Better than armorall?

bennylava

bennylava

New member
Hi all. I wanted to stop by and ask about the best product in the category that Armorall occupies. Im a member over at the garage journal board, and something that is well known over there (probably here too) is that the most well known product in a given segment is usually far from the best. So i suspect that there is a much better product than armorall out there. Hopefully yall can tell me what that is.
 
Armor all pretty much holds the bottom of the list for interior protectants. It`s THAT BAD.

Id put it a half step above the guy on YouTube saying to use olive oil...
 
Ok so we have 303 Aerospace mentioned.

What is the general consensus of the Autopians? Which product is top dog? Which product holds the top slot? Which one is really and truly the best? I must know! lol
 
It all depends on for what purpose. For me what I have liked best that I have used is for the interior Wolfgang cockpit sealant mainly because if I wait a minute or so I can wipe with a MF towel and get a finish that is about the same as when new which means no or very little gloss for things that weren`t meant to have gloss. My seats were the only thing that were a little glossier than before I applied.

On the exterior I have Wolfgang Uber coating on almost everything except my tires which have Tufshine tire coating and my grill which I didn`t do and my clear bra. It is on my rims my lights all exterior trim (what little I have) even my license plates and of course my paint and glass. For my engine compartment I have been using CG Silk Shine which I am sure is far from the best but is fine till I find something better.

Here is the best photo I have that shows most of the black trim I have on the car.
P4161411.jpg
 
There is no "top dog" as its all based upon everyone`s personal opinion. Really a pointless question to ask. I personally like the Blackfire interior protectant. I also have a bottle of 303 that I haven`t tried on an interior yet (worked great on a vinyl convertible top). Before that I was using DP (now mckees 37). Comes down to what you need/want. I switched to blackfire because I got a hell of a deal on a sale for a gallon that I was able to get at over 50% off.
 
ShaneB said:
There is no "top dog" as its all based upon everyone`s personal opinion. Really a pointless question to ask. I personally like the Blackfire interior protectant. I also have a bottle of 303 that I haven`t tried on an interior yet (worked great on a vinyl convertible top). Before that I was using DP (now mckees 37). Comes down to what you need/want. I switched to blackfire because I got a hell of a deal on a sale for a gallon that I was able to get at over 50% off.
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What he said sounds kind of harsh but true.

The debate about durability can go on for ages because, well, there really doesn`t seem to be too much definitive test data. Yeah, people spread some of this here, some of that there, and look at it in set periods of time but it`s not a true test. Does it help? Yes. Is it lab quality data that you can rely on in 100% of situations? No.

The debate is beyond pointless. I personally love Chemical Guys Silk Shine on the Suburban`s black interior but thought it brought out too much shine in the Escape that I used to have. Still haven`t found something I really like on my (factory painted) tan Silverado interior. You can opt for silicone dressings, dressings with petroleum distillates (I tend to avoid, better safe than sorry), or dressings free from both.

Then you get into tires, engine compartments, exterior trim and you really expand the debate. All that plus coatings, how it sheds water, water durability, restoration vs. preservation, etc.

Off my soapbox and onto my current "go to" products.
[TABLE="width: 500", class: grid"]
[TR]
[TD]Exterior Black Trim[/TD]
[TD]Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant (WETS)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Faded Exterior Black Trim[/TD]
[TD]Mothers Back to Black Heavy Duty Trim Cleaner followed by Meguiar`s Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tires[/TD]
[TD]Turtle Wax Jet Black Endura Shine Tire Coat[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Interior Dressing[/TD]
[TD]Chemical Guys Silk Shine/303 Aerospace Protectant[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Interior Maintainer[/TD]
[TD]Meguiar`s Quik Interior Detailer[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Car Shampoo[/TD]
[TD]Meguiar`s Hyperwash
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Wheel Cleaner[/TD]
[TD]Mothers Foam Wheel & Tire Cleaner[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leather Cleaner[/TD]
[TD]Too many to list, depends on the condition of the leather[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leather Conditioner[/TD]
[TD]Wolfgang Leather Care Conditioner[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Glass Cleaner[/TD]
[TD]Currently with Mothers Revision[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Are the products I use the best? Not really. Will I stick with them forever? No. Actually looking for replacements for a few of them once I get low on what I have.
 
IIRC, Scottwax (where is he these days?) still uses Armor All.

