Having heard so many stories about cracked dashes I'm wondering it would be a good idea to apply vaseline to the dashboard to prevent it from getting dried and cracking?

 

I think that would attract too much dirt. They make many products that are specifically for dash and vinyl. They are designed to prevent drying and cracking on these surfaces.

 

you can not be serious......

 

I think that would make it more likely to crack from the sun cooking it....

 

Vaseline is a PETROLEUM JELLY.......it will degrade your dash in a hurry! Dont do it. Think about the first words of vaseline ....petroleum.

This is why u are not suppose to use petroleum jellys on condoms....eats holes in em and lets the lil spermes out...lol

 

I use the 303 aerospace protectant. works really well and doesnt leave a greasy sheen.

 

On another note in car cleaners and such, I bought some Super Clean, "All Wheel Cleaner" at Wal-Mart. By far, the chapest
stuff I have gotten, and it works better than the wheel cleaner I bought at the BMW dealer.

I try not to push products, and this is no spray-n-rinse BS, you still have to scrub a bit, but it takes away a lot more dried-on tar spots
than the B/mer spray did, it 1/4 the cost.

 

i'm a product junkie, i try almost anything to see what really works.

do not use any product that contains petroleum distillates in it. youd be surprised as to how many products use this.

thus far, the best product i have found and use exclusively for rubber, vinyl, and plastic is Mothers Protectant. i'm in southern AZ and the sun rays are extreme. Mothers is the best. on tires it doesnt leave a gloss look, but what it does is leave the tires looking new and doesnt leave goop for dirt to collect on. if you use the shiny tire goop stuff you'll notice the tires turn brown after some time. never with Mothers. this stuff also smells good, makes the interior smell like it's still in the showroom, etc. i can only highly suggest you give it a try.... and it wont make you go broke.

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/05316.html

 

I think this thread was a joke. Atleast I hope so.

 

happy april fools day!!!
303 is great stuff- found at TAP plastics locally and many other stores

check the ingredients in other sprays- armor all type product actually dry the dash out- while 303 wont

 

thank god for forums

 

303 also has a SPF of 40. Talk about protection from the sun!

 

wow haha, petroleum jelly haha. I've used Mothers and it works great, never tried 303 might have to look into it

 

303

 

303

 

of the shelf... i would think that meguiars natural shine protectant is the best of them. but mothers wont disappoint you either.

 

meguiars vinyl and rubber conditioner.

 

does Meguiars have a all-in-one product? i've tried all of their tire stuff and all of it left my tires brown in about 4 days.

as for Mothers vs 303, Mothers is a UV blocker as well, and i think it is less expensive than 303, and easier to find than 303.

 

X2 - the Aerospace 303 is an excellent product for use on the dash.

 

Lets clairify that ... here is the quote

303 Aerospace Protectant really is like "SPF 40 Sunscreen ... For Your Stuff." Regular use gives 100% Prevention of UV caused slow-fade with regular use."

The majority of the protection is from the gloss reflecting the UV rays .. once the gloss is gone .. so is the protection.

303, Mequiar's, Eagle One (VW's product is Eagle One), etc these are water borne, Polydimetalsiloxane resin formula's, every last one of them.

303 only differs from many other PDMS dressings, (polydimethalsiloxane) by percentage of the resin mixed into the water that is it's carrier to the surface.
Be it Eagle One, Zanio, Mequiar's, Mother's, 303 etc, all the "white-water based" dressings are PDMS.


303 has a higher resin content, the maximum that can be used, which is why it cost more.
Most of the mass marketed PDMS are usually around 18 to 20%, most professional dressings are between 22 and 27%.
Cost is an issue for professional detailers, and even the higher resin 303 does not last "that" much longer than a, say 24% content.
Just looks better for a couple of days.

The "UV" protectant adverstising is pure bunk, it is not possible to actually put "UV" blockers in these types of resins and if it could be done, the product would have to be marketed at about 3 to 4 times a higher price, as a UV component is very, very expensive.
The claim of "UV" protection comes from the resin barrier created and the additional shine, which reflects the damaging UV's.
The real advantage of using a PDMS is protection from the far more damaging ozone that is present. This protection is only there as long as the product is.

