Hi everyone. I bought a new RDX (Silver Moon, AWD, Tech) last weekend and I'm loving it. Traded in my 2006 TL that I drove for 150,000+ miles without one mechanical repair other than regular maintenance, batteries, and tires.

I noticed that the RDX has much more softer material on the doors than my TL had. I want to put some kind of protection on these areas. It looks like leather but I am not 100% sure. Does anyone know if the material on the doors and arm rests is indeed leather? or is it some type of vinyl like leatherette?

 

Given the half the door panel is hard plastic, I'd bet the soft material isn't leather...

 

They are not leather. You can see the exploded parts diagram on acura oem parts dot com and the parts that are leather such as the seats have (LEA) after them. The door panels do not. Armor-all low gloss or similar should do the trick.

 

Aerospace 303 is also very popular with car enthusiasts. It's not too glossy. I even use it on my tires because I don't like the extra-shiny look.

 

ID leave it alone. Clean it up with aerospace when it gets dirty.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I do use 303 (I don't like the shiny stuff either), but not on leather. I think I will follow the suggestion to leave it alone for now, though I will have to use something in a short while. I spend a lot of time in the car (25K a year) and things can get dirty fairly quickly. I've already scuffed the bottom of the door a few times with my big feet.

I did read that Turtle Wax F21 protectant is actually pretty good and can be used on both vinyl and leather without making it shiny. It purportedly smells like leather. I may grab a bottle and try it out.

 

Hi David. Given that it's not made of leather, I'm not sure I understand why you're leaving it alone.

 

Just to detour a bit...have we found anything special to use on the dash? No gloss needed, of course...but something that will protect without being too shiny. I've had success with the ArmorAll Detailer wipes on our C70 dash(lots o' real estate on that one...similar to the RDX); but, always looking for the magic potion.

 

I read some where that armour all isnt good because you have to keep applying it. I quit using it. Once you do apply it i read the plastic gets dry. I read a sports car magazine and they recommended son of a gun. I use it on my Volvo S70. It has worked well.

 

^^^ Love your name BTW....we have that in common

As far as Armor All, I agree that I never put that on my dash either. For me, I just like to use warm water and clean with a microfibre towel. I hate having any glare and a shiny dash.

 

I bought a bottle of Turtle Wax F21 Super protectant and applied it to all parts of the driver door only. It is definitely not shiny and does have a leather like smell. The difference between the treated surfaces and untreated surfaces is barely noticeable. We'll see how it holds up. If it does not, there are other products at Autogeek.com that I may try, or I may just revert to the proved and tried 303 Aerospace.

As I applied the F21, I still did wonder whether the armrest and upper covering of the door are leather. They have stitching and sure feel like leather. The exploded part views that were mentioned earlier don't tag them as leather, so the only other thing they could be is leatherette vinyl. I was not aware that Acura used leatherette (usually used in European cars).

In any event, the reason I like to use a protectant is to protect the vinyl from long term UV damage. Using water alone may eventually lead to cracking. If you are not going to keep the car for more than three years then it probably does not matter, but I tend to keep my cars longer than that.

 

Many of the quality leather cleaners/conditioners are also OK for vinyl, etc. It normally will say that on the back label. That's what I've done over the years and it has worked very well for me. But, then again, I don't keep cars more than 3 yrs!! Seriously, leather/vinyl cleaners and conditioners will work well.

 

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but Aerospace 303 is used by a lot of auto enthusiasts. It's attractive but not glossy, and it holds up very well. I use it on the dash, door panels, and even my tires (I personally dislike the high-gloss tire look.)

 

I'm new to Acura vehicles and mostly used ArmorAll on my US vehicles. I have not heard of 303 Aerospace cleaner/protectant before but with my investment in this RDX, I'm interested in finding the best product. I see you can buy it from a couple different websites but does any auto parts store carry it in stock?

 

Haven't seen it in local stores before. It will still leave a shine but nothing like armorall

 

I found out about 303 Aerospace through this webside six years ago when I bought my 2006 TL. It works great. You can find it at various auto stores and at some marine supply places also.