I've noticed over the past month or so that the dash on our TL looks like its discolored. We have the Quartz interior and the top of the dash looks like it has a white haze on it. Anybody experiencing this?

I've only wiped the dash down with a dry cloth. Wasn't sure what to use on it since its like a "rubbery" material.

Thanks.

 

I use what is called black magic. i have the ebony interior but I had a color interior similar to yours on my last car and it will help protect your dash fom discoloration.It does make it a little shiny . FYI

 

You should wipe the dash down with a damp towel first to get rid of any dirt and contaminants that have accumulated. Then you should protect it with 303 Aerospace Protectant which can be obtained at your local Eastern Mountain Sports store. It does not leave any shine which is nice. It's does wonders with revitalizing rubber and various plastics. Most people on this forum swear by it. I do.

dsc888

 

 

Haven't tried that product but I have used Lexol Vinylex and it makes my dash look like new and keeps it that way. Last time I used it was 4 or 5 months ago.

 

I am not a big fan of shiny dashes, so what I do is take a slightly damp cloth, put one spray of Meguiars NXT Rubber/Vinyl protectant and the towel and spread it around...it works really well for me

 

I am going to talk to dealer when I go for tranny recall about the dash. Mine looks like crap and I have taken great care of it since getting it. 303 and Vinylex etc. Question - someone on this board once commented to me when I specified I had the Ebony interior and they said it did not matter cause we all had the same dash regardless of interior color - is this true?

Cause my dash - besides looking gray next to my Ebony interior is brownish and nasty on the passenger side near the window....I want dealer to change it out or at least show me another new car that has same look.

 

How much is this 303 Protectorant? I think I'm going to get some today...

 

I think it is $12.95 - you can buy it on properautocare.com They also have a 303 cleaner which works great as well.

Both products work wonders, my 4 year old vinyl convertible top on the MR2 Spyder looks brand new

 

This is hte cheapest I could find on the Net. I bought it for $19 at a local retial.

http://www.wholesalemn.com/index.php?cPath=21_72

 

Tbone,
If you used something (other than 303 or vinylex) with silicon, the silicon often causes a brown discoloration with age/sunlight. I would clean it real good with 303 cleaner or even plain old soap and water then reapply the 303/vinylx (I use both mixed on a sponge for no apparent good reason other than I have both and like the protection and shine - very dull - of the mixed products better than either one alone).

Not an expert but it appears to me that all dashes are alike. Mine is black but not a deep dark black Quartz interior) so ebony may make it look lighter although my sons TSX w/ ebony treated the same way looks great and the dash material seems similar.

Hope this helps.
ATB,
Tom

 

Yes, I had that white haze, too about half a year ago. The white haze spots occur any time anything touches the plastic on top of the dash. Seems to be some kind of special property of the plastic

Anyway, by someone's recommendation I applied "303 Aerospace protectant" to my whole interior (303 products are available at any Ace Hardware store, of course I applied it to the plastic only, NOT to the leather), and I love the 303 stuff!!! The dash looks completely awesome, no gloss or haze whatsoever, and it has stayed that way for the last 6 months. I just love it!

I highly recommend "303 Aerospace Protectant"!!! One application seems to be enough for a long time (forever?)

 

I will give it a shot - maybe the delaer used crap stuff when they prepped it and now after a few months it has discolored - i'll give her a wash this long weekend and reapply my 303..thanks for the advice.

 

303 Aerospace Protectant is your God. Bow before him and purchase a bottle. Corrects the 'white haze' effect, prevents it from occurring again, and leaves NO SHINY Armor-All disgusting finish.

BJ

 

Believe me or not, but sesame seed oil is one of the best emollients ever for vinyl. Zymol used to use some of it in their vinyl dressing.

People forget that cleaning with a mild solution of soapy water is the very first thing one should do before applying any dressing. Then allow ample time to air dry.

Go easy on the chemical cleaners, as they will leech out some of the PVC volatiles that give vinyl its resilience. 303 is what i use, as it does not chemically defile the vinyl like silicone oils, and leaves a nice patina, without the greasy slimey look and feel of silicone oils.

