Lets talk about new Armor All....

R

Redcar GUY

New member
I saw this comment from Scottwax and thought I would start a thread about it..



quote:

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Originally posted by Scottwax





Believe it or not, Armor All is pretty good. My customer with the Lamborghini and Bentley won't let me use anything else. A little more shine than Meguiars #40, but not that greasy look you get from some others. Apparently, they changed the formula a while back because it works a lot better than I remember from years ago. No browning either.

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Now I got some for X mas and it seemed to work pretty good.. I also see that it is on sale at lot of places. At the funeral home I work at they had some and I sprayed it on a damp rag and wiped it on the tires, worked pretty good...Anyone using the "new" stuff? or care to add any comments?:nixweiss
 
I like it, I use it for wheel wells, floormats, plastic rocker trim, low "foot level" trim and most times the tires. The key is not to spray it on and let it dry, thats what gives you the oily "ghetto shine". I spray it on a cloth or directly on the surface and wipe it down. this seems to subdue the shine and prevent some of the oily feel. I still use 303 on eye level trim and dash boards, especially for the UV protection.
 
I've been using it on that guy's cars for about 3 years now. No browning, no cracking, etc. I know when I post pics I do get comments about how nice the tires look and wanting to know what I use.



It is much easier to buy a half gallon of Armor All for $10 at Pep Boys 4 miles from home than drive to my Meguiars distributer that is 20 miles away and pay $24 for a gallon of #40-especially in light of very similar results.
 
I also am one to use armorall on wheel wells... it seems to be one of the best things I can find to get a truly "dark/deep black" look in there with a moderate ammount of shine. I also use their "low gloss" stuff on my electronic equipment in my home theater, etc. because its cheap and it keeps the dust from collecting quite as fast.



has anyone else tried their "armorall sponges"?? Albeit they're kinda expensive at $1.00 a piece, I find them easier to work with when dressing tires or working in the wheel wells (previously I would just spray on a shop rag for this and rub it in.)



edit: I personally would still not use it on the dash simply because it leaves the surfaces too glossy and makes too much glare on the windshield. And RCG for your instance I especially wouldn't put it on top of the dash, I have a neighbor with a 99 Z28 who swears by the stuff but I can't stand the glare he gets because of the angles of the windshield and dash combined with the dash being black.. also makes the car feel alot hotter inside.



edit 2: I dunno if any of you visit sam's clubs or costco frequently, but they sometimes have the galon jugs of armorall for $6-7. rather cheap when bought in bulk (I just transfer it into one of the old armorall sprayer bottles I have lying around.)
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:




edit: I personally would still not use it on the dash simply because it leaves the surfaces too glossy and makes too much glare on the windshield. And RCG for your instance I especially wouldn't put it on top of the dash, I have a neighbor with a 99 Z28 who swears by the stuff but I can't stand the glare he gets because of the angles of the windshield and dash combined with the dash being black.. also makes the car feel alot hotter inside.
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just a FYI, I dont use anything on the dash of the SS, the glare is unreal, I may use a little Z16 now and then, but I buff it out real good..
 
It may be off base but you guys should try Turtle Wax formula 2001 foaming wheel cleaner. It's been my new rim cleaner for 6 months now.



Seems like these "lesser" brands are coming up with decent products while keeping their prices the same.

:up
 
Redcar GUY said:
just a FYI, I dont use anything on the dash of the SS, the glare is unreal, I may use a little Z16 now and then, but I buff it out real good..
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I would love to use protectant on my dash, I love the way it looks after I use some Dawn soapy water to clean the plastic really well but it attracts SO much lint it's just not really worth it. I can't maintain the lint, it is horrible. I wish they had a protectant that would "repel" lint :rolleyes: but I guess the lint attraction is part of the down side. :down
 
I'll admit that I've been using Armor All for a few years. I use it on the wheel wells and the side trim on my Integra. I've used it on a dash or two in the past too. I always told people that it wasn't bad for their cars still because the formula had changed. Some people still won't use it. These are the same people who think that paint still needs to breathe... :p I've never seen any side effects of using it. I've always been very happy.



