AutopiaTech
Moderator
Interior care and maintenance is just as important as keeping your paint shiny, tires glossy, and windows streak-free. With recent advancements in UV inhibitors and more companies utilizing water-based formulas, there is no better time than now to keep your dash and other plastic and vinyl interior surfaces protected so they look and feel new for years to come. While there are dozens of different vinyl and rubber protectants available at the Autopia Store, I've narrowed down four of the most talked about and put together a comparison to see how they perform side by side.
From left to right:
- Pinnacle Vinyl & Rubber Protectant
- 303 Aerospace Protectant
- Blackfire Interior Protectant
- Griot's Garage Vinyl and Rubber Dressing
Each protectant was applied using the same type of applicator and buffed off immediately after application. When applying any type of interior protectant I never spray the protectant directly onto the panel. I always spray the protectant directly onto a microfiber applicator and then thoroughly massage the protectant into the surface. This ensures no over spray on glass, radio screens, HVAC controls, or any other surface that you don't want the protectant applied to. Plus, it allows for a more even application of the protectant.
To achieve optimum performance from your protectant of choice, thoroughly clean the surface first. While most interior protectants feature mild cleaners, I've found a dedicated interior cleaner such as Detailer's Pro Series Total Interior Cleaner does a much better job at removing old protectants, dirt, bodily oils, and anything else you can imagine. Detailer's Pro Total Interior Cleaner is one of the most versatile interior cleaners available and it can safely be used on leather, carpet, upholstery, etc.
Just like when applying a protectant, spray the cleaner onto a microfiber towel or applicator to avoid over spray on unintended surfaces.
After a thorough cleaning with DP Total Interior Cleaner I divided the dash into four sections using 3M masking tape.
Each product was applied using its own microfiber applicator to ensure no cross contamination occurred between two products. Each product was then buffed immediately after application using the opposite side of the microfiber applicator.
Below is an example of how much protectant was used for each section. Note the thick viscosity Blackfire Interior Protectant. It was much thicker than the other protectants used.
After applying each product and lightly buffing it, I removed the tape line and took several pictures with both the flash on and off.
Flash ON
Flash OFF
Below are pictures of each respective protectant with the flash OFF.
Pinnacle Vinyl & Rubber Protectant
303 Aerospace Protectant
Griot's Garage Vinyl and Rubber Dressing
Blackfire Interior Protectant
As you can see each protectant has a visible effect on the appearance of the dash. Blackfire Interior Protectant actually darkened the dash quite a bit while Pinnacle, 303 and Griot's all provided a more subtle, natural finish. All four were comparable in terms of ease of use and none of them had any obvious streaking. I found the Pinnacle to apply the thinnest while the 303 required a more heavy application to achieve even coverage. All four dried to the touch immediately after buffing and left no sticky residue behind.
Which one do you think looks best? :inspector:
- Pinnacle Vinyl & Rubber Protectant
- 303 Aerospace Protectant
- Griot's Garage Vinyl and Rubber Dressing
- Blackfire Interior Protectant
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