Good Armor-All Alternatives?

[Andrew280SEL]

I suppose this would apply to both W116 and W107, but I had to choose one subforum so anyway.

I was just wondering, what substance would you guys recommend for cleaning and shining up interiors?

For instance, I've usually always used "Armor-All" which seemed to do well, the interiors stay nice and have that bright "new" look for months and it's supposed to protect from the sun.

BUT, OzBenzhead on the .org months ago highly recommended to NEVER use Armor All on these interiors. Not sure why exactly (as in, what the stuff contains that's bad), but he swears that it will do no good.

So what do you guys reckon?

 

[Michel]

Andrew,

Is it leather? or MB-Tex?

For Leather, I would use a leather softening and nourrishing product (plenty on the market), but NOT Armorall.

For MB-Tex, you could simply wash it with a mild detergent to keep it clean.

Armorall's reputaton is that it tends to give you a great shine , but it helps to 'dry out' leather, vinyls, etc...

 

[Andrew280SEL]

Hi Michel, both my cars are MB-Tex.

I'm usually mostly concerned with the dash and the moulds on the doors, as thats where the sun will mostly hit I guess. I probably should concentrate on the seats on the 350 though, as they aren't covered with Sheep Skins like the 280.

 

[116Benz]

I've never been a big fam of Armour All, it's oil based which cooks the vinyl and causes it to dry out. Mothers Preserves and back to black have been the top 2 for me. Back to black is good for engine bays, preserves is good for dash tops, door trims etc. From memory MB use them and Meguiars as OEM suppliers. It also depends on how much you want to spend. For the tex interior I bought Mothers Convertible Top Cleaner, diluted it in a bucket and then attacked with a scrubbing brush and towel.

 

[BenzBoy]

Swissvax.
Regards,
BenzBoy,

 

[Styria]

Hi Andrew, I guess this is one of the situations where you could say 'you're damned if you do. or you're damned if you don't". I don't really have the answer, but have decided a long time ago not to use Armor All on the interior primarily on account of what has been written on forums over the years. When I had Rover 3 litre Coupes, I would use Armor All on the door trims. Over a period of time, the stitching would fray, but I am certainly in no position to claim that it was as a result of using Armor All.

With both of my cars, I have leather upholstery, so normally I use Gee-Y on that. It seems okay, if you know what I mean, although Saddle Soap seems to be a good and safe cleaning agent.

As far as the door trims are concerned, again Saddle Soap and an application of Mister Sheen cleaner appears to be okay, but I may well be going down the Armor All path by using that product.

Swissvax, the product that Benzboy recommends, is supposed to be the absolute best, but pricey. In addition, I have not yet seen it on the shelves of any stores that I patronize. So, take your pick - it is not an easy one. Regards, Styria

 

[Andrew280SEL]

Thanks guys.

I'll take the suggestions into account.

I think I'll see if I can find Swissvax and go from there.

 

[BenzBoy]

Swissvax is hideoulsy expensive to buy but goes a very long way. Google the name for a supplier. Alternatively use the Meguiars no-shine product. Much easier to find.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[116Benz]

I can help with a swissvax supplier, try www.waxit.com.au, Dave and his wife are big car enthusiasts, also good friends.

 

[Andrew280SEL]

Thanks for that 116Benz.


It's now Bookmarked for quick access!

 

[116Benz]

No worries, Dave is a great guy. I plan to get the cars detailed there when theres some spare cash in the piggy bank.

 

[Styria]

Hi 116 Benz, thanks for that link. I am going to purchase the leather conditioner just to see how well it works. As far as you know, is Pinnackle the same product as Swissvax ? Regards, Styria

 

[OzBenzHead]

Andrew: I use petroleum jelly - also branded as Vaseline.

Best stuff I've ever found for preserving dash pads.

Just be sure to rub it in thoroughly and to wipe off any sticky residue straight away - otherwise it becomes a dust trap.

 

[BenzBoy]

Hi 116 Benz, thanks for that link. I am going to purchase the leather conditioner just to see how well it works. As far as you know, is Pinnackle the same product as Swissvax ? Regards, Styria

\

No Styria. No. It may be similar in some regards.
It is not the same.
It will take 6 months of feeding dry leather with Swissvax before the leather is good again.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Andrew280SEL]

Andrew: I use petroleum jelly - also branded as Vaseline.

Best stuff I've ever found for preserving dash pads.

Just be sure to rub it in thoroughly and to wipe off any sticky residue straight away - otherwise it becomes a dust trap.

Wow...such a reletively simple product works so well?

Thanks OBH, that will be worth trying on my dash

 

[116Benz]

Hi 116 Benz, thanks for that link. I am going to purchase the leather conditioner just to see how well it works. As far as you know, is Pinnackle the same product as Swissvax ? Regards, Styria

I'll be honest Styria, I dont know. I do want to get some Poorboys for the Mazda, red is probably the worst colour to keep looking good, but he's worth every penny. I daresay the SE will get the same treatment as well. Considering my cleaning regement was all Meguiars and Zymol with some Mothers for good measure, lately because of water restrictions it's not been easy.

