Armor All

[Swift101]

I used Armor All on my plastic engine cover to rejuvenate it. I read a few threads AA is too harsh on plastics, is there anything to worry about?

I sprayed it on a rag first then just wiped down the cover, I didn't apply it to anything else under the hood.

Which products are suitable for under the hood detailing?

-Thanks

 

[aquariuscsm]

I use Pledge to detail my entire engine bay. Best underhood detailer I've ever used. Armor All won't hurt anything,just seems to attract alot of dirt and dust.

 

[dparm]

303 Aerospace Protectant is a fairly safe general-purpose protectant. I've used it inside, outside, and under the hood. Also works nicely around the house.

 

[Lead Shoes]

I don't use Armor All at all, it always leaves a greasy shine and every bit of dust and hair sticks to it. I got 4 bottles of meg's natural shine on the cheap cheap so I use that now, it works very well however.

 

[92saturnsl2]

I like Armor all, but yes it is oily and tends to attract dirt. This is exacerbated in the engine bay, and you'll notice that while it looks outstanding when recently done, it gets dirty quite quickly, and needs a power wash occasionally to remove all the accumulated crud.

The best thing I've ever used on an engine bay is tire spray-- it leaves an armor-all like shiny finish, but requires hardly any time since you just spray it on (engine bay is full of irregular surfaces which are hard to clean by hand or rag) and leave it. The problem with it getting dirty soon after doesn't go away, however.

 

[razel]

The engine bay is hot. I doubt you can do much better with another product other than paint.

Just don't any dressing on it next time. It's just for looks.

 

[MuzzleFlash40]

I've never liked the greasy look. I use the "natural detailer" by meguiars. But no it wont hurt anything, it will just attract a lot of dust under their. No worries!

 

[The_Nuke]

Originally Posted By: Swift101
I used Armor All on my plastic engine cover to rejuvenate it. I read a few threads AA is too harsh on plastics, is there anything to worry about?

I sprayed it on a rag first then just wiped down the cover, I didn't apply it to anything else under the hood.

Which products are suitable for under the hood detailing?

-Thanks


I have tried many different products to clean and shine the black trim on my car (underhood included), and the one I have settled on is Trim Shine by Stoner. It comes in an aerosol can (though I thought I saw it in a regular spray bottle at O'Reilly Auto the other day) and really makes the black plastic look good. It's not a cleaner really, so I only use it after I have cleaned the plastic, if it needs cleaning. But it's not as oily as most other products, and so it does not get all dusty from a short trip around the block.

Give it a try if you see it at your local auto parts store. In fact, I recommend anything Stoner makes over the respective category's other options - More Shine for tires, Tarminator for bugs and tar, etc. I have not found a product of theirs yet that I did not like and kept on using after trying it out.

Just some food for thought,
Nuke

 

[Swift101]

Thanks guys I'll check out Stoner and Meguiars, I'm glad AA isn't causing any damage.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Originally Posted By: dparm
303 Aerospace Protectant is a fairly safe general-purpose protectant. I've used it inside, outside, and under the hood. Also works nicely around the house.


+1 I agree, have used 303 first on my boat. A lot of Corvette Owners use it on their cars also. Meiquires (sp) products are great also.

I have stopped using Armour All years ago, too slimy and glossy.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner
Originally Posted By: dparm
303 Aerospace Protectant is a fairly safe general-purpose protectant. I've used it inside, outside, and under the hood. Also works nicely around the house.


+1 I agree, have used 303 first on my boat. A lot of Corvette Owners use it on their cars also. Meiquires (sp) products are great also.

I have stopped using Armour All years ago, too slimy and glossy.



My parents like 303 for their patio furniture. Apparently it does not "melt" in the sunlight like other products.

I'm also a fan of their stain repellent sprays for floormats/convertible tops. Used to work very well on my S2000's top, and now I use it in all of our cars' carpets.

 

[qwertydude]

As much as everyone claims damage. Armor all doesn't damage plastics any more than any other silicone based emulsion and will protect from UV just as well as Aerospace 303 when used appropriately. Aerospace 303 is not a magical product, it really is just overpriced Armor All that suffers from Chivas Regal effect.

If silicones really were so harmful to plastics and rubber the first suggestion as to what to apply to the weather seals on your door wouldn't be you guessed it, silicone grease.

Generally the bad rap comes from people with already deteriorating plastics. Their plastics are already faded and they put on Armor All to make it shiny again but the damage is already done and when they experience the cracking they immediately blame the Armor All. But if they had protected it with Armor All since the beginnning the cracking wouldn't happen. Plastics don't get addicted to Armor All any more than they'd get addicted to Aerospace 303. It's just it's always a good idea to protect your plastics. Don't neglect them and then treat them last minute and subsequently blame the last product used. That would be the equivalent of people blaming their peeling paint on their wax after not waxing their paint for 10 years. And when they go to apply an inexpensive cleaner wax and they find their paint rubbing off, well it certainly wasn't the wax's fault.

If you look at the MSDS of Armor All, STP protectant, and Aerospace 303. They all are basic silicone emulsions. The big difference being the concentration of silicones. Armor all is generally the highest at 30% or so, even more so for the High Shine stuff, and Aerospace 303 is 5% or so. So to turn Armor All into Aerospace 303 simply dilute the Armor All 5 to 1 with water. A little really will go a long way.

Plus if you look at the directions, Aerospace recommends wiping excess away. That's actually what gives it the low shine. So same thing with Armor All, if you don't want a high shine on your plastics wipe off the excess.

