New car question

[asterix]

I recently bought a Honda Pilot EX-L.

A few questions:

1. I would like to do some preventive care of the car bumpers and moldings (dark plastics), what is recommended? I just want to postpone as much as possible the grayish look that they tend to get after a few years.

2. I would like to find a product to clean the vinyl and interior plastics but I don't want to have anything 'glossy'. Any recommendations?

3. Same question for the leather seats. I would like to find a treatment for them but I don't want the leather to become glossy/shiny. Right now it's 'matte'.

Thanks,

Asterix

[Murr1525]

1. I love All-Season Dressing. Hyper-dressing is also a godo choice, but ASD is a real nice look and great durability.

2. This is a bit tougher, I love the Nxt Cockpit Shine/Tech Protectant, and by applying, letting it sit, then buffing off, I get a nice satin finish. But different cars are different. Natural Shine might be the best matte option.

3. Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner works great on my parents leather seats, and buffing off excess after a few minutes leaves a very matte finish.

[asterix]

Thanks for the recommendations. It's really important for me to maintain the original "matte" finish of the interior, I don't want to have an artificial glossy finish. It seems that the products you listed will do the trick.

[Murr1525]

You will lower the gloss of any product (plastic or leather) by applying it, letting it sit, then buffing off. This will also stop any greasy feeling.

And it is also a good technique on exterior plastics, as it will stop any 'runs' from happening when it rains.

Its always hard to say with interior plastics, becasue satin to me is blinding to another, or boringly matte to someone else. And then plastics from different companies end up looking different, and any texture in the plastic will change the look...

[asterix]

The interior is indeed a tough one. At this point I am simply cleaning the interior with a lightly damp chamois and it seems to do the trick. Maybe I should just stick with this approach for now since the car is brand new. It's not like the plastics need to be restored or anything like that. I also don't want to lose that 'new car smell' too quickly by adding the fragrance of cleaning products . This being said I will take your advice for the exterior.

[kpagel]

Try Quick Interior Detailer. It cleans nearly all interior surfaces (plastics, vinyl, leather, etc) and leaves no residue behind, its almost as if you're just using water to clean the surface. It has only very little UV protectants in it, but I have tinted windows and use a windshield screen, so UV protection isn't a high priority for me. The best part is the smell, it just leaves surfaces smelling "fresh" and it isn't overpowering. I used it when I got my new car and it didn't "kill" the new car smell. I use it weekly for cleaning up the interior and after nearly four months people still say my car smells new. Its definitely one of my favorite Meguiar's products.

[Murr1525]

Yes, QID smells great. Like kpagel said, the only thing missing is the UV protection. It too is a great product.

I tend to alternate, 1 week Nxt Tech Protectant, 2 or 3 weeks QID, then 1 week Nxt, etc.