Why is this stuff Sooooooooooooooo bad for the cars? I have heard NIGHTMARES about this product.. Would appreciate your thoughts...

 

All these years, Armorall looked so good on my wife's 2000 Concorde dash. All it did was dry out the dash and now it's cracked. This car was never parked in the sun either.

 

Andy

two things regarding Armorall or any silicone based product that's similar:

1. it may look good for a short time after you appy it, but it actually will change the molecular structure of the plastic or rubber parts it's applied to and eventually dry them out and cause cracking (as noted by the above poster).

2. the silicone in the product is EXTREMELY difficult to remove from the surface of parts once it's on there so if you ever need to repaint those parts in the future the paint will not adhere to it without a lot of extra work required to make sure those parts are cleaned extremely well.

For cleaning and detailing I'd strongly recommend using a non-silicone based product.

 

Ask for a bottle of "Nu-Vinyl" at your auto parts place. It is made by Reed-Union Corp. (same folks who make Nu-Finish). Nu-Vinyl is NOT a petroleum based product; it goes on easy (rag or sponge) and dries to a nice "new car" luster. You can buff to higher luster if you want. The stuff won't peel off, if you cleaned it well first, and lasts a long time. I've used it for many years and haven't found anything better yet.

 

I've used Murphys Oil Soap to clean vinyl and leather interiors since 1978. I learned this back when I wrenched at the dealer from a lady that traded in her '69 Firebird for a new '78 Sunbird. The Firebird had 40,000 miles and the interior was like new, no tears or cracks. She told me her secret was cleaning with Murphys Oil Soap annually. I purchased that Firebird and kept it for 11 years as a collector car and sold it with the original interior still in new condition. Since then, I have practiced that technique with every car. Murphys leaves a natural patina and no residue. Meguiars also has a product called Natural Shine which works very well on vinyl and each application or coat increases shine from natural to gloss, but does not leave a residue either but it's strictly for appearance, not cleaning. Since my current Vette still has the original interior, I started using Murphys annually as soon as I got the car.

I took this photo of the bird before I sold the car in 1989. Most seats would have torn or the dash pad would have cracked after 20 years.

 

WOW! thanks for the tip.

 

I have to figure out how to remove the 25 year old gummy Armor all from my interior! Any clues?

 

gtr
if it's on plastic, rubber, or any painted surface than standard solvents will damage the part or in the very least soften the paint so you need to be careful.

i'd suppest first washing the part carefully with warm soapy water than rince it with clear water if possible.
Than, use isopropyl alcohol on a clean rag or towel.Be careful to only wipe in ONE direction and turn to a clean, unused portion of the towel after each 2 or 3 wipes. Let it dry (only a minute or two is needed) than go over it again the same way.
It is imperative you only wipe in one direction only!!! If not, all you are doing to smearing and spreading the silicone molecules around on the part rather than removing them. It's the same reasoning why you need to be sure to turn to a fresh, unused portion of the rag or use a new rag after each 2 or 3 wipes - otherwise the silicone the rag has picked up will only spread back onto the part.

It's not a fun job and to do it right can be very time consuming. The worst part is that what you are trying to remove is invisible so you never know for sure if you did a good enough job until you go to repaint the part. if the paint adheres than great, if it doesn't you need to start over again......

 

So is the Murphy's oil soap all that you use? Cleaner and protectant in one? It appears to be for wood floors but if it works, it works Where am I going to find it, Home Depot? The Corvette is coming apart now but the DD needs protection, especially being a convertible.

-Chris

 

Try the grocery store in the household products isle.

 

Armorall is nasty stuff, I still have an unopend bottle that's I got 10 years ago from my wife, will never use it. Without resorting to solvents right away. Try Fantastik spray cleaner and a toothbrush in small areas at a time, scrub and wipe with a warm wet towel and keep the water fresh, and towel rinsed. It will take several trys, but Fantastik is not as harsh and a solvent. If that doesn't work, a body solvent wax and grease remover will remove it but from vinyl only, not leather. Or try different soaps of your choice. But always try a test area that is out of sight first to make sure your soap doesn't remove a dye. I recovered a pair of '76 leather seats for a friend (trim was from a popular Vette distributor) and used Glass Plus near the bottom to remove some fingerprints, and took some tan dye off. So be carefull.

 

Murphy's is all I use, but I use it at least once a year. This is just my experience with the product. Check out "My Photo's" and you'll see my interior soon after washing it and the natural shine it has. Outside of personal experience with vinyl and leather, my theory is that Murphy's contains oils that are absorbed into the surface to keep the material soft and plyable. No harsh chemicals. It takes longer to clean in comparison to other products, (probal why it's not well known anymore)so I only use it on my toys and DD's that I plan on keeping long term. A new car I plan to sell in 3 years doesn't justify use, I'll use Windex and the Meguires I mentioned earlier. I especially like how Murphy's works on leather, and most our family cars since the '80s have had leather and no cracking. The quality of leather make a difference as well. 4th gen "F" bodies are deplorable for wear and I found that Murphy's won't make a difference.

 

huh... i didnt know that about armorall. for the last two years now ived used it on everything in my vette, and everything looks brand new in it. ok ok... what little i actually have installed in the car looks brand new.

the only thing ive done to all the parts in the car so far was cleaned off all the mold and mildew with a leather cleaner, then whiped it down with a rag. after the cleaner dried i used armorall on them and they came out looking great, and this was two years ago. to this day, they still shine nice and bright, are soft and not cracking at all.

 

It's not as bad as everyone here is stating. It's just that there are newer things on the market now. I used Armorall for 25 years on my Vette - not one crack on the vinyl (convertible) in the dryest climate in the US. It protected the surface from the UV rays and helps keep the placticiser in the vinyl. I don't know why folks are having problems unless they are putting it on leather and non-vinyl materials. They must also be globbing it on if there is residue...

Since vinyl is a petroleum based product, it *should* be treated with products that are compatible with petroleum products. (Leather is totally different.)

 

I have found the best stuff for leather is a product called LeatherNew by Farnam. It's sold in equestrian shops and is made for leather saddles. It's a cleaner/conditioner/protectant. A bit expensive ($12 a bottle) but it is glycerin based and excellent for leather.

On vinyl and plastic I prefer Vinylex by Lexol. It is silicone based but has plasticizers that work well on vinyl.

 

body shops hate it,,and dont want it anywhere near there shop,,makes the paint lift,,if you were to walk into a body shop's shop area and spray armorall in the paint booth, they would have the paint lifting off every car painted..so now you know how to even with the guy who screwed up your paintjob!!

 

Armorall suxs

 

We use this stuff all the time on my wife's show shaddles. I've not tried it on my 79 since I don't have any leather but this stuff is really good.

 

I recently purchased a bottle of Murphy's Oil Soap at our local WalMart.

 

Try 303;
http://www.303products.com/main.php

you'll never go back to anything else, read up on their tech page.

FRank