Armor All Question

So to wrap this thread up and put a nice bow on it.



A. Armor All is reformulated and contains nothing that will harm your car.



B. As with everything else in life there are "better" products than armor all.



C. Armor All is not the same product it was X amount of years ago.



D. For those enthusiasts just looking to clean their car without stocking up on specialty products (eg. 303) Armor All is easily available and relatively inexpensive.



Excellent info fellas.
 
Illusion, you're probably correct - so many products no longer share much in common with their 20 yr old counterparts. [fingers crossed]I trust today's AA is safe for use on any surface.[/fingers crossed]
 
I have the AA interior clean spray. I love it, it cleans, leaves a nice matt finish, not greasy.





But the WG interior protectant is better.
 
Well, most of the clutter on page 2 has nothing to do with my question.



The discussion I read referred to AA as a solvent based dressing (differentiating it from a water based dressing), which results in an overly oily appearance.



I'm still unclear on the "solvents" in AA and how they relate to its performance...
 
sadly, i don't pay as much attention to interior dressings as i do exterior products, but i have found armor all to attract more dust than anything that i've ever used on the dash. it never fails to leave a greasy film on anything that it touches either. is it because it's solvent based, i dunno, but possibly...however, i'm no chemical guru. i haven't bought nonetheless touched anything armor all since 1992 :lol

i've since tried numerous products and recently settled on poorboy's NLD...i believe it's water based.
 
This is a little bit off topic but since you guys say that white milky colored protectants are water based and usually not harmful but clear protectants are usually harmful. I use Meg's NXT protectant and it's clear. Does that mean its not safe for vinyl?
 
ZaneO said:
I believe AA has changed a great deal since then.
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call me a stubborn mule lol!

well my GF uses armor all when i'm not looking, even though i buy her other stuff. i can always tell when she does too, my elbow usually slides off the door sill...and i know she's generally pretty good with wiping it down with an MF towel :confused:
 
I suppose the only problem now is making sure you are buying the reformulated armor all. Any thoughts on their variations like low gloss or extra shine? I think I can buy a 32oz bottle of low gloss armor all for about 3 bucks at walgreens.
 
truzoom said:
I suppose the only problem now is making sure you are buying the reformulated armor all. Any thoughts on their variations like low gloss or extra shine? I think I can buy a 32oz bottle of low gloss armor all for about 3 bucks at walgreens.
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From what I understand the different versions like low gloss and extra gloss are all water based. The difference is in the concentration of the ingredients.
 
accordmaniac said:
This is a little bit off topic but since you guys say that white milky colored protectants are water based and usually not harmful but clear protectants are usually harmful. I use Meg's NXT protectant and it's clear. Does that mean its not safe for vinyl?
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I don't know of any basis for the claim of clear=harmfull or milky=good. Personally, I'd write it off as an old wives tale. Some of the best vinyl trim products I've used were clear.
 
Here are my two cents: If Armor All were bad in any way any more it would not be sold. I highly doubt that they would want to buy new dashes for everyone. Also I use AA and I like the look on the interior and it doesn't seem to attract dust. Although I also use other products that are non oily for the steering wheel, shifter, etc.
 
I switched back to Armor All a few years back. It works great, has decent durability for a water based dressing, no longer has that greasy, oily look and it available anywhere. I have tried everything under the sun and always end up going back to AA. Why pay more for a boutique product when there is a great OTC product that is $10 a half-gallon at Pep Boys?
 
Scottwax said:
I switched back to Armor All a few years back. It works great, has decent durability for a water based dressing, no longer has that greasy, oily look and it available anywhere. I have tried everything under the sun and always end up going back to AA. Why pay more for a boutique product when there is a great OTC product that is $10 a half-gallon at Pep Boys?
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i agree. i've never had any probs with aa, and one of my favorite products by them is the tire foam.
 
When I see Armor All 'Original', I always think 'original clear greasy dressing'. That's why I haven't used it in years. How can it be 'Original' if its changed?



In Australia, for a couple of years now we've had a local variant called Armor All New Car Protectant, which is a low-sheen formula, that's very good.



My understanding is that other PDMS,water based dressings that cost more ( take 303 for example) contain more and/or "better" resins. What that specifically and scientifcally means
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I always thought it was an acrylic based dressing. When they say 303 "doesn't contain silicone oils", are they talking about dimethyl silicone? :nixweiss
 
Alfisti said:
I always thought it was an acrylic based dressing. When they say 303 "doesn't contain silicone oils", are they talking about dimethyl silicone? :nixweiss
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303 does not contain acrylic. I was assured of this by 303.
 
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