Armorall?

[James Morse]

The '97 looks pretty good. Usually I am all about the Armorall but one thing I detest about it is any over-application that gets on the paint will show and it's a b*tch to get off. Even where it's supposed to go, it can end up splotchy, and doesn't last long. It can end up looking worse and I'm ignorant as to whether it actually preserves anything. So I'm wondering other people's feelings about it.

I have to think they must have garaged it because there isn't the usual shrinkage of window seals, or coating gone from that strip under the window, all the stuff you usually see. I clearcoat-waxed the hood yesterday and it looks like it just came off the showroom new. Ok, maybe not quite, but darn close. They must have got the paint right that year.

Which brings up a whole other issue. On the 99, it's ok, but no show piece. I didn't bother trying to make it one, so I spent zero time on that except a few things. I concentrated on mechanical stuff because given the choice between show and go, I choose go. Didn't worry about door dings, etc. Now I have this nice sharp truck and I'm "wasting" time cleaning and polishing, and thinking about how great it looks on the road, which is vanity. That's a downside as I see it, but it is nice to have a truck that looks good. You know how it is when you have something nice, you (me, anyway) end up parking away from people etc. There are a few small dents. I was thinking of having them taken out, but then I thought, if I make it "perfect" then I'll be going crazy when I see a little ding, so probably better to just leave as-is. The defects are the type you would see close-ups in a Carvana ad etc. That few of them. Maybe one about fifty-cent piece size paintless might get out, that's the only one you really see.

Armorall would make the grey trim darker. Temporarily. But it looks good now, and I'm thinking just leave it alone. It's a lot of plastic trim (wheel well guards, bumpers) and I think I'd end up with it looking worse not better.

Open to suggestions/comments.

 

[Blmpkn]

All I've heard about armorall from true detailing nerds is that it's not only crap but over the long-term actually detrimental to plastics and rubbers.

303 aerospace protectant seems to be the talk of the town lately in some groups.. it works on all surfaces interior and exterior, cleans, protects from UV, leaves a dull shine, and won't dry out your plastics

 

[Curious Hound]

Armor all? That costs money and requires time and effort on my part, just for the sake of looking pretty. Right?

Doesn’t happen in my Ranger.

 

[Garth Libre]

303 is the way to go. Armor All will not crack your dashboard but it has too much shine and not protectant as much as 303 which looks more natural.

 

[James Morse]

Ah, for interior, yeah, that makes sense. Not familiar with 303 but will get some to try.
Probably never use up the half gallon of Armorall I bought in 1985.
I put sun shades on dash in sun.
Saabs which I always had before were notorious for cracked dash you kind of expected it. Bad feature.
That's the problem with nice truck it kicks in the vanity.

 

[superj]

older bmws were the same. cracked dashes and sunshades all the time. it translated to having a sunshade in everything now because i am worried its going to crack. and dash covers now, too.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I use the lucas slickmist interior detailer on the semi.

My pickups? Meh

 

[sgtsandman]

303 is what I use on my vinyl tarp for the trailer. Armor All tends to do the opposite of it's stated intent and dries the plastic instead of revitalizing it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Armor all? That costs money and requires time and effort on my part, just for the sake of looking pretty. Right?

Doesn’t happen in my Ranger.

It does a lot more than that on motorcycle seats!

 

[Snoranger]

I’m not going to name any names or point any fingers here, but I do have a story.
At work, we use no touch tire shine on the interior. (Sometimes you make do with what you have.) It leaves a nice shiny, slick surface… especially on vinyl.
Anyway, one of the guys here cleaned a detailed a supervisors truck. Sprayed down the entire interior with tire shine. (Including the bench seat, vinyl floor, steering wheel, pedals, etc.) The supervisor took his truck and came back about 5 minutes later. He was yelling and screaming because he, and I quote, “turned the corner, slid across the god damn seat, and hit the passenger side door.”

We still spray the entire interior down with tire shine.

 

[superj]

i believe that. the wife and i have wiped down bench seats with shine and slid across when turning too, ha ha ha.

 

[sgtsandman]

I’m not going to name any names or point any fingers here, but I do have a story.
At work, we use no touch tire shine on the interior. (Sometimes you make do with what you have.) It leaves a nice shiny, slick surface… especially on vinyl.
Anyway, one of the guys here cleaned a detailed a supervisors truck. Sprayed down the entire interior with tire shine. (Including the bench seat, vinyl floor, steering wheel, pedals, etc.) The supervisor took his truck and came back about 5 minutes later. He was yelling and screaming because he, and I quote, “turned the corner, slid across the god damn seat, and hit the passenger side door.”

We still spray the entire interior down with tire shine.

It was bad enough with vinyl bucket seats. I could only imagine a bench all shiny and lubed up.

 

[Snoranger]

It was bad enough with vinyl bucket seats. I could only imagine a bench all shiny and lubed up.

You have to get the steering wheel, pedals, door panels, etc also… that ensures that there’s no chance of holding on.

 

[Curious Hound]

It does a lot more than that on motorcycle seats!

Motorcycle seats do not need to be slippery

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Motorcycle seats do not need to be slippery

But it is a great way to get the "ewok on a speeder bike" experiance!