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:
Aerospace 303 is not a magical product, it really is just overpriced Armor All that suffers from Chivas Regal effect.


I could not disagree more. It is not magical but it is light years ahead of the other product mentioned here. It's like comparing current day engine oil to those of the 1950's.

 

[doitmyself]

Two decades ago, give or take a few years, Armor All developed a stigma for causing plastic to crack, supposedly due to having the wrong type of silicone (dimethyl silicone oils??) and/or containing petroleum distillates. Anyone else remember that? They are still paying the price for that, as negative rumors still exist.

I wonder why Pledge is recommended so much for plastic? It contains petroleum distillates, butane, isobutane, and propane. Are these things plastic safe??

 

[qwertydude]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Quote:
Aerospace 303 is not a magical product, it really is just overpriced Armor All that suffers from Chivas Regal effect.


I could not disagree more. It is not magical but it is light years ahead of the other product mentioned here. It's like comparing current day engine oil to those of the 1950's.


Do you have any proof to back that claim up? Because deducing from two things the MSDS, which lists only one "proprietary" ingredient at pretty much 100% of the active ingredient and taking into account the smell, the appearance, the feel, everything essentially is the same as the old school pre-VOC Armor All. The new version just has some polymer thickeners and removed the diethylene glycol.

This leads me to the conclusion that the single ingredient that composes the active ingredient in 303 is the same as Armor All, PDMS.

And since 2007 the reformulation of Armor All to a complete water base pretty much makes it identical to Aerospace 303, before it just had diethylene glycol to disolve the PDMS, whereas 303 used a water based emulsifier.

http://www.crossfireforum.org/forum/detail-shop/25914-303-protectant-vs-armor-all.html

Even a Meguiars insider will admit that 303 is nothing special, pretty much the same as their own Meguiars dressing and Armor All, and reformulated Armor All is essentially the same except for a higher level of shine. Which of course can be mitigated by buffing the Armor All after application.

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Quote:
Aerospace 303 is not a magical product, it really is just overpriced Armor All that suffers from Chivas Regal effect.


I could not disagree more. It is not magical but it is light years ahead of the other product mentioned here. It's like comparing current day engine oil to those of the 1950's.


Its hard for me to believe its diluted Armor All. It just doesn't behave anything like it. It seems to disappear right into the plastic. I'm not necessarily endorsing it---it would be years before I could offer an opinion on that. But its definitely different. The people who own kayaks use nothing else but 303 for what its worth.

I know Ford says in so many words not to use Armor All. They probably aren't the only ones.

I've used Chemical Guys Black on Black on both exterior trim and engine compartment. I'm pleased, but i doubt its anything more than some kind of wax.

 

[turtlevette]

The guys on Corvette forum go nuts over 303. I ordered a bottle and I just don't get it. No better than anything else you can get at AZ, and there are tons of them.

 

[qwertydude]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Quote:
Aerospace 303 is not a magical product, it really is just overpriced Armor All that suffers from Chivas Regal effect.


I could not disagree more. It is not magical but it is light years ahead of the other product mentioned here. It's like comparing current day engine oil to those of the 1950's.


Its hard for me to believe its diluted Armor All. It just doesn't behave anything like it. It seems to disappear right into the plastic. I'm not necessarily endorsing it---it would be years before I could offer an opinion on that. But its definitely different. The people who own kayaks use nothing else but 303 for what its worth.

I know Ford says in so many words not to use Armor All. They probably aren't the only ones.

I've used Chemical Guys Black on Black on both exterior trim and engine compartment. I'm pleased, but i doubt its anything more than some kind of wax.


It "disappears" specifically because it's mostly water and a water based emulsion. Seriously buy some new Armor All if you haven't tried the stuff post VOC reformulation you might just be surprised at how much the new stuff after watering down behaves so similarly to 303. You can tell if it's reformulated stuff because it's thicker when you shake it you can tell it's thick and I haven't seen the old stuff on the shelf for years.

Water it down 5 to one. Spray it on your plastics and buff off like Aerospace 303. It behaves exactly like 303, matte sheen and less slippery and "disappears" just the same. What do you have to lose? A few bucks? And what you'll gain is basically more than a gallon of protectant for the price of one 32 ounce bottle of Armor All.

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
The guys on Corvette forum go nuts over 303. I ordered a bottle and I just don't get it. No better than anything else you can get at AZ, and there are tons of them.


Chivas Regal Effect. I try my hardest to always be objective and do as much research as possible using whatever resources I can to dig up the truth behind anything I choose to purchase.

It's hard to get over and around human psychology but if you take a real objective look at things and don't let emotions get the better of you and actually believe what experts like that Meguiar's insider posting in the other forum you'll not only be able to save money by not buying overpriced over-hyped stuff but you can weed out what's really good and what's only mediocre. And Aerospace 303, sorry it's only mediocre.

 

[mjoekingz28]

As quertydude said, Just buff it with a damp cloth a few minutes after application and it should not only look better, it will be less likely to collect dust.

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: Brenden
I don't use Armor All at all, it always leaves a greasy shine and every bit of dust and hair sticks to it. I got 4 bottles of meg's natural shine on the cheap cheap so I use that now, it works very well however.


+1 on the Meg's Natural Shine. It gives a nice, natural shine as the name implies. Makes trim look supple. Plus it lasts awhile and doesn't attract any sort of dirt. I mean I keep a Swiffer duster in my car, but still