 

I bought a bottle of it for $11.99 from Ace Hardware this weekend. (Had to check three different Ace's for it since not all of them stock it, so I would recommend calling ahead). Seems to work really well - so far. I've noticed that the dashboard area with the dimples is a little harder to work with, since the chalky-whitish substance has come back in that area overnight. What do you guys do there to make sure the 303 Protectorant sticks?

 

Sticks? Not following you - it is an emulsion, and the liquid "sticks" by surface cohesion, like any liquid. But to get a uniform look, having the vinyl clean per my previous post is important, and also, use a good applicator, like one of the terry backed-foam ones, or better yet, my current favorites, "miracle cloth-backed" sponges, from www.carcareonline.com. Get a pack of 10.

 

Well, the areas with the dimples are hard to get because you may not always get the liquid into the little dimples, which gives it a non-uniform look. How much are you spraying on before you wipe off?

 

If you used the advice already given, this should not be an issue - this is not a hard task - these are not Grand Canyon dimension ruts, after all. And, you should almost always apply products to the applicator, not the surface for best results. Only exception I can think of offhand is window cleaner.

If you do nto have a terry applicator, use a small sponge.

Next!

 

I sprayed the applicator because of you spray the dash it tends to splash and hit the windshield, causing more of a mess to clean up. (However, this goes against the directions on the bottle, and I would think that the directions are there for a reason!)

I went over it once again today, hopefully giving it enough juice to take care of it for a few weeks. We'll know the next time I drive around in hot weather!

 

In the dimple area it helps to vacuum it first - you will be amazed at how much dust/dirt comes up - I was able to draw a line with the vacuum where it cleaned it.

 

I cleaned the dimpled areas pretty well with a wet rag and some water... it wasn't the dust that caused the 303 to get messed up - I think it was the fact that not enough 303 was getting into the little holes.

 

Yep, that's what I did, too.

Here is the simple process that I used:

1. Vacuumed the whole dash first (using the brush vacuum attachment of course)
2. Cleaned the dash using regular regular cotton towel with warm water (I did not use soap as my dash was quite clean).
3. Let dry (I left it for half a day in the garage while I was doing something else around the house).
4. Got a single sheet of Viva paper towel (a blue "shop towel" should work fine, too)
5. Saturated the towel with the "303 Aerospace Protectant". It should not drip, but should be sufficiently wet.
6. Liberally sweeped the dash (including the areas with the dimples) with the saturated towel.
7. Let it sit for around 5 minutes.
8. Used a clean Viva towel to wipe the excess.
9. Done!

Did that back in January 2004. Have not had to reapply yet (it's September now). The dash still looks awesome. Ho haze, no glaze, no dust (!). Perfect!

I hope this helps.

 

Yes, that helps a lot, tallrussian! What color is your car? I wonder if I've seen you driving around the East Bay.

 

Hi Lore,

I have a Satin Silver/Quartz/Navi. I couldn't decide between the Anthracite and SSM at the time. The dealer had SSM/Navi in stock, so I got that and I love it! Besides, I've learned recently that having the same paint on both the car and the wheels helps for the "scratched rim" touch-ups (sigh. Had to do it once already... Who hasn't?)... Are you happy with your anthracite so far? I like both colors.

 

Yeah, with the exception of the occasonal rattles and other annoyances as a result of poorly installed interior materials (headliner, for example) it's a great car, and a lot of fun to drive. Not to mention the driver always looks great in it! =)

I scraped my front rim a few months ago, but it's not too bad. I used some of the gold touch-up paint from the RSX to fix it up. It's still a bit rough but at least the paint mostly blends in.

I had Los Gatos Acura work on the headliner recently - they put 2 or 3 additional strips of velcro along the metal so it's not just secured by the 3 OEM pieces. Let's hope it helps! I also had Oakland Acura replace a door panel and fix a retaining screw for me. It's helped with some of the rattles, but we'll see how long it stays that way.