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Date:         Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:23:03 -0800
Reply-To:     Doug F <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Doug F <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Subject:      Re: Speaking of dashes...is "Armor All" destructive to vinyl?
Comments: To: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

This is an interesting topic. There are many views out there and its difficult to really know what is going on without being a chemist.

The idea that the military has given up on WD-40 is also interesting to me. I feel that WD-40 is mostly a slovent. it is so thin that it almost evaporates after application. I no longer use it as an oil for items I want lubed for any length of time. I have switched to LPS lube which I believe is use in the aviation industry in place of WD-40.

I gave up on Armor all years ago after I felt it was not doing long term good on my rubber and vinyl items on my sport bikes. it seems to brown rubber and vinyl in the hot California sun for me. I use Lexol's vinyl protectant and I use the turtle wax stuff it seems better. I have heard that that the molecules or silicone are not naturally good for paint, rubber, or vinyl Most "protectants" seem to have silicone in them however.

You can use mineral spirits or simple paint thinner or perhaps diesel even if you want to try to restore natural oils to petrol made plastics with some simple good results.

Detergents seem to strip the natural oils of plastics. Silicones seem to create a barrier that is supposed to protect from UV and drying out. The are greasy and you often found the inside of your windshield covered in muck from the armor all that was applied to your dash after it sits in the sun for any length. That pretty much turned me off the stuff.

The Lexol stuff for plastic and vinyl does seem to offer a much less greasy finish and still seems to go the wet look that the other products offer. I found the lexol stuff through the porsche care care products. I would NEVER use a silicone based product on leather. I think that is a very bad move.

Most of the new car finishes will not absorb much if they are catalyzed and clear coated. whatever you put on is just kind of on the outside not really bonded to the finish, despite what the claims are.

----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Fisher" <refisher@MCHSI.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:27 AM Subject: Re: Speaking of dashes...is "Armor All" destructive to vinyl?

> I was told once that Armor All would accelerate the process of the oils in > upholstery wicking/evaporating if you applied it and then stopped using it. > Supposedly if you kept using it you would be ok. I have no way to know if > any of this is true, but I've heard several anecdotes like yours so who > knows? I agree that a thick layer of grime is probably the best dash > protection. : ) > I read in Consumer Reports or someplace like that many years ago that STP > made the most effective upholstery treatment at that time. > > On another note, I was also told by a DCman while I was in the Navy that > they were no longer allowed to use WD-40 in their preventive maintenance, in > that the Navy had done extensive tests and determined that the WD-40 was the > cause for a number of repeated instances of premature failure of various > kinds of machinery. Again, I don't have any way of knowing if it's true that > it is harmful in that way but ever since then I've always thought of that > whenever I see a can. > > Cya, > Robert > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <JordanVw@AOL.COM> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:02 AM > Subject: Re: Speaking of dashes...is "Armor All" destructive to vinyl? > > > > In a message dated 2/9/06 11:40:57 AM Eastern Standard Time, > > dshowers@CPDS.NET writes: > > > > > >> Also, has anyone removed the padding bar from the sheet metal of the dash > >> and replaced it with something else? My "friend" did me a "favor" and > >> put > >> armor all on it and it is now crap. > >> > >> > > > > yes, there is just dead space under there, so if you carefully drilled 2 > > holes with a big hole cutting bit on a drill, then you could maybe slide > > some PVC > > pipe inserts down in there to house cups. > > > > ps, what did the Armor All do to the dash?? > > > > i had my dash in my Audi crack after years of armor all use. my mom, who > > never cleaned her dash, never had a problem, and her Audi sat ungaraged > > for > > years in the elements. > > > > is armor all destructive to vinyl?? > > > > ps, i have nice brown or black dashpads if anyone needs them..no cracks.. > > chris


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