Not to start a fight...but....Armour All the dash? :-)

[Doogie]

OK, I belong to several Car Clubs and I'v learned not to ask a few things. Such as "What kind of oil should I use?", and "Has anybody used this vendor?"

I've even seen lotsa mention about what Dash cleaning product should I use turn into a shooting-match.

Having typed that, What Dashboard Cleaning Product should I use?

#3589 has a perfect dash, not a crack in her since she was stored indoors and under blankets for 25 years, but she definitly is ready for some loving. I want to clean the dash, and apply a protectant, but what? I've heard bad things about Armour-All, but have also seen lotsa commercials that say otherwise.

My seats are long gone, hard as Granite, (even after a full can of NeatsFoot oil, I still managed to poke my finger through one of them) so I'll replace them, but would love to save / protect the binnacle and the dash. Should I get a dash pad/carpet? (I think I should).

What do you use?

Doogie

[Mike C.]

I NEVER use armor all on my D's dash. I always used 303 Aerospace Protectant. lots of stories of D's dashes cracking after armor all

[sdg3205]

I hate that stuff. I just use swifter to get the dust off then warm soap and water to clean.

I used to love armour all but came to dislike the oil slick and the way it trapped more dirt and dust.

[AirmanPika]

Yea, I think there are some cleaners out there that are better suited to vinyl anyway and make for a good protectant, preventing it from drying out and cracking. Armour All seems to have the opposite effect over time. Not exactly sure why unless the chemicals used help accelerate the dryout.

[Michael]

I try not to use any "greasy" protectant on the dash for a number of reasons. First I have read the the Armour All brand actually hurts in the long run by slowly breaking down the material/softening it and causing premature cracking. I am not sure about that but that is what I have read more than once, but just about any solvent based protectant will do the same thing. The oils make the dash shiny and can cause a bad glare on your front windscreen and as the sun hits the dash....so all you see is the top of your dash and not what's in front of you. Finally it bakes the compounds in the dressing on the inside of your windscreen making it hazy.(No problem to wipe off, just a nuisance really) All that is really needed is a good non greasy, non solvent based protectant every once in a while. I usually wipe mine down with a moist chammois and maybe a light spritz of UV vinyl protectant...not dressing, protectant.

[Shep]

Just to add to the consensus, Armor All seems to cause cracking on vinyl. I'm not sure why, but I have read story after story after story of guys who used Armor All religiously, and couldn't figure out why their dashboards were cracking so bad, even though before they started using Armor All, they had years and years of no cracking, no wear, and no tear. I honestly don't know what the hell is in that stuff, but obviously they haven't done their homework with their own product

Bottom line: avoid Armor All. I personally wet a paper towel with warm water, just wipe on and use a dry paper towel to wipe off. If you want to clean it, and water isn't working, use soap. I've only done this once or twice, but when I do use soap, I use normal hand soap. The thick stuff, not the antibacterial crap. Dish soap may or may not work better, but I personally haven't tried it since it is a stronger detergent and it's untested waters for me.

[Mark D]

If it's in good shape I'd be hesitant to do anything to it at all in fear of "upsetting the balance" that has kept it in good shape so far. Who knows what other other treatments may have been used in the past. Mixing between different chemicals can make things worse.... I'd dust it off and wipe down with a damp rag and that's it. Even 303 aerospace protectant can cause damage. The previous owner of my car always used this finish 2001 stuff to shine up the interior. I should have just left it alone but tried using 303 on the dash instead. The first hot sunny day rolled around and my test spot I tried turned a nice brown color. I haven't done a thing to the rest of the car in 5 years and the only brown spot I have is my own dumb fault.

Unless you are absolutely positive that nothing else has been applied in the past there's no good way to know for sure how introducing new chemicals will react. Just my 2 cents

[jawn101]

I also like a good old fashioned damp lint-free cloth. The (stock) dash isn't leather or anything that can really be re-moisturized. If it's cracking it's cracking. If it's not, it's probably best to lay off the chemicals and stick to plain old water.

[Shep]

If it's in good shape I'd be hesitant to do anything to it at all in fear of "upsetting the balance" that has kept it in good shape so far.

Bingo, this is my philosophy as well. You never know how long it's going to last without any treatments, and there are plenty of D's around with the original, uncracked dashboard to show that they can last over 30 years. Mine sat in the Vegas heat for about a decade, so much so that the passenger A-pilliar warped under the heat. The previous owner used duct tape to reattach it, but the backing came off due to heat issues as well, so it became very visible. Yet there isn't a single crack in any of the vinyl, whether dashboard, binnacle, or glovebox cover. It's pretty much flawless, and as far as I can tell, it is the original, untouched vinyl. If mine's lasted 30 years in Las Vegas heat, who knows how much longer it'll last like this.

And even if it does crack and I have to get it replaced soon, the cost to recover the vinyl is well worth the 30+ year lifespan. Not worth the time or effort to use anything to protect it in my book, especially since it's mostly unknown if these products reduce or extend the vinyl's lifespan.

[Morpheus]

My first D, 4205, had a perfect black dash and binnacle. I kept it that way by using a dash mat for normal driving/use, and only removed it for judged shows. I cleaned it with Mother's cleaning wipes. AFAIK, it's still in good condish.