Lexol Vinylex

Summary Best OTC for Vinyl (November 3, 2009)

Reviewer's Comments

This is my go to for the interior plastic and vinyl. Plenty of good things to say: Makes car smell like new, good job of cleaning, great finish, not to greasy, not to dry. Does a good job of repelling dust. Plastic and vinyl feel natural and look better than new after applying. Good satin finish.

Others, not that there are many: not very water resistant, rain will spot the treated surface, but easily buffed out with a dry microfiber. This makes sense since it is water based, and not silicone. A little on the expensive side at 10 bucks a bottle, but worth the price.

Great product, made my 5 year old interior look, feel, and smell like new again! Maybe better!

Summary I reccomend this! (January 10, 2009)

Reviewer's Comments

Very good product! This stuff seems to last forever. I used it on an interior that is always in direct sunlight and there is still alot of protection left. I also like the finish, its not too shiny and not too greasy. This is an all around great product!

Summary Nice Finish! (November 8, 2007)

Reviewer's Comments

I have used Meguiar's vinyl dressing and protectant wipes in the past on my graphite colored interior and was never quite satisfied. Either too greasy or did not seem to last too long. I prefer a bit of "shine" to the interior. Not matte, but not wet and greasy looking.

I have one particular spot where the seat belt buckle will sometimes hit the door panel when the door is shut and the plastic is somewhat "roughed up". With previous dressings I can bring back the gloss, but only temporarily. That area always looks dry again within a few days. I decided to give this a shot since it was sitting unused in my girlfriend's basement, go figure!

Instructions, application, packaging, fragarance are all very good and straight forward. What most impressed me was the finish and so far the durability. Since the easy application the finish has remained with the bit of shine that I like, but has become a bit more muted. This tells me my protection is still there and it looks great too. To top it off, the "roughed up" spot has seemed to disappear. There is no greasy feeling, funky smell and it is not attracting dust. Bonus!

This stuff is not only protecting and conditioning the plastics, it is looking good doing it. They look better than new after two years. I am anxious to try 303 Aero, but not until I finish this bottle. This is great stuff if you like your interior to have more than just a matte finish.

Summary My go-to for interiors (January 8, 2006)

Reviewer's Comments

This is my go-to interior dressing for vinyl and plastic. When customers want a semi-gloss look, this is what I apply. Easy to use and worth the price...not much else to say.

Summary Really great product (February 20, 2005)

Reviewer's Comments

I used Vynlex on my 92 Jetta for the first time and I really think it looks great. Some people say it's too shiny, but I think my black interior has a nice rich satin sheen to it. Not shiny, but not dull looking either. But man the stuff do stink. I thought it smelled like cat pee when I first sprayed it. But overall I am very impressed with the results.

Additional comment: After polishing and waxing last weekend with 1ZPP and GW I had some white stains on my black trim. The Vynlex took care of that problem in short order. Really nice product and I think I'm used to the smell.

Summary Decent Product (February 20, 2005)

Reviewer's Comments

The main thing I like about this product is that it can serve several roles. When I didn't want to use my 303, I used Vinylex for my everyday protectant.

On tires, the product does pretty well. I like the matte finish and it does last pretty long. But don't expect it to last as long as products with a higher silicone content (e.g. Meguiar's Endurance). However, the main thing I like about this product is that it doesn't sling onto the paint finish and is mainly water based.

On interiors, I am pleased because it leaves a matte finish. It does not have that oiliness that many other protectants will leave behind. I am also impressed with the fact that it's got almost as high a UV rating as 303.

All in all, I still say it's a good product if you are looking for a protectant that can fill multiple roles.

Summary Smell makes me high (January 30, 2005)

Reviewer's Comments

I actually like the smell of the stuff, it does smell loke new plastic, almost like a new car. Strong? Nah, it just needs to be stronger.

I don't like anything shiny, like armorall. This product is also a little shiny, but not as bad a armorall.

