) is another story!
Any suggestions? I'm sure our store doesn't carry all the Meguiar products available, just the most popular ones..... Before we aquired them, I recall 3M Autocare products had something that was flat but no longer available (that I could find) since we have Meguirars on board now.
Thanks for your help!
Barry
PS: Love the polymer Meguirs wax (Tech 2X or something?) and the Gold Wash..... Great products, just need to find these two elusive ones... :-)

[The Guz]

Re: Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plast

For rubber and trim look into ultimate black. That will keep the rubber and plastic trim looking good. For the interior you have a couple options if you don't like a shiny interior. You can invest in quik interior detailer which has light cleaning abilities but leaves UV protection behind without altering the appearance. There is the new ultimate quik interior detailer which is simlar to quik interior detailer with the difference being that ultimate interior detailer leaves a satin finish. Then you have natural shine which is an interior protectant. It will darken the interior a bit but it will retain the natural finish. It also offers more UV protection. You can even follow up one of the interior detailers with natural shine. You clean and add more protection.

[BillyJack]

Re: Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plast

Another vote for Natural Shine on the interior vinyl. I've had many passengers who get into my car and suspect the interior has no protection from the appearance, then rub their hand on the vinyl to find it's quite slick. For the parts exposed to the weather, I'd definitely go with the Ultimate line, even if it has a bit of gloss, just to take advantage of the longer durability.

Bill

[bsrosell]

Re: Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plast

Thanks Guz and Bill. Appreciate the input.

[Eldorado2k]

You might also want to consider M40~Mirror Glaze Vinyl&Rubber Cleaner 16oz. It protects and leaves a natural sheen.

[bsrosell]

Re: Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plast

Thanks again; had to order the M40, used it today on the weatherstripping and seems like what I want, though only know those answers over TIME. And do like the other products mentioned for the vinyl and plastic trim. She's looking good, and more importantly (to me), will keep that Minnesota winter one step farther away, ....for awhile! No rest for the wicked up here, when it comes to maintaining your cars!

[The Guz]

Re: Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plast

Glad to hear you found something you like. Post up your thoughts as you continue to use it. So you are using M40 for everything?

[bsrosell]

Re: Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plast

hi Guz; no, I just used the M40 for all the weatherstripping; I keep my cars for years (just had to put down my beloved '96 Bonneville, first and best new car I ever had, 250,000miles and still got 30mpg and looked like new, except UNDER the car where the Minnesota salt tooks it toll and engine cradle was starting to tear away/rust-away from the unibody, not safe anymore.) Anyway, I have a strong motivation to keep those weatherstripping seals 'supple' and prevent them from tearing and cracking and drying out over the years. Doesn't seem to be a primary 'market' for anyone, no-one really advertises for that purpose, its all about 'looking good'. Yeah, I like the car to look nice everywhere too, but I also like my weatherstripping to still seal and be in one piece 15 years from now! M40 looks good, we'll see over time. I used the Natural Protection for inside vinyl, Gold Leather for leather, and Ultimate (?) for the black plastic exterior trim. In all honesty, didn't notice much difference in appearance between the three 'plastic/vinyl' protectants, so will probably use either M40 or the "Ultimate" for all, once I use up my stockpile of spray bottles that I have collected everytime they have gone on sale at the company store. :-) ANY of them, if they offer UV protection, accomplish my purpose of PROLONGING THE LIFE OF THE CAR and not looking like it sat in the Texas sun for a few years, uncared for (I lived down there for awhile, WOW, what that sun can do to a car, paint or interior!!!)

[The Guz]

Re: Help: what products for A) maintaining WEATHERSTRIPPING, and B) FLAT vinyl/plast

You could actually use M40 on your dash as well. I'm not sure how it compares to Natural Shine in terms of looks sine I have not used M40. Natural Shine does darken the interior a bit but leaves an OEM finish. You could always try and alternate between the two.

Ultimate black darkens the exterior trim. It doesn't leave it looking all shiny. If your trim is old then it's a good idea to clean and prep the surface with some all purpose cleaner or M39. Ultimate Black will last a little longer on a cleaned surface. If the trim is new then you can just apply. One other tip here is to do a final buff after you have left Ultimate Black sit for a few minutes. That will remove any excess product so it doesn't run down your paint.