Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

[music_man185]

what is the best stuff to use to just clean a dusty dash and protect it from cracking and fading from the sun? i've always used armorall. but have read numerous claims stating that armorall is bad for your dash and will actually cause it to crack. i dont know if that is true or not, but i dont want to find out. i know that meguiars is at a higher standard than armorall, but is there any risk of cracking or fading with any meguiars products? i want something that will clean the dash and protect it from the sun, leaving the dash looking flat instead of shiny.

i also have a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob that i've always used armorall leather wipes on, to keep them from drying out and cracking. but they always leave my steering wheel and shift knob feeling slick and greasy for WEEKS! like using armorall on the dash, i'm afraid that their products may cause my leather to crack. the steering wheel and shift knob are the only leather i have on the interior. so a package of wipes should be enough.

on a side not, i have a new bottle of black magic interior protectant that i've never used. anyone used this stuff? all of the armorall claims have made me afraid to put anything on my dash.

[thescreensavers]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

I use Meguiars Natural Shine for the dash and related surfaces and Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner/Conditioner for all the leather in my car.

They both contain UV protecting agents and cleaners

Works well. Car interior keeps getting remarks how clean and new looking it is.

[music_man185]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

do the leather wipes make the leather feel greasy?

[thescreensavers]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

^ nope, I never used the leather wipes only the spray though.

But Meguiars doesn't do Greasy btw, so should be good

[music_man185]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

i've also noticed that a lot of people say the best way to clean a dash is to just wipe down with a damp rag. is there any benefit to using a interior product?

[Murr1525]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

QID will keep adding some more UV protection, compared to just water.

[music_man185]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

but nothing that will dry it out and risk cracking, right?

[Murr1525]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

Part of the cracking of old was due to the vinyl, not the products used.

As far as preventing it, one of the dressings like Ultimate Protectant, Natural/Shine will have more moisturizing ability and UV proection ability.

[DetailFreak517]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

Part of the cracking of old was due to the vinyl, not the products used.

Not completely true.... the old silicone-based dressings of yesteryear (original formula Armor All for example) would clog the pores of vinyl/rubber/etc. and prevent it from breathing. That contributed to premature/accelerated degradation of the materials.

Now, the vast majority of mainstream protectants and dressings are water based, and won't cause the same issues.

[Shawn T.]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

Not completely true.... the old silicone-based dressings of yesteryear (original formula Armor All for example) would clog the pores of vinyl/rubber/etc. and prevent it from breathing. That contributed to premature/accelerated degradation of the materials.

Now, the vast majority of mainstream protectants and dressings are water based, and won't cause the same issues.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=375022&postcount=5

I don't believe that to be completely true. It was a more of a summation of issues that gave this result.

[Shawn T.]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

what is the best stuff to use to just clean a dusty dash and protect it from cracking and fading from the sun? i've always used armorall. but have read numerous claims stating that armorall is bad for your dash and will actually cause it to crack. i dont know if that is true or not, but i dont want to find out. i know that meguiars is at a higher standard than armorall, but is there any risk of cracking or fading with any meguiars products? i want something that will clean the dash and protect it from the sun, leaving the dash looking flat instead of shiny.

i also have a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob that i've always used armorall leather wipes on, to keep them from drying out and cracking. but they always leave my steering wheel and shift knob feeling slick and greasy for WEEKS! like using armorall on the dash, i'm afraid that their products may cause my leather to crack. the steering wheel and shift knob are the only leather i have on the interior. so a package of wipes should be enough.

on a side not, i have a new bottle of black magic interior protectant that i've never used. anyone used this stuff? all of the armorall claims have made me afraid to put anything on my dash.

Don't be afrad. I've used it before with no trouble. The only bad thing IMO, is the shine it leaves. I never had that oily, greasy feeling so many complain about when I used Armor All.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

I like using #40. Nice sheen, lasts a while. Good stuff.

[music_man185]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

i picked up some ultimate protectant. i didn't realize until i got home that it was a liquid. i just assumed it was wipes. lol. what do you guys use to apply it with? i've always just used old shirts or socks.

[Shawn T.]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

Foam or microfiber applicators. Make sure the surface is free of any previous dressing before applying though. A good idea is to properly clean the surface with APC (Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner) or a different cleaner. Ultimate Protectant bonds to the material in similar fashion that wax bonds to paint so the surface must be clean.

[music_man185]

Re: Best Products For Interior "Maintenance"

its been over a year since i've put any cleaning agents on my dash. is that long enough to be free of any protectants?