Steerpike

The TL dash has a a different material/texture on the driver's side compared to the passenger side. The driver's side looks/feels great - it has a dimpled texture, which gives it a two-tone type of appearance. This pic (which I took while removing the center speaker) reveals the texture quite well:

Anyway, while removing the speaker, I may have scuffed it a little, and now I want to clean it. Do all the various posts on the topic of dash cleaning (of which there are many!) apply equally to both sides? The left side feels extremely soft and rubbery, while the right side (passenter side) feels more like traditional vinyl.

Also, as attractive as the textured finish is, it wreaks havoc with visibility when driving in the sun at midday, so I'm looking to make this area as dull as possible - no shine at all. The general consensus seems to be that 303 Aerospace protectant is a great finish that does not have a shine. Is this recommended for this area?

Thanks!

Will Y.

Yes- I use 303 Aerospace on the entire dash; worked great when I did it last year.

Just one note: Don't spray the 303 directly onto the dash. Put the 303 onto a towel to apply it to the dash.

Steerpike

I got the 303 Aerospace Protectant stuff tonight at a local Kragen's - almost $15 for a moderately sized bottle! Must be good stuff

303 is a protector; should I use a different product as a cleaner, first? I'm hoping to 'even out' some of the scuff marks too. I found "Meguiars Gold Class vinyl/rubber protectant" at the store too; is that a good cleaner to start with? They both say 'protectant' in their name. I also just received Zaino Z-9 leather cleaner to clean my leather seats (as a prep for Z-10 "Leather in a bottle") - would that be preferred? Thanks!

Adobeman

Do nothing for a while. It will get ashy, grey and dull.... (j/k)

I use 303 on the smooth and dimpled areas and haven't noticed any glare issues. But, I also always wear polarized sunglasses so in general dashboard glare, or any glare at all, is a non-issue. Seriously, if dash glare is an issue and you do not wear sun glasses, or wear non-polarized glasses, then try some polarized sunglasses. They will still help even if you do get the dash as dull as you desire.

Will Y.

Many of the AZers use the Acura/Honda vinyl cleaner on the dash before applying the protectant. Others have tried a Woolite + water mix. I personally just dampened a cloth with water and wiped several times before applying the 303 with another towel.
And the 303 and the Meguiars protectant do the same thing, so you might want to clean the dash and try the Meguiars first (some AZers use it instead of 303; Acura/Honda also has a protectant that apparently works well!)-- then get a refund on the 303.
There are several threads here on dealing with "dash fade" or "ashy dash" that summarize the various approaches to cleaning the dash.