Quoted from postings by Ron Ketcham of AutoInt.

 

Wheel cleaners are a waste of money and bad for your wheels. I just wash them with the same Meg's soap I use to wash the car. It doesn't hurt to wax them along with the car either.

 

I've been using the Eagle One Nano Protectant that I bought last year, but can't seem to find it in the stores now. I usually have to put two or three coats on the dash to even it out, but it lasts quite awhile and doesn't leave a tacky shine. Gets rid of the airbag lines as well.

The key is to clean the dash very well with a Woolite/water mix prior to whatever you're using. I want to try the 303, but I can find it only online and I'm not sure it's going to be worth the extra money, especially with shipping.

 

Anyone got a pic of a cracked dash?

 

You can find the 303 products are your local boating stores. I know West Marine carries them. I think the 303 site has a locater.

 

wheel and tire cleaners are typically petro based, and "wheel" is meant for the wheel, not tire. "tire" cleaner does remove that brown haze when goopy tire conditioner was used and collects dirt. after the brown is gone the there is no need to use the tire "cleaner". after the rubber is clean some sort of rubber protectant is good. then after that a normal washing as you say will do, followed by protectant. the tires on my '06 lexus look like i just put on new tires (most tire shops dont goop down new tires with tire shine, etc). it ergs me to see dealerships using goopy tire shine on the new cars, or after a service where they provide the free car "wash" and it comes back with goopy shiat on the tires...... when my cars go in for service i always tell them to note on the paperwork "no tire dressing".

 

haha....

 

Whats wrong with Armorall?

 

My opinion? Leaves an oil slick behind. Just WAY too shiny and slippery.

 

also makes it more prone to cracking is what I've read

 

I've heard that as well...I just don't know how much weight to put behind those statements.

 

it crap. it has petroleum distillates in it and this will ruin many rubbers, plastics, and vinyls over time.

 

I had no idea Armorall was that bad, looks like I am going to have to grab some 303.

 

I think you better read post #20 above ... its people like you that propigate this BS ..

 

It's not BS.. Read >>this<< article. Armor-All is crap, and it WILL cause rubber/vinyl/plastic to crack prematurely.

For those that don't want to read the article, the head of the Armor-All Research Lab, (who has a PhD in chemistry), was fired when he noted that Armor-All caused tires and airbag covers to crack prematurely. He noted that outside 3rd party labs, as well as the US Military had similar findings... He sued Armor-All, and Armor-All tried to seek a court order to seal the documents relating to his research...

 

I heard that Armor-All may have a reformulation, that is safe... (Tho why do they still call it "Original", if it's not the original forumula?)

Either way, regardless if Armor-All changed it's formula, I still don't use their products because Armor-All killed their credibility in my eyes with their actions with the lawsuit mentioned previously. There is no reason for me to switch back to armor-all since I'm happy with other products...

Similar to how I don't use Pennzoil products because of their acquisition of Slick-50, which was also proven to be damaging to your engine. (Even DuPont, the creator of teflon, said that it was not to be used in internal combustion engines)

 

303 for me.

 

The reformulated version is water based as is 303 etc etc etc ... and as safe as 303 etc etc ... Even tho the law suit is dated 1995 the old formulation was gone long before that. Its your choise to use what you like .. but be correct in your information.

 

There are many products that are used for vinyl surfaces. I don't think one is any better than another. I use a product by Armor All for vinyl and it's been working great for the last 4yrs. No cracks. I use their leather products for the seats and they're still in good condition.

 

ummm no. perhaps they changed their formula, but i had received email directly from Armorall folks (some time ago) confirming that Armorall had petroleum distillates in it, and the bottle had even said so. check the bottle to see if "petroleum distillates" are listed. i havent seen a Armorall bottle in a few years, havent used that crap........

 

When did Armor-All reformulate? According to this link on Armor-All's Website it doesn't mention any reformulation until 2007. I also doubt the old formula was gone "long before" 1995, the guy was fired in December of 93'.