Just curious what everyone's using on their their dash and moldings to give it that shine. I'm using STP Protectant. Looks pretty good and lasts awhile. Anyone else?

 

armorall, since i was 15 ive used that(for 4 years now) never had any prob.

 

Does Armor All still make your **** crack over time?

 

I don't use anything. I just wipe the dust off with a damp rag. I don't like the annoying glare on the windshield that Armor-All causes. Not to mention, the armor-all and other stuff just causes the dust and dirt to stick.

 

i use the non-shiney armor all now not the glossy in shining into the winsheild because its so dam* shiney

 

Lexol for leather, Vinylex for dash and doors. Might as well rub canola oil on your dash with armor all. IMO of course.

 

To clean I use the Ford all purpose cleaner, leaves the factory look to the dash and door panels. When I want a shine I use Armor All "Detailers advantage." It's not the "can't see anything when driving into the sun kind of shine." It looks good without being overly glossy.,,,,,,98

 

Lexol for the leather and a damp towel for the rest.

 

I work in automotive advertising, and part of what we do is produce mfr. brochures - the ones you get from a dealership. The car prep companies we employ use a variety of professional-grade products to make vehicles "camera ready."

The most surprising product that many companies use is... Lemon-fresh Pledge. That's right, the big yellow can of aerosol furniture polish you can buy at the grocery store.

The primary use is for tires and interior plastics. It's used for tires because most "real" tire dresings make the tires too shiny. For photography, we don't want the tires to outshine the vehicle. I personally like this look for my daily driver, too (but admit that some will disagree with me). An added plus of Pledge is that it repels dust, helping tires stay clean.

Interior is much the same story. We want the interiors to look clean but not shiny. Dust repelleing properties are also a plus for daily drivers, as is the mild lemon-fresh scent (OK, maybe I'm just wierd). I don't notice any film on my windows from evaporation.

I can't say if Pledge protects against UV-rays or anything else, but I doubt it does. I'm fortunate enough to have covered parking during the day, and I cover my Expy at night as well, so I'm not too concerned about this.

I really think keeping your vehicle out of the elements (read: sun) when you're not driving is a major step in maintaining it's looks. Other steps include regular washing (I swear my truck runs better when it's clean), cleaning up bird droppings quickly, a good coat of wax and using a claybar as needed.

Just my $.02

 

Mine runs better when it's clean too That is an interesting idea with the Pledge, you learn something new everyday. I started to pressure wash my engine the other day and had no degreaser that I could find. You'll never believe this but I ended up using Shout spray on stain remover on it, lol. I was shocked to find it worked VERY well, and also did not melt the paint on the filler caps like regular degreasers do sometimes. It also left a good finish on the underhood plastic parts, not bleached out looking. I may not use it everytime, but it worked in a pinch,,,,,98

There was a member here that used Mop and Glo on his tires, and swore by it

 

Forgot to mention that Pledge works well underhood - I use it to keep my hoses and other underhood plastics clean.

 

We use Pledge on boats. It's the best thing to keep the clear vinyl windscreens clear and soft. We've only used the Regular Pledge, but it's become hard if not impossible to locate. Been afraid to use the Lemon Pledge. Still have a couple of cans of the regular stuff, so haven't been too concerned.

 

Tanner's for cleaning leather upholstery, Lexol for conditioning it.
Meguire's protectant for the dash and Armor all cleaning wipes for the leather wrapped steering wheel and vinyl bench seats in the rear.



Baj

 

Damp, soapy rag to clean the dash and doors. Vinylex to protect and mild shine. Windex and newspaper for the glass. A dust brush for everyday dusting. 'Shout it Out' for any stains on the carpet.

 

So far I have not used anything on mine. I just wipe the dust off and use a wet rag for any smudges.