Dashboard Polish - Is it worth ?

filcord · 23rd March 2006, 22:27

I use Armor-All Vynil and leather restorer. It's excellent, has kept my Suzuki 18-year-old bike's taillights and blinker lenses in near new condition. My cars have not been kept so long, but they benefit too.
I use it on all plastic surfaces, after cleaning with a soft toothbrush and mild soap - about four times a year. Try it to believe it.

hot_rod · 23rd March 2006, 23:51

i use turtle wax its great stuff!makes the dash and all other parts shine but it needs alittle buff!

revvhed · 1st April 2006, 14:28

i agree with filcord .. Armor All ROCKS .. i have tried dozens of diferent polishes and cleaners over the years and from personal experience Armor All is the best .. apart from this Sonax Cockpit Spray / Dashboard Polish is pretty good .. but after trying almost everything there is i still go back to good old Armor All .. nothing cleans and polishes like it .. believe me try it and u'll never regret it .. moreover if u've never polished ur dash before Armor All will make it look like new .. if it's really badly faded u might need 2 or 3 applications .. but it will work .. i've done some pretty amazing restorations with it

elf · 2nd April 2006, 03:17

ArmorAll Low Gloss is the one I've been using for years.

Get the car interior cleaned professionally & then do this yourself with a clean, lint-free cloth (instructions are on the bottle). You can use it for all the vinyl surfaces & it has a great feel to it as well, working as an excellent dust repellant.

The reason I suggest the Low Gloss version is because with our sunlight, dashboard reflection off the windshield is a serious problem - I nearly ran over a buncha little old ladies when I used the regular ArmorAll about 12 years ago.

Ciao!

cheap_deal · 2nd April 2006, 13:30

i use armorall protectant wipes, they come in a box like those wet tissues(fresh ones???) leaves a nice shine and lasts for about 2 weeks.

wolfinstein · 18th July 2006, 22:29

Well, For years the only Vinyl Polish used on my lancer was the one the showroom applies after washing- Something made locally, Smells like Spirit..is clear and pretty nice...The shine just about last a week or more..I really would like to know what that is and will buy it for use...But the cleaners don't share the info, they say that their contractor brings it..and I can never get to meet the Damn Contractor...Any One knows what it could be and where can one source it...!

shrivz · 18th July 2006, 22:46

Ok here's what should ideally be done (atleast thats what I think is the best way out)..

1. Clean all your plastic panels with mild soap water
(a little warm)
this gets rid of all the dirt and grime on your dash and panles

2. Wipe off till its absolutely dry..

3. I would then advise that you use STP son of a gun!! its the best, another option is The Eagle F1 protectant.. its good but STP's better, and moreover Eagle F1's more expensive.. you can also use either of the above to give a shine to your tires after washing them.. that surely gives ur car a 'fresh' look...

cheers!
Shrivz..

aZa · 19th July 2006, 00:57

I use eagle1 and yes its expensive !!!! but works

mail4ajo · 19th July 2006, 01:45

One problem, I have faced is that I get the glare of the dashboard on my windscreen when I move through low lit places. This is because of the extra shine on the plastic. How do I remove this??

shrivz · 19th July 2006, 09:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

One problem, I have faced is that I get the glare of the dashboard on my windscreen when I move through low lit places. This is because of the extra shine on the plastic. How do I remove this??

I too faced this problem, so here's the solution...
Take a moist cloth and gently rub over the freshly polished surface under your windscreen, then wait untill its completely dry and wipe again with a dry cloth, this will reduce the shine...

cheers!
Shrivz...

wolfinstein · 19th July 2006, 22:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfinstein

Well, For years the only Vinyl Polish used on my lancer was the one the showroom applies after washing- Something made locally, Smells like Spirit..is clear and pretty nice...The shine just about last a week or more..I really would like to know what that is and will buy it for use...But the cleaners don't share the info, they say that their contractor brings it..and I can never get to meet the Damn Contractor...Any One knows what it could be and where can one source it...!

Could Anyone Find it out, what is it that service centers use...!

shrivz · 20th July 2006, 00:00

@wolfenstein: The only info i've got from my service center guys is that they use a fibre polish available at local hardware stores...

devrajman · 7th July 2009, 16:41

How can we get the dashboard blackened. Few cars have dash grey in color.

Its more of a shiney/jet black finish for dashboard with out any painting as its fiber.

I came across Forever Black - Bumper & Trim product.

Do we have anything in India?

Raccoon · 7th July 2009, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2L8uLoose

IMO, NONE. Just take a dampish cloth and keep wiping down your dash.. thats the best thing you can do..

There is just no way you will get the same results by just wiping with a dampish cloth!

I haven't tried many dashboard polishes. Currently I use the Forumla 1 product ment for that purpose. Best thing is that it leaves a really nice citrus frangrance which lingers for few days. My Esteem's dash looks like new even after so many years. When using a dashboard polish, its good to ensure that it prevents against UV fading. This is the main reason for fading.

Besides F1, I recently tried Waxpol's dash polish on my bike's plastic parts and console. The results are also quite good... leaves the surface looking rather "rich". however, strangely, Waxpol mentions that its product is only for indoor use. I'm not sure what they mean by that... as a car's dash will definitely be exposed to sunlight... if not water. There is no mention of UV protection either... hence I'd prefer F1.