PS... I have a black dash and totally understand the glare issues. I've also got polarized sunglasses to help out with that though. I would highly recommend them to anyone who hasn't used them. It cuts even the worst windshield glare down to ZERO. I just use those swiffer towels that I picked up last year. They last forever. They pick up all the dust and since they are dry, they don't leave any wet shiney stuff behind. Very good investment if you can get your hands on some.
 
I experimentally bought a bottle of the (discontinued???) Low-Gloss version of Armor All and compared it to 303 by applying it to 1/2 my dash. It seems a bit runnier and smells like almonds rather than sweat (or whatever people say it smells like :p), but other than that there's not much to report. I couldn't tell much, if any appearance difference between the AA and 303 when it was newly applied or as it wore. :nixweiss



It's 1/2 the price of 303 though...



I haven't written a review for AA Low Gloss though, because I've only used it once. I've been neglecting my interior lately and haven't used any protectant since fall....



Another thing about recent Armor All products is that they all do seem to be water based PDMS (except the clear ultra-gloss version of course). Out of curiousity I opened up some bottles and both regular and low-gloss AA were milky white liquids with no trace of solvent odor. I've long since stopped bugging my friends about using AA on their cars.
 
I've got some AA standard protectant and it is horribly slimy and greasy to use on the dash.



Seemed to work alright on the exterior trim though, only being slightly glossier than 303.



It is the same milky white appearance as 303, but 303 has a neautral smell whereas AA has a slightly 'funny' smell to it.



Like others here, I only use AA on the wheel wells now.



303 on the trim

AA on the wells

Megs Natural shine in the engine bay



I intend to try out the Megs stuff on the tyres this weekend (normally use TW extreme gel or Megs HG Endurance).



:xyxthumbs
 
Armour All is old school........ Just use the 303 or Vinylex.......



303 and Vinylex are the best out there. Vinylex has bit more gloss. Also, can't forget Z16-good stuff too and I would rank it 3rd. All have proven UV properties......



Do the right thing fellas.
 
When I used to live in my apartment, I shared a garage with a guy who had a completely modified Mustang. His tires always looked fantastic. He said that he put several bottles of Armor-All in a pan, and let it sit for a while. The water would evaporate and he put the gooey paste that was left behind on his tires. They weren't real shiny. Just brand new looking.



Another dude that parks in my deck at work has a truck that never has one speck of dust on it. His tires have also looked brand new for the last year or so. He uses "lots of Armor All".
 
Ray said:
Armour All is old school........ Just use the 303 or Vinylex.......



303 and Vinylex are the best out there. Vinylex has bit more gloss. Also, can't forget Z16-good stuff too and I would rank it 3rd. All have proven UV properties......



Do the right thing fellas.
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Old school doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it, especially if the formula has changed. Wouldn't that classify it as new school? I think we've already had the "best out there" discussion so i wont touch on that. As far as UV properties, how are they proven? The only evidence i have seen either way was what CharlesW posted. Those results demonstrated(prove is such a strong word) one thing - the UV protection was minimal at best. Just my thoughts.
 
Ray said:
Armour All is old school........ Just use the 303 or Vinylex.......



303 and Vinylex are the best out there. Vinylex has bit more gloss. Also, can't forget Z16-good stuff too and I would rank it 3rd. All have proven UV properties......



Do the right thing fellas.
Click to expand...



:rolleyes: I wouldn't be using Armor All on Bentleys, Lamborghinis or S Class Mercedes if I didn't have the utmost confidence in it. The formula has changed (along with the safety data sheet) and it works great.
 
$2 off per bottle. Just an FYI to everyone. I might try 303 if it is truly less glossy than Vinlex.
 
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