I inherited a jug of it and I`m using it up on the tires of the daily-drivers. Seems OK. No, I`m not saying it`s as good as something pricier (still prefer my previous-version Z16 on the tires of the good cars), but for this application I have no complaints other than not liking the every-wash reapplication.

I never understood the great love for 303. Bought it, tried it, found it OK but nothing special. Never did use it all up (and it was only the whatever-size spray bottle).

I`ve, uhm...accumulated...gallons of Tire Slime from Griot`s and Pinnacle and still have a few bottles of the old Z16, so I`m probably well-stocked for the next few years. Might go with the non-slip version of DuraGloss next time, but we`ll see.
 
Accumulator said:
IIRC, Scottwax (where is he these days?) still uses Armor All.

I inherited a jug of it and I`m using it up on the tires of the daily-drivers. Seems OK. No, I`m not saying it`s as good as something pricier (still prefer my previous-version Z16 on the tires of the good cars), but for this application I have no complaints other than not liking the every-wash reapplication.

I never understood the great love for 303. Bought it, tried it, found it OK but nothing special. Never did use it all up (and it was only the whatever-size spray bottle).

I`ve, uhm...accumulated...gallons of Tire Slime from Griot`s and Pinnacle and still have a few bottles of the old Z16, so I`m probably well-stocked for the next few years. Might go with the non-slip version of DuraGloss next time, but we`ll see.
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Scott is still around. He posts mostly on Facebook now. I am pretty sure he still uses AA. Heck I still have like a quarter of a bottle and still use it on my work car. It`s not bad but I would never use it on my interior. I agree with 303 as well. Great for interiors but exterior trim not so much.
 
I used an early version of Armour-All when it first came out in the late 70`s (Yes, I am old(er)) to replace using Pledge furniture polish (REALLY??!) on vinyl. That formula discolored a white headliner in a Triumph , turning into a milky yellow hue , almost like a smoker was in the car. The formula has been changed so it will no longer do that. Used it, though, by the gallon. It was OK on dark-colored vinyl.

I`ve been using Aerospace 303 after I read about it in this forum. It`s expensive, but I like it`s not-so-shiny gloss on vinyl. Yes, I do apply it to leather that`s coated, but I prefer NO protectant on leather; just a thorough cleaning.

I agree about Meg`s Quick Interior Detailer being inexpensive, with minor cleaner, no gloss, and some UV protection, and the smell is, well, antiseptic-clean (Yes, I do wipe coated leather down with QID). I use it between full interior details on my car (full being Megs D101 APC brush scrubbing/wipe-down and 303 application).
 
ShaneB said:
Really a pointless question to ask. I personally like the Blackfire interior protectant. I also have a bottle of 303 that I haven`t tried on an interior yet (worked great on a vinyl convertible top). Before that I was using DP (now mckees 37). Comes down to what you need/want. I switched to blackfire because I got a hell of a deal on a sale for a gallon that I was able to get at over 50% off.
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Well I really didn`t want to say what I was going to use it on, because I wanted the broad spectrum of answers. Its for my vinyl seating in my pontoon boat. Looks like 303 is what I want. However, I wanted the answers for auto detailing as well, so I just didn`t mention the boat. I really don`t think its a pointless question, for two reasons. 1, the armor all is clearly not the way to go. Its been far outstripped by things that don`t seem to do any harm to the interior over time. 2. The answer could actually be proven, through scientific testing, also new technology does become available.

Accumulator said:
IIRC, Scottwax (where is he these days?) still uses Armor All.

I inherited a jug of it and I`m using it up on the tires of the daily-drivers. Seems OK. No, I`m not saying it`s as good as something pricier (still prefer my previous-version Z16 on the tires of the good cars), but for this application I have no complaints other than not liking the every-wash reapplication.

I never understood the great love for 303. Bought it, tried it, found it OK but nothing special. Never did use it all up (and it was only the whatever-size spray bottle).

I`ve, uhm...accumulated...gallons of Tire Slime from Griot`s and Pinnacle and still have a few bottles of the old Z16, so I`m probably well-stocked for the next few years. Might go with the non-slip version of DuraGloss next time, but we`ll see.
Click to expand...

Do you have a favorite, for the various situations? Perhaps something for dashboards, something for vinyl, something for the door panels and back seat plastics and trim... etc etc. So I`d like to hear your answer on that, and I`d also like to hear which one you`d pick if you had to do a cloth-seat interior, with only one product. IE, one product for the dash, door panels, rear plastics, center console, everything.
 