 

[Styria]

Hi BenzBoy and 116 Benz, thanks for the feedback - it's really appreciated. It's so easy to sometimes pay inflated prices for many products purely on packaging (!) and also brand name without really knowing how good a product is likely to work.

A detailer friend of mine put the proper perspective on paint protection for new cars which is an option quite frequently exercised by new car buyers at a cost of about $250.00.

All it consists of is basically just an industrial type of polish (and I will find out the name of the product) which takes no more than half an hour to put on and costs practically nothing. So, it is a pretty good money spinner.

OBH - I will try that petroleum jelly (vaseline). Thanks everyone. Regards, Styria

 

[116Benz]

I worked in dealership aftermarket sales for about 4 yrs (it paid for the TE, and then some).

The big money spinner was what was known as a 5 way & tint (paint, rust, fabric, vinyl/leather, underbody & T35 window tint) sold for a recommended price of $1995.00. Sounds good? It was, it was cheap...to the customer. If the dealership did all the stuff in house, they "bought" it for a grand total of $700 (including tint), the rest was pure mark up. The catch, was with the warranty, they were lifetime if you kept the inspections up every year, if you didnt, there was no coverage. The inspection cost varied between dealership, I normally arranged for the 1st inspection to be free. From there on it was $33 p.a and that included any touch ups and a car wash. The best one I heard was when I was at a sales meeting in Sydney there was a "ming mole" there saying that she rust proofed every Mercedes she sold, each rust pack alone was $800 per car, the cost on that was $300.

Like anything, theres good and bad TBH yes there was a few products that I would recommend, and some I wouldnt touch with a 40ft barge pole. Paint protection is one of them, a connoisseur would find the time to do it him/herself and would normally use a recognised brand.

 

[Michel]

I worked in dealership aftermarket sales for about 4 yrs (it paid for the TE, and then some).

The big money spinner was what was known as a 5 way & tint (paint, rust, fabric, vinyl/leather, underbody & T35 window tint) sold for a recommended price of $1995.00. Sounds good? It was, it was cheap...to the customer. If the dealership did all the stuff in house, they "bought" it for a grand total of $700 (including tint), the rest was pure mark up. The catch, was with the warranty, they were lifetime if you kept the inspections up every year, if you didnt, there was no coverage. The inspection cost varied between dealership, I normally arranged for the 1st inspection to be free. From there on it was $33 p.a and that included any touch ups and a car wash. The best one I heard was when I was at a sales meeting in Sydney there was a "ming mole" there saying that she rust proofed every Mercedes she sold, each rust pack alone was $800 per car, the cost on that was $300.

Like anything, theres good and bad TBH yes there was a few products that I would recommend, and some I wouldnt touch with a 40ft barge pole. Paint protection is one of them, a connoisseur would find the time to do it him/herself and would normally use a recognised brand.

We had the same stuff when I used to work for a certain Ford dealership in Southern Sydney. It was all a rip-off package..... How sad...

 

[BenzBoy]

A good discussion here - I wonder what goes into waxes and cleaners etc and often wonder if the expensive is better that the cheaper stuff.
I am very happy with Meguiars' professional range for removing swirls and polishing etc - eg: Fine Cut - Show Car Glaze 7 - Yellow Wax 26 - Final Inspection etc. So long as it is a part of their professional range or comes in a beige bottle I will use it. The newer stuff I avoid like the plague as I have had bad experiences with it. Their interior cleaner in a red bottle will strip the colour out of Connely Hides but is good on carpet.
I now use mainly Leatherique and Swissvax. Yes, Swissvax costs about $290 per jar of wax but having used it for over twelve months on four cars I have worked out the cost per car to be about $7 to $8 not including the pre-wax treatment which is essential. Thus it is competitive.
For the genuine leather smell I use a secret leather treatment - so secret I have no idea who makes it - I just buy a small bottle of unlabelled cream from an ex R-R detailer and use it as the final finish to the leather and it smells like a new car. If I ever find out who makes it I will let you all know cos it smells right.
Petroleum jelly is the old recommended treatment for door rubbers too but not for the newer latex type that need a water soluble oil such as KY. Now please no jokes here - I am dead serious!!
Professional glazes abound. I took a lady friend to buy a new car and we nailed down a reasonable deal. She blew it by telling me later that the salesman had rung after I left to advise her to get the paint protection pack for $1500 (this week only). She bought it although I had specifically told the salesman that it was NOT required. See how some salemen give themselves a bad name?
Now, who knows anything about the liquid glass treatment that was all the rage a few months ago?
Regards,
BenzBoy