for those of you who use 303 aerospace protectant, question?

M

MoogieBoogie

New member
I finally bought a PC 7424, along with Menzerna IP/FP2 combo, Klasse AIO/SG combo, and 303 Aerospace Protectant.



I was about to use the advice given on Autopia for cleaning interiors with Woolite and following through with 303 Aerospace protectant. I was informed by someone on a car forum that 303 protectant is not recommended for leather steering wheel because it dries it out prematurely? Any truth to this? I don't see how this is possible if people are using 303 freely on their dashboard surfaces.



Anything else for interiors? Or is a Woolite / 303 combo good enough? I also have Vinylex, but I'm not really happy with the idea that I have to keep wiping it for days after I apply it (too shiny).



As for the rest of the interior, I'm reupholstering the seats with new leather, replacing the carpet with new factory carpet; this way, I have a clean slate to start with: leatherique for the leather surfaces, possibly 303 protectant for the carpet, although I'll probably stick with regular cleaning instead.



Thanks,

-Brian.
 
I don't believe 303 is made for leather application. I used it on my leather-wrapped steering wheel, and it was too slippery for my taste. I'm going to use 1Z Lederpflege on it from now on.
 
i think its going to work fine on coated leather. its not oily but as white95max said it does get a little slippery but after some use theres less slip. try lexol, that stuff is truely made for leather, ALL kinds of leather.
 
I don't have a leather-covered steering wheel (mine is some sort of leather-look vinyl), but I use a water-Woolite mixture (6:1) to clean my interior vinyl. It's a new car, so there's not a whole lot of grime to tackle. I then use 303 based on the posts here, and it works fine - doesn't leave the dash too shiny, and my steering wheel is fine (again, not leather). This last time, I used 303 on one side of the dash and AA on the other, and, honestly, I can't see much of a difference. I'll see how the two sides hold up over the next couple of weeks. If the AA works just as well, then I won't be replacing the 303 after it's gone.
 
303 is fine for leather. It all depends on the look you are after. It is really not much different that some other dressings out there.



I like a matte finish, so I apply with with a semi wet foam applicator and immediatly buff with a dry MF towel.
 
303 protectant works at a molecular level as it is abosorbed in the item it is applied to. Armour All is water based and does not absorb as well and IMHO does not protect as weel. 303 is used in aviation, marine, and automotive applications.
 
303 will work on leather. I use products made just for leather...for my leather. 303 is pretty much used on my dash and trim.
 
It says on the bottle that it can be used on leather. I've used it on my steering wheel without any problems. I recently applied it to my leather rollbar padding. There's not much leather in my car but it's exposed to the sun (convertible, black interior) so I'm very interested in protection and love the way the 303 works on the dash and trim because it's a nice matte finish and not too shiny.
 
par3773 said:
303 protectant works at a molecular level as it is abosorbed in the item it is applied to. Armour All is water based and does not absorb as well and IMHO does not protect as weel. 303 is used in aviation, marine, and automotive applications.
Click to expand...



Hmmm ... I didn't know that 303 works at the molecular level. Where did you find that?



And I actually believe both products are water based. I couldn't find any sort of ingredient list on the bottle or manufacturer's website, but there have been enough posts here about the lack of 303's durability in the rain that it's got to be water based. That's why so many folks here use it strictly for the interior.



Don't get me wrong ... I really like 303 and will continue using it until the bottle is gone. After that, I may try something else. :) And I was pretty surprised AA didn't look all that much different from 303 - could be due to the interior material on the Accord, I don't know, but it's not a night and day difference. And both seem to be repelling the same amount of dust.
 
If you're a fan of silicone drying out your dash, have fun with the armor all. Expect it to crack within a week or so. Please, for the sake of your car, don't use armorall.
 
DanoWatt said:
If you're a fan of silicone drying out your dash, have fun with the armor all. Expect it to crack within a week or so. Please, for the sake of your car, don't use armorall.
Click to expand...



I'm not going to get into a debate about AA, but your post seems a bit harsh. Folks who've posted on this other thread don't raise such concern about AA:



http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53962



And, Scott uses either Megs #40 or AA as an interior vinyl dressing (http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48376 ). If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.



But thanks for your concern ... I'll keep an eye on it!
 
AA is fine.



They reformulated it years ago. Even then, the risk of AA actually doing harm was minor.



It's an urban legend that simply will not die.



As for 303, I mainly use it for excellent UV protection. The fact it's relatively Matte is just a bonus.



AA and 303 could have the same look depending on how you apply it but 303 wins hands down for UV protection.



Paco
 
About 15 years ago I applied AA to the entire interior of my '78 Firebird. The dash, seats and even the rubber floormats, not to mention the trim and tires all got AA applied on them regularly. I owned the car over 5 years and nothing cracked or discolored.



Passengers did complain about sliding off the seats and onto the slippery floormats though. :D



Now my tastes run towards a more natural looking coating so I prefer 303. I have 3 bottles of AA (won it at car shows) so I'll use it to coat the wheelwells after cleaning them.
 
My dad has an 85' Toyota Pickup. He has always used Armor All. I can't find one spot of vinyl that hasn't cracked yet. I don't think that truck has seen a garage once.



My car is a 1990 Mercedes Benz 300se. I've always used 303, the previous owner would just use a wet towel to clean it (the dash) when he needed to. It's still in great condition, no cracks anywhere, no wierd colors. This car was originally purchased in Alabama, and then Southern California around 1995. It's almost always been parked outdoors.



Maybe it's the quality of the material, but as far as I know, vinyl is vinyl.



I suppose there could be a number of factors that could contibute to somebody's outcome. If they garage their car or not, if they use a car cover, windshield cover, whether the windows are tinted or not, geographic location, climate, frequency of cleaning, etc.



Maybe Armor All really isn't all that bad, erosion-wise (nevermind the numerous other negative qualities of it). 303 can usually be found for the same price, or a few dollars more. It does a far better job of protection, isn't messy, and will only leave a shine if you want it to.
 
:nixweiss The Firebird never saw a garage. Sold it at 130k miles and while the headliner was coming down the dash and seats looked OK.



While I personally don't have any bad experiences with AA I stopped using it years ago. The Firebird was the last of my cars to see it. I don't like how shiny/slimy it is. I don't use AA except in my car's wheelwells once in awhile. I highly recommend 303.
 
Armor All definitely gets a bad rap. I have been using it for more years than most on this forum are old, and I have never had any cracks where I used it. But it definitely is not as good as 303 and don't use it on your tires - they will crack because of the petroleum distillites used in AA. I use it on my toneau cover on the truck (8ft bed) and the Rhino Lining in the bed. A lot cheaper than 303, howbeit it doesn't last as long.



Dan
 
Dan makes a good point re: AA & 303. I, too, use the 303 for my interior. As for leather, I always used Lexol ( ph cleaner,conditioner & neatsfoot oil ) with great results. I've aslo used the 1Z products with great results, as well.
 
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