Rep Power: 267

Is there a cheap way to coat the inside of the car after you've cleaned it off with soapy water? Is there a simple formula I can make? If not, what products are good? I've read on here that armor-all is bad, but I don't know why.

I tried coating my dash with carnauba wax, and fun things did not happen. Now I've got white inside the cracks on the dash material and it's a bitch to even out even with a brush. Sigh... -_-

 
Rep Power: 813

i use black magic interior protectant. i like it because it actually protects the plastic and only stays shiny for couple days before going back to stock. shiny dash FTL, esp in the sun.

 
Rep Power: 238

Oh man, that must have been a mess with the wax! Definitely stay away from that! You probably didn't do any damage, other then having to clean it all up!

When I detail, I use Turtle Wax F21 (Neon Green bottle). It's a little weird, in that it smells pretty strong and is REALLY shiny at first, but it lasts for a very long time. I use it in conjunction with Blue Coral Upholstery Cleaner (Make sure it says WITH odor eliminator, w/o smells bad), which makes the combination of smells actually quite nice : ). The upholstery cleaner smells amazing, haha.

Some people don't like Armor All because it has silicon in it..they say that if you don't re-apply normally, it will cause premature cracking and drying out. F21 also uses silicon, and I think Black Magic might also...But I've never had any issues.

If you're looking for a low luster shine, wipe it all down with a clean microfiber after you put it on, or try Mother Interior Protectant. It's way expensive, but it's a lot less shiny. Microfiber also works if you're having an problems with streaking after you appy it.

Hope that helps!

 
Rep Power: 813

turtle wax was way too shiny for me and yes it lasted forever which i was about to go crazy from sun glare. i use it alot on the outside trims and stuff tho. the black magic sucks for everything except the dash.

 
Rep Power: 238

Yeah, it's pretty shiny...it works well on a lot of dashes that don't like to take protectant though. 7th gen's have a pretty shiny dash, so it gets pretty crazy. Wiping with a towel really helps that initial glare. And yeah...B.M. sucks for a lot of things...their wax is awful to get off. I use their tire foam though...goes on nicely and the excess wipes off without leaving a greasy residue.

BTW gear, the retro looks sick...I hadn't see it since you did it a second time around.

 
Rep Power: 813

the oem retro you mean? yeah im really happy with it this time. but yeah have you tried 3m performance finish (wax)? its the best wax ive ever used and it also shines up the black trim pieces between the outside doors. beads water better than anything ive tried and lasts long time. its silicone based and pure synthetic. for inside i dont recommend putting anything on the panels other than the dash. when it rains the water will mess up the door panels and anything else that gets wet.

heres closeup of the retro. i also have white reverse pnp led 3w cree xre in the works (well its done, im waiting on backordered drivers so i can hook it up.

 
Rep Power: 267

Well I tried it on the streering wheel first and it wasn't to bad so I covered half the top of the dash, but it was so not a good idea. I cleaned it off with simple green and a brush.

Other than that, thanks for all the info. I've got to do those headlights as well, they have become yellowish which looks like crap and decreases night visibility. Is that in a DIY somewhere gearbox?

 
Rep Power: 813

if headlight isnt too bad, you can get away with using meguiars plastx and skipping the wet sanding.

 
Rep Power: 238

I haven't tired that...Maybe I'll give it a shot next time I need some more wax...thanks for the tip! And yeah, I meant the OEM Retro. I had a TSX retro in my eBay projectors when I had my 01 Civic...just this past summer I moved them over into my Integra. Having a bracket made for projectors already made it much easier, hah! Not to mention, no worries attention from police since it looks completely stock. Anyway...sorry for the threadjack Cleft, I'm getting way off topic.

For the headlights, Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish does a pretty good job at getting rid of minor yellowing. I have to do my Integra ever couple months to keep it clear, but it works well. Just did it today actually Worst case, you need to wetsand (I'd do 600 & 1000 at least, maybe higher also), hit with rubbing compound or the Mothers stuff, and then plastic polish.

 
Rep Power: 813

once you get it looking good, use wolfgang clear plastic sealer every few months to protect the finish.

 
Rep Power: 0

Best protectant is to hide it from UV rays. Those dressings do nothing but cause the vinyl to dry out prematurely.

 
Rep Power: 238

The dressings generally have UV resistant finishes. The drying out prematurely argument is constantly argued, and often there is no evidence to show it to be true. Even if it might cause it in the future, just keep dressing on the dash and your good to go.

 
Rep Power: 813

isnt the dash plastic? i know black magic has uv block and plastic restoring chemicals to keep the plastic "soft"

 
Rep Power: 238

Yeah I think it's either a plastic or a vinyl...not sure. I really don't think that whole drying out argument holds water.

 
Rep Power: 813

well my car is almost 7 yrs old, with most of that time sitting out in the sun all day. dash doesnt have any cracks and i used to use alot of stuff on the dash, but in the last few years ive been getting lazy. nothing happened either way. the airbag cover is discolored but thats cause its a separate piece and prolly cheaper plastic.

 
Rep Power: 257

when i wash the inside of my car i use murphy's oil soap. It smells so clean, it cleans the interior and leaves it shiny and protected. Also great on leather seats but i dont use it since it makes them too slippery unless im going to a show.

 
Rep Power: 267

Mine is 12 years old and the dash probably hasn't been protected in any way, and certainly not by me, but it's in perfect condition with no signs of wearing. And this is from a car that has been in LA for 9 years of its life. In fact the whole inside looks like-new minus a few cigarette burns on the mats and one on the back seat. Dash is vynel I guess but I could have sworn that it was something else that Honda invented. It's stiff but spongy.

I also cleaned out my mats which I do once or twice a year. My dad has a power washer and I can soap and scrub them up and then when I need to rinse I can get out all the dirt and soap with that powerful jet. Back when I bought the car, I had to take out the front seats and remove the carpet. I cleaned that with the power washer too and it's in perfect condition now.

 
Rep Power: 813

my dash is hard plastic. i think they switched sometime cause i know older models had the puffy dash you could push on and it was soft. speaking of which, the 92 accord has the soft dash and its in perfect shape still, only used protectant on it maybe 4 times its whole life.

 
Rep Power: 292

I started using black magic a couple of weeks ago and I think I am pleased with it. Only downside is that now I get to clean the inside of my windshield more due to the plasticizer fogging the window up. Whats the best way to get the fogginess off? Newspaper and windex?

 
Rep Power: 813

i just use a dry cloth to wipe it off, but i get that all the time tho not from using black magic.