Whats our dash coved with? Leather?????

 

Grain pattern vinyl over impact absorbing foam .

Jens

 

Thanks Jens, how do you know all this suff????

 

young grasshopper

 

BTW you probably knew this already...but...don't use armor-all on the dash

 

What do u all use to clean the dash since were on this topic?

 

Mild soap and water will do the trick .Armor all is pretty and shiny but useless in all other respects . I guess after 17 years or so in the car fixin bizness ya pick up a thing or two .

Jens

 

No car under $100k has leather on the dashboard that I know of.
Only leather in cars is the seating surfaces, not the whole seat, and some door panels, shifter and steering wheel.

 

Doesn't Armor All protect the vinyl from some UV, and help prevent cracking if the dash were to be exposed to lots of sun?

My cars are garaged and I use a sunshade, but still use armor all Low-Gloss on the dash. If it will do more harm then good, I'll stop using it, otherwise I think it prevents dust build up especially after using Armor All cleaner before applying the low-gloss.

 

the m5 has a leather stitched dash. i think its an option

 

Armor all is neat stuff and it does in a minor way prevent some sunfading and cracking .but note I said MINOR .The claim has been made that these chemicals like armor all prevent the plastic in your car from drying out .This is not true ,the plastics in your cars do not absorb Armor All or any other "protectant" .Plastic is not soluble in silicone so it cannot absorb it .Plastic is composed of some things that give it substance some that give it flexibility and other things that give it color .In time the stuff that keeps it flexible will evaporate even if it takes years .The color in the presence of sunlight will fade as well .Some of these pretectants have UV blockers which help the color fade problem .Imagine it as suntan lotion for plastic .But unlike you skin which can absorb an amazing variety of stuff plastic only absorbs solvents like gasoline etc. .Needless to say you are not about to pour solvents on your dashboard to keep it moist .Your best bet is to park indoors and if you do park outdoors use a sunshade .Cleaning your dash ,avoid harsh chemicals even windex is pretty harsh stuff .Many of these cleaners actually contain soaps that can attack the stuff that keeps the plastic flexible causing premature drying out .Alcohol which is used in many cleaners will attack plastics .As far as armor all on the tires??????? I have never understood why people have a fascination with shiny rubber tires .But that is just my opinion so ignore that one I guess .

Jens

 

Wow Jens, that was a mouth full. Ive heard that the lexol cleaner is good for the dash, here is what they say about thier product:

"LEXOL VINYLEX PROTECTANT
PROTECTANT FOR VINYL RUBBER PLASTIC
CLEANS, SHINES, PROTECTS

Vinylex Protectant is a patented formula for the care and preservation of vinyl, rubber and plastic surfaces. It is a state of the art proectant that combines cleaning, protection and beautifying properties. It penetrates below the surface to restore the underlying plasticizers. DH-60 UV sunscreen filters out damaging ultraviolet rays while protecting the surface from fading and cracking."


I dont know if it really helps but it makes me feel better cleaning my dash with it. And i love shinny tires!!! they look so nice shined, you dont see any dirt, scartches, or anyother crap thats on your tires

 

More on what lexol says about thier product

"Vinylex Protectant is a patented formula for the care and preservation of vinyl, rubber and plastic surfaces. It is a state of the art protectant that combines cleaning, protection and beautifying properties in an easy to use one-step product. It actually penetrates below the surface layer to restore the underlying plasticizers. Of the five patents that govern silicone protectants, Vinylex carries two of them."

 

shit, I used meguiars one time and hated it. I cleaned the dash as much as I could, but still have that minor shine. I wish i could get the dash back to matte finnish again. it's reflection shows in the windshield when it's real sunny. is there any counter acting chemical I could use to take it out? thanks

 

Rondog,
Use Armor All cleaner/degreaser, it should get the "shine" out.

 

Well shiny tires are a personal thing I just went there cause I had to LOL ,however the notion that you can pour some magic on the dash to "penetrate" the upper layers and do anything useful sounds like snake oil to me .The things that keep plastic soft are not poured on they are part of the formula that is plastic .So having said that it is indeed true what Lexol claims ,their products do penetrate the upper layer of plastic .So will gasoline and water and lot's of other fluids .But we are talking the very upper layer .Plastic is porous to some extent ( we are talking thousands of an inch here ) so I have my doubts that this stuff is doing anything .
All of this cleaning/preservative stuff often times has patented formulas .But does that mean it actually does something or does that mean they have a product they want to keep unique .My old man is a chemical engineer with some 50 years in the industry .When in doubt I ask him ,the answer is usually the same ."Use it if you got to but I don't think it's gonna do much more than cost ya money" .

Jens

 

Porsche offers a "full leather" interior for a little more than $2,000 for all of their cars including boxter which includes the dashboard.

 

All I ever do to the dash is blow off the dust with air from my compressor and then wipe it off with a damp cotton towel.
My car is parked in the garage at home and I always use my sun visor in the summer.

Shawn S

 

Yeah other then dust my dash never really gets any dirt on it.

 

It looks like its made from sh*t based on the amount of rattles I am getting from dashboard

 

My two cents:

- 303 Cleaner to clean (30:1 solution, goes a long way)
- wipe off any residue with lukewarm water
- 303 Protectant to protect

I pretty much use this on all the interior (vinyl, leather)

(just started using 303 and these steps, so if anyone knows it to be wrong, let me know!)

 

What's 303 ?

Jens

 

303 Aerospace makes several different products. You can find them here:

http://www.303products.com/main.php

 

I've been using 303 for years. Even though most people hate the shine from protectants, it's a necessary evil.

1) Outgassing causes your windshield to get that hazy slime on the inside.
2) UV protectant is a necessity for any car that spends any length of time in the sun.

303 has a very matte shine. Not too shiny.

 

I just use a swiffer sheet to de-dust my dash. Sometimes I'll use zaino leather-in-a-bottle on the leather and dash (it says it goes on vinyl too), just because it has an interesting smell.

 

Outgassing?? What is that? and its responsible for that stupid anoying build up on the inside of my window??? How does one prevent out gassing?

 

Hmm so now there is this 303 stuff. What do you think Jens? Its confusing cause all these companies like to blow smoke up thier own (_|_) and they make the products sound soo good, but how can you really tell what is good and what is not?

 

Unless I am wrong "outgassing" is a ten dollar word that means for a material to release some sort of gas .Yes it can cause some buildup of crud on your windshield much a like a smoker's car has perma haze on the interior of the glass .It is not anything lethal just annoying as hell on some car's .I remember Chevy had problems with this in some of it's cars .
303 ????? who knows I have used mild soap an water or thinned glass cleaner for the better part of 15 years on my cars .Never had a problem .
Something else that is really bad about ArmorALL when it is used to shine up an otherwise dull engine .This stuff migrates into things .Silicone is bad news for oxygen sensors so if iot get;s into the intake it can damage engine sensors .It likes to ooze into vacuum lines making them unable to stay put where they are supposed to stay put .This can lead to bad running or check engine lights .Once this slop is on the car it acts liek a dirt magnet especially in crevices where you cannot clean .This is great for creating noises .Armor All has been the source of more than a few noise complaints .One was so bad we had to replace the dash as the owner had managed to apply so much of the stuff it could not be removed .
But like I said if you feel it is a good thing go for it .One thing is for certain if it is on your tires I will not be happy as it is a huge mess to deal with .And since nobody likes goopy fingerprints on their car having to rotate a set of tires that are slimed in goop only increases the chance that a mess may happen .


Jens

 

Thanks for the input Jens. You had to attach the shinny tired again, didnt ya! LOL