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Old May 25, 2009 | 01:08 PM
  #1  
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sharpshooter
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From: Chalmette, LA
Interior Detailer

I have been wanting to detail my door panels and dashboard but I have always been told not to do that because the chemicals tend to dry out the plastic and eventually cause it to crack. I use Meguiar's products for everything and I have never detailed my doorpanels, etc. except for dusting them off. Is there a detailer offered that won't strip the plastics of a vehicle? Market or commercial? Any feedback is most appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and have a nice day.
 
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Old May 25, 2009 | 04:15 PM
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Meguire's interior protectant should be good, I use Mother's version and Meg should have something in direct competition with it. Armoral and Sonofagun are the bad ones that contain alcohols and petroleum distillates that can dry out the plastic/vinyl.

Basically look for anything that is silicone based and contains no esters and alcohol. ( think those are the bigger problems). It's also nice to find one with a UV filter in too, as sunlight can do as much damage as chemicals. Formula 303 is probably the best, but it doesn't smell great which is why I love my Mother's Protectant.

Since you haven't been on top of it, you will need at a minimum a microfiber cloth, but a tooth brush will make the job a little quicker. The black lines are dirt that will suck up the protectant, spray the protectant, and brush it in so the dirt is kicked out of the grain and wipe it away with a cloth. A microfiber cloth can get in the grain, but it takes more elbow grease to get all the dirt out.
 
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Old May 26, 2009 | 11:27 AM
  #3  
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BAF industries makes an execellent line of interior care products- for trim dressing I use Primeshine- much better quality than meg's- from shine, longevity, etc.- available in both water and solvent based 9but the solvents own't hurt the interior when they are the correct ones!
 
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Old Jun 6, 2009 | 08:53 AM
  #4  
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Originally Posted by ReAX
Meguire's interior protectant should be good, I use Mother's version and Meg should have something in direct competition with it. Armoral and Sonofagun are the bad ones that contain alcohols and petroleum distillates that can dry out the plastic/vinyl.

Basically look for anything that is silicone based and contains no esters and alcohol. ( think those are the bigger problems). It's also nice to find one with a UV filter in too, as sunlight can do as much damage as chemicals. Formula 303 is probably the best, but it doesn't smell great which is why I love my Mother's Protectant.

Since you haven't been on top of it, you will need at a minimum a microfiber cloth, but a tooth brush will make the job a little quicker. The black lines are dirt that will suck up the protectant, spray the protectant, and brush it in so the dirt is kicked out of the grain and wipe it away with a cloth. A microfiber cloth can get in the grain, but it takes more elbow grease to get all the dirt out.
You do NOT want silicone based products. Silicone will dry out plastic/vinyl over time. My tip is to buy a bag of foam paint brushes. They work killer to get into places without making a mess. Also, buy a pack of detailing foam. A dense foam is the holy grail for applying dressings and works much better than cloths or rags do. We carry them from Griot's and they work wonderful.
 
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Old Jun 6, 2009 | 11:05 AM
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From: Central Florida
Do you have a source on the silicone?

http://www.303products.com/tech/pdfs...protectant.pdf
The bottom page of this brochure says to avoid petroleum distillates, which is what I've always heard.

I think I have some old foam brushes, I'll have to give it a try.
 
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Old Jun 6, 2009 | 05:42 PM
  #6  
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From: Portsmouth, VA
Sharpshooter, go with Natural Shine by Meguiars, I swear by the stuff. It's been around for a long time and is more of a lotion then anything else. In one of the old Meguiars detailing videos, Barry Meguiar even recommended using Natural Shine on rubber pipes to extend their life.
 
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Old Jun 8, 2009 | 01:56 PM
  #7  
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Originally Posted by Tomcat7742
Sharpshooter, go with Natural Shine by Meguiars, I swear by the stuff. It's been around for a long time and is more of a lotion then anything else. In one of the old Meguiars detailing videos, Barry Meguiar even recommended using Natural Shine on rubber pipes to extend their life.

Natural shine is a great protectant, but does little to nothing for cleaning ability. You always want to apply dressings and protectants to clean surfaces. For interior cleaning use something like Megs QID or Megs APC diluted 10:1.
 
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