I heard from a car guy (who owns an RX-8...) that ArmorAll is actually bad for your plastics/vinyls. He says that the OEM plastics/vinyls are made with slow-deteriorating polymers, and ArmorAll is made with Fast-Deteriorating polymers. The cause is that your parts break down sooner, IF you don't keep using the product. Supposedly, the ArmorAll replaces the slow with the Fast-polymers. This would make sense for ArmorAll, because they obviously want your continued use. "If you are totally reliant on their product, than you will keep them in business by continuously buying it," says the guy. IS THIS TRUE????

 

I don't know the entire story behind this but, the way I understand it is pretty similar --- however, AA has since changed it's formulation and it's really not a 'horrible' product any longer. It's not a product that I own (and trust me, I have a boat load of products) but, it's not your fathers' AA.

RP

 

i heard the same thing.

what i thought was it drew the natural oils in the material to the surface so over time it speeds up the dry rotting process.

like RP said, the formula has change so i don't know if it supposedly still does it.

 

Yep I've heard the same.....quit using anything on the inside of my dash.....

I've got an old bottle of AA if you want it.

 

As RP says, it is not the old stuff.

I can tell you great stories about the old stuff, from dashboards 'drying out' and becoming like egg shell, to 'exploding ArmorAll ' bottles that exploded on contact after sitting in sun on retail shelves for months. Not dangerous, but boy, was it exiting to have one shatter and go everywhere when you grabbed it too hard.

The new stuff is supposed to be much better.
However, if I have to use an ArmorAll like product I use Formula 2000. Seems more benign.

But then, how often do you HAVE to use ArmorAll???
Lots of better things for every use I have ever seen for it.

Oh, yeah, and the old formula seemed to attract dust like a magnet. Don't know about the new formula.
Chris

 

Sweet. Thanks. I guess I'll just end up saving money by not buying it.

 

RP,

So what is a better dressing (No Thousand Island or any other salad related jokes...) for the dash and tires?

 

Dash -- in modern vehicles, you're going to find more plastic than vinyl covered foam (which was the standard from latter years). For me, I stick with a product like Meguiar's QDI (Quik Detailer Interior) which offers a MINIMAL amount of shine and provides UVA and UVB protection. The UV protection is, however, minimal thus, it's recommended to keep the interior as part of your detailing regime often.

For tires -- depends on your tastes. There are loads of great products that I've used and like. Meguiar's Hyper Dressing still continues to be atop my list. It's VERY similar to Meguiar's Endurance but in a liquid form... both are good products. I, personally, find that both of these products have a tendency to last longer, even through rain, and don't really pick up all that much road dust and such.

For me, those are the products that work best... for you, you might find that you hate all of the above and want something different...It's a preference and those are mine.

RP

 

Tires, I like to be a nice clean black satin (Not real big on the high gloss, dripping wet, splattering everywhere look that some tire dressings give...)

Dash, I just like clean and conditioned...

Thanks for the tip, RP...

 

Endurance may be too shiny for your tastes then... the product that I'd recommend for you is Natural Shine (red bottle) from Meguiar's. Great stuff but, definitely let it dry before rolling... also, lightly towel off any excess after it's dried. I really like using a Eagle One Tire Swipe once it's dried to give it a uniform appearance.

RP

 

On the advice of the guy who customized my '05 Mustang GT for me, I switched to Eagle One tire-shine. It does seem to last longer than Armor-All. He also pointed out to me that over time, Armor-All gives the tires a reddish tint. I had noticed that very thing on my truck. However, previous posts seem to indicate they've changed the formula for Armor-All. I'm curious as to when that was and if that issue has been addressed.