Application is very easy, just spray it on a piece of cloth, and wipe it onto the dash and stuff. Do not spray directly onto the dash though, it goes everywhere. I know there's a wipe version of it, haven't tried it, but should make things much easier.

Summary Love the new car smell! (January 22, 2005)

Reviewer's Comments

Lexol Vinylex is one of the more underappreciated items in my detailing arsenal. With all the new products out there to try, sometimes it is not used as frequently as I would like to use it. Everytime I come back to it, however, there is no need to remind myself as to why it has been and will always be my favorite product.

Vinylex offers a nice finish that is not too dry nor too greasy. Upon application, it can appear to be somewhat shiny, but a good buffing with a microfiber towel absorbs the excess product and leaves a rich matte finish that can be described as "factory fresh". About an hour after application, the cabin of the car is filled with a pleasing "new car" smell that lasts for days and is not overpowering at all.

Durability is quite excellent, also. I can apply it to my dash and not have to worry about reapplying until at least a month and a half to two months later. It also is very good at repelling dust. It has been nearly two weeks since I last applied and there is very little dust on the surface.

For local availability, Vinylex is a superb product. You can find it for about eight dollars and change at most auto parts stores in your area. With the look and durability Vinylex offers, it makes a welcome appearance in any detailer's arsenal.

Summary The Lexol of vinyl (January 12, 2005)

Reviewer's Comments

This is a nice product that does what it says, like Lexol products. It has some cleaning ability for sure, and leaves nice non-greasy protection behind (once you buff it). It does leave a lot of gloss, though. It's not fakey/shiny looking, but it make things darker and glossier. The darkening looks very rich, though.

It has a sort of weird smell, almost like that smell of new plastic. It isn't offensive, and isn't strong, but it's not a great smell. It does smell clean, though.

All in all a quality product that you can probably find locally. It's not cheap, but then it doesn't perform like a cheap product.

Summary SO-SO (July 9, 2004)

Reviewer's Comments

This USED to be my favorite dressing.I owned a 1983 Porsche 911SC and wanted to use something that was recommended by other Porsche enthusiast's.Plus I could buy this locally. Until I found 1Z. I did side by side comparisons with 1z Tiefenpfleger. 1Z won hands down! Not that this vinylex doesn't work, it's just that 1Z does a much better job. Vinylex goes on great, cleans well but doesn't last longer than say a week on exterior trim. It tends to run when it has been rained on. Looses it's water shedding characteristics. On interior pieces it does a great job at keeping its shine (not real shinny) but just a clean look.Dust does attract to it but I haven't found any that doesn't.The spray bottle is good, the smell is pleasant.
Now this is only used on wheelwells and under hood pieces.

Summary Good cleaner; protection? (May 27, 2004)

Reviewer's Comments

Frankly, I don't think that there are many good interior vinyl dressing on the market, and Vinylex is one of the few that I have used and not loathed. I think it smells great (like new vinyl), it wipes on and off easily, and it leaves a clean, even finish -- not at all glossy or greasy, although you could probably get that look if you kept applying it to the surface and buffing it off.
I do think that the manufacturer "lies" in one sense; rather than providing a way of comparing sun protection to other products, Lexol uses a proprietary (read "phoney") measurement of sun protection. I suspect that Vinylex has little or no sun protection, and Lexol does not want this widely known.
In short, I like this product, I have used it exclusively on my vinyl interior trim for several years, but I have recently made the switch to 303 Aerospace Protectant due to the fact that I am much more convinced of its sun protection properties.

Summary Long time favorite (February 9, 2004)

Reviewer's Comments

I used Lexol Vinylex for years until I found Autopia and 303 Aerospace Protectant. After comparing Vinylex with 303, I found the Vinylex, to be to shiny for my taste. Some folks may like this, but I prefer as matte of a finish as I can get.

A quality product, though

Summary Nice sheen, bad smell (April 15, 2003)

Reviewer's Comments

I really like the sheen of Vinylex. However, the smell lingers for a couple of days. Also, the residue takes a little extra buffing to remove. However, the results are worth the effort. All in all, this is a great product!