Armor All

CalgaryDetail

CalgaryDetail

Mike
I dont use Armor All. However recently i got into a debate over if Armor All was a good product or not. I said it was but there was better and he said it was the end all be all for interiors. He claimed it lasted forever and didnt harm anything in the car.
I however said that it was not a water based dressing and would clog the pores of the dash/plastic and caused it to go whitish. He called me an idiot and we left it at that.
I didnt think I was wrong hoever I thought I would check, I know alot of people here on DC dont like AA and we stick with many other "superior" brands
So I guess my question is, whats wrong with Armor All? Am I really an idiot and was this person right, or do I have some idea what I'm talking about.
And for those who dont use it and agree with me, dont worry I'm not a user, I dont like the shine and feeling it leaves, but this debate got me thinking so i thought I would ask the question
Thank you for any info

-mike

p.s WOW I seem to be in a room to ask alot of questions tonight lol :yay
Knowledge is power... I've been told
 
First of all, modern plastic dashes, (this includes vinyl, which is a type of plastic), are far more advanced in their chemistry than vinyl dashes 30, 20 and even 10 years ago. Just like most things, when new technology comes along to make a product better, most companies adopt it. I can’t say that I have seen too many dashes on modern cars crack.

The way older vinyl dashes were made, a Plasticizer was included in the vinyl to help make the plastic soft, elastic and flexible. Over time, and exposure to heat and direct sunlight, the plasticizers in the vinyl break down, deteriorate and the vinyl becomes hard and brittle and susceptible to cracking instead of flexing.

Some vinyl protectants in the past used a plasticizer in their formula to soften the vinyl to make it flexible, and keep it flexible. Here was the problem with that, there’s an old saying, ”Like products dissolve like products”, this was the case with the plasticizer in some protectant products, it had a tendency to dissolve and leach out the vinyl’s original plasticizers prematurely thus accelerating the deterioration process. This could lead to cracking in vinyl dashes because the vinyl became more brittle and hard.
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this is from Mike Phillips. BTW Calgary Check you PMs im about to send you one
 
I use Armor All from time to time. On weekends when I get really low on P&S Shine-All I usually go and pick up a bottle of it. I usually use it in wheel wells, frames on pickups/suvs, as well as the undercarraiges of lifted trucks/suv's. It's cheap so I don't mind using a lot to really cover those areas.


CalgaryDetail said:
Knowledge is power... I've been told
Click to expand...
As is states on AutoGeeks website (somewhere on there I read it). "Knowledge is useless when kept to one's self!" And in the detailing world it's very true IMO :)

Dolan
 
Not a fan, but most things in car care are good-better-best.
My Zep rep (Zep owns armour all) says that compared with the lower cost commercial products (which are average, good or better), they suck. He's mostly referring to the the tire shine & int. dressing.
 
I'm not a big fan myself but my Dad has been using it since it's existance and his cars have always looked nice and well protected.

I use it for the wheel wells to darken them! Goes better with a detailied car also! Because even after washing, it's still ugly to look at under there!
 
I think it's a fair product for something you can get cheaply and easily. I don't use it that much, but I wouldn't be scared to use it if it was all I had on hand.
 
I wouldn't use it inside the car just because I don't like the look and feeling. Does that mean its a bad product? No. It's user preference just like ice cream. I like cookie dough whereas you may like mint chocolate chip and George may like sherbert. I'd use it under the hood, undercarrage and in the wheel wells.
 
Another "none user", but FWIW Armor All has a low gloss formula that doesn't look greasy like the original (IMO) did.

Charles
 
If you think Armor all Original good, Give Armor All Low Shine a try. I can only find it at target, but that product is awesome. Just matte shine. Not even if you were to try to get it glossy by multiple coats.
 
I use quite a lot of AA but only on the wheel wells after I wash them. I have AA in a garden sprayer with a misting tip so I'll routinely do 12 wheel wells at a time. M coupe, wife's convert, and slugmobile.

I used to like the high shine of AA in the interior all through my wild days, my mad existence, .........., there's a song there somewhere. Now I appreciate the subdued elegance 303 offers. I enjoy not battling the shine of the dash when I'm looking ahead. I know AA makes a matte/low gloss finish and maybe I'll give it a shot (pun intended) when my 303 runs out.
-John C.
 
Ive used AA a lot , and I like it for tires, trim , and wheel wells. I dont use anything on the interior other them somethimes Megs interior detailer. I like the natural look.
 
Armor All darn near killed me. Around 1970 I was given a sample bottle of Armor All. I used my car for work doing sales calls. The car's interior always looked dull and well used for a four year old car. The Armor All brought it to life. I put it on the dash, seats, door panels and even the brake and gas pedals. If it was plastic, vinyl or rubber Armor All was on it. I was so proud of how my car looked I went to drive it to show my boss the new effects. Everything went fine until I stepped on the brakes. By the way this is a time that mandatory use of seat belts was not enforced. As I put light pressure on the brakes the motion of slowing forced my body to start to slide forward and under the steering wheel which forced me to press even harder on the brake pedal making the car stop more sharply. A couple of seconds later I am looking up at my steering wheel when my foot slipped off the brake pedal onto the gas pedal, flooring the car forward. Still looking up at my steering wheel, sheer panic set in. I don't remember how I stopped the car, I do remember someone was screaming, it was me. After that I had to dig the grungy lap safety belt out of the dark deep crevasse between the seat and backrest and buckle up just to drive it. I also had to remove one shoe and operate the pedals with a bare sock foot. Who is the idiot now? I just think of myself and others as being 'just a little bent'. LOL now, not then.
 
David:
Scary experience and easily done with protectant products.
We used to use it under the fenders and on the engine cases of dirt bikes to help reduce mud build-up. One guy did use it on a seat and the bike was absolutely dangerous until he could get the stuff off.
Same guy was so in love with the AA look that he did the entire exterior of his car with it. That too, was a mistake. :)
I didn't use it because the shiny rubber and vinyl was never my thing.
I did use a STP vinyl protectant before I found 303. For the past 6 to 8 months, PB's NL has been working pretty good and now seems to be my choice.

Charles
 
I did that slick seat trick a couple times also in 1986. Used FORMULA 2, cant remember who made it. Formula 1 was a light cutter with wax or polish. nice shine before i found mothers and finally this site. Did the formula 1 on the outside then misted on the formula 2, used formula 2 on newly reappolstered beach seat in my 1976 pickup, VERY SHINY and Slick!!! RANDAL
 
well I went out and bought a small bottle of armour all (the smallest one they had at canadian tire) just to give it a shot. I'm not one to trash a product until I have tried it. I found that there wasnt a HUGE difference between armorall and 303 shine wise, however there is a noticable difference. I still like the 303 better as after like 2 hours i have already noticed that armourall collects a ton more dust (which i really dont like).
Now knowing that it is safe i think it might be an option for the customers requesting a shinier dash. I will still be applying the 303 to family vehicles as well as customers who have no preference. But as many of you know, you always get the ones that want the "super shine" and i think this product might work.
Well i guess my initial view on armorall was wrong (opps my bad) so i decided to give it a shot. i was not overly impressed but it was better then i thought. Im glad it will cause no harm to my car as that's the most important thing.

Thank you everyone for all the info
-mike
 
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