The MASS also uses some dash polish at the time of servicing. Given that Maruti has its own brand for this (MGP or whatever), I'm guessing that this is what they might be using. Whatever it is, I'd rate it as farily ok. But not comparable to F1. Has anybody used Maruti's stuff?

Would love to try Turtle next time... but cannot source it. :(

Armour All I'd not like to touch again, as I found their Wax & Plolish product (liquid) to be pretty unsatisfactory in spite of being quite expensive.

tsk13 · 7th July 2009, 20:57

The service guys use Diesel in it's original form or mixed for shining your dashboard as the smell is like a petroleum product.

And Waxpol's Leather and Vinyl polish is a really good stuff for door beadings, Outer rear view mirrors and other plastic products etc. It gives a good shine.

23rd March 2006, 22:27	#16
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 996 Thanked: 67 Times	I use Armor-All Vynil and leather restorer. It's excellent, has kept my Suzuki 18-year-old bike's taillights and blinker lenses in near new condition. My cars have not been kept so long, but they benefit too. I use it on all plastic surfaces, after cleaning with a soft toothbrush and mild soap - about four times a year. Try it to believe it.
	() Thanks

23rd March 2006, 23:51	#17
hot_rod BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 166 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	i use turtle wax its great stuff!makes the dash and all other parts shine but it needs alittle buff!
	() Thanks

1st April 2006, 14:28	#18
revvhed BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 184 Thanked: 30 Times	Armor All Rules i agree with filcord .. Armor All ROCKS .. i have tried dozens of diferent polishes and cleaners over the years and from personal experience Armor All is the best .. apart from this Sonax Cockpit Spray / Dashboard Polish is pretty good .. but after trying almost everything there is i still go back to good old Armor All .. nothing cleans and polishes like it .. believe me try it and u'll never regret it .. moreover if u've never polished ur dash before Armor All will make it look like new .. if it's really badly faded u might need 2 or 3 applications .. but it will work .. i've done some pretty amazing restorations with it
	() Thanks

2nd April 2006, 03:17	#19
elf BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,039 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	ArmorAll Low Gloss. ArmorAll Low Gloss is the one I've been using for years. Get the car interior cleaned professionally & then do this yourself with a clean, lint-free cloth (instructions are on the bottle). You can use it for all the vinyl surfaces & it has a great feel to it as well, working as an excellent dust repellant. The reason I suggest the Low Gloss version is because with our sunlight, dashboard reflection off the windshield is a serious problem - I nearly ran over a buncha little old ladies when I used the regular ArmorAll about 12 years ago. Ciao!
	() Thanks

2nd April 2006, 13:30	#20
cheap_deal BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: unknown Posts: 465 Thanked: 8 Times	i use armorall protectant wipes, they come in a box like those wet tissues(fresh ones???) leaves a nice shine and lasts for about 2 weeks.
	() Thanks

18th July 2006, 22:29	#21
wolfinstein BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 994 Thanked: 20 Times	Well, For years the only Vinyl Polish used on my lancer was the one the showroom applies after washing- Something made locally, Smells like Spirit..is clear and pretty nice...The shine just about last a week or more..I really would like to know what that is and will buy it for use...But the cleaners don't share the info, they say that their contractor brings it..and I can never get to meet the Damn Contractor...Any One knows what it could be and where can one source it...!
	() Thanks

18th July 2006, 22:46	#22
shrivz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pune, MH12 Posts: 604 Thanked: 96 Times View My Garage	Ok here's what should ideally be done (atleast thats what I think is the best way out).. 1. Clean all your plastic panels with mild soap water (a little warm) this gets rid of all the dirt and grime on your dash and panles 2. Wipe off till its absolutely dry.. 3. I would then advise that you use STP son of a gun!! its the best, another option is The Eagle F1 protectant.. its good but STP's better, and moreover Eagle F1's more expensive.. you can also use either of the above to give a shine to your tires after washing them.. that surely gives ur car a 'fresh' look... cheers! Shrivz..
	() Thanks

19th July 2006, 00:57	#23
aZa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Noida / Delhi Posts: 1,595 Thanked: 21 Times View My Garage	I use eagle1 and yes its expensive !!!! but works
	() Thanks

19th July 2006, 01:45	#24
mail4ajo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 1,957 Thanked: 330 Times View My Garage	One problem, I have faced is that I get the glare of the dashboard on my windscreen when I move through low lit places. This is because of the extra shine on the plastic. How do I remove this??
	() Thanks

20th July 2006, 00:00	#27
shrivz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pune, MH12 Posts: 604 Thanked: 96 Times View My Garage	@wolfenstein: The only info i've got from my service center guys is that they use a fibre polish available at local hardware stores...
	() Thanks

7th July 2009, 16:41	#28
devrajman BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 505 Thanked: 118 Times View My Garage	Black Dashboard How can we get the dashboard blackened. Few cars have dash grey in color. Its more of a shiney/jet black finish for dashboard with out any painting as its fiber. I came across Forever Black - Bumper & Trim product. Do we have anything in India?
	() Thanks

7th July 2009, 20:57	#30
tsk13 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,256 Thanked: 361 Times	The service guys use Diesel in it's original form or mixed for shining your dashboard as the smell is like a petroleum product. And Waxpol's Leather and Vinyl polish is a really good stuff for door beadings, Outer rear view mirrors and other plastic products etc. It gives a good shine.
	() Thanks

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