There`s a detailer, I don`t know his name but he uses AA on tires after a full paint correction/coating applied, and does this on expensive rides. For the life of me, I don`t understand why when there are so many other options that are more durable. If I paid a detailer and found he was dressing my tires with AA, I would be disappointed. If I was ever caught dressing tires with AA on a paid detail, I would be embarrassed as if I was trying to cheat the customer.
 
Great table!

[TABLE="class: cms_table_grid"]
[TR]
[TD]Exterior Black Trim
[/TD]
[TD]Chemical Guys - Liquid Extreme Shine / CarPro - Dlux
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Faded Exterior Black Trim
[/TD]
[TD]Chemical Guys - Liquid Extreme Shine
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tires
[/TD]
[TD]Optimum - Opti-Bond Tire Gel / Chemical Guys - Liquid Extreme Shine
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Interior Dressing
[/TD]
[TD]303 Aerospace - Protectant
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Interior Maintainer
[/TD]
[TD]Meguiar`s - D149 Quik Interior Detailer
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Car Shampoo
[/TD]
[TD]Meguiar`s - D110 Hyper Wash
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Wheel Cleaner
[/TD]
[TD]CarPro - Iron-X + Stoners - Tarminator
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leather Cleaner
[/TD]
[TD]Leatherique - Prestine Clean Leather Cleaner
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leather Conditioner
[/TD]
[TD]Leatherique - Rejuvenator Oil (if needed, most leather is sealed)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Glass Cleaner
[/TD]
[TD]Stoners - Invisible Glass / Bon Ami - Glass Cleaner
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
You guys think there is really much difference aside from the level of shine in the water based dressing market?

How many different ways do you think a milky white dressing can be made?

They all behave exactly the same, when it rains they wash off. So why is one better then the other?
 
JBM said:
You guys think there is really much difference aside from the level of shine in the water based dressing market?

How many different ways do you think a milky white dressing can be made?

They all behave exactly the same, when it rains they wash off. So why is one better then the other?
Click to expand...

Well if we were talking specific conditioners, yes. There could be a big difference. The chemicals for protecting, slightly restoring, and generally uplifting vinyl could different than what is needed to do the same thing, to a dashboard. Then again, depending on what plastics the automaker used on the dash, perhaps not. We all know different chemicals do different things so it makes sense to get the one that best fits your application. I was just wondering if there as another (but much better) armorAll out there. Something that had a UV barrier in it and would make interiors look good for a week or two.

But I`m admitted noob to detailing, I`ve got a lot to learn yet.
 
bennylava said:
Well if we were talking specific conditioners, yes. There could be a big difference. The chemicals for protecting, slightly restoring, and generally uplifting vinyl could different than what is needed to do the same thing, to a dashboard. Then again, depending on what plastics the automaker used on the dash, perhaps not. We all know different chemicals do different things so it makes sense to get the one that best fits your application. I was just wondering if there as another (but much better) armorAll out there. Something that had a UV barrier in it and would make interiors look good for a week or two.

But I`m admitted noob to detailing, I`ve got a lot to learn yet.
Click to expand...

I wasnt directing my comment to you, or anyone in particular. Was more of a thinking out loud statement. Me personally , I really dont think there is any UV protection that companies are putting in a bottle that will absorb UV rays from the sun, for the interior. At least not the way it is marketed.

And if there is, I mean, Armor All is a billion dollar brand right, if there was some sort of UV they could put in a bottle im sure they would, its not like AA is a generic dollar store brand. They have a few bucks and a following.

For fun I read all the backs of the bottle of spray car wax and none of them mentioned UV protection, except I think Lucas Mist whatever it was. And that was probably b.s. right. But I read all the bottles of the interior products and all of them (that I could read withgout my reading glasses) mention UV protection. IT was there in bullet points, bolded letters ect.

So we can put UV protection for the interior but not the paint? I dunno, I think its b.s.,

Either UV is real on the interior water based products and everyone uses the same crap, or there is really no UV protection aside from slathering something on the interior and when it evaporates or whatever its about done.

There are differences in products though, for me a better product will go on without a hassle, smell good, leave a look I like, but im not using one or the other because of the quality of its UV absorbers, which no company has ever quantified, ever.
 
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