What's the deal with "Armor All"?

I know that a lot of the car washes advertise that they will "Armor
All" your tires.
Then I heard that some car washes use it on your dashboard and other
areas, too.

Then I heard "Don't let them use it on your dashboard, it will cause
it to crack!" Well, if it cracks the dashboard, what does it do to the
tires? And anyway, what is it SUPPOSED to do for these parts? Just
make them shiny, or what? I think I read on the label that it is
supposed to "protect". Yet people say it causes damage.

What is the truth about ArmorAll?

Should I make sure it is not used on my new Honda?

 

they have all different products for interior and tire shine.
Hopefully the car washes are not using the same products for all! I
think armor all tire shine is probably pretty similar to other brands.
as for dashboard, I heard that armor all leaves a residue (that's
supposed to prevent dust from building up), that's why the
instructions say not to spray it on the steering wheel, because it'll
make it more slippery. But I don't like having residues on the car
interior.

 

In at least older Volvos it has been pretty well demonstrated to contribute
to dashboard cracking, with extensive cracking appearing within weeks. Other
cars and probably even newer Volvos don't seem to have that problem, or at
least it isn't well known. Or... it might be an age thing combined with
Armor All.

Personally, I allow it on rubber but not on vinyl, especially not on
dashboards.

Mike

 

In the 1980's, my old Studebaker P/U had a perfect dash and I thought
that this new fangled amorall stuff would keep it that way. Within
months, the dash cover disintegrated and no one has ever reproduced that
unique pattern. I was pissed!

Never used the stuff since...

JT

 

Tire chemistry is complex, but in a nutshell, tires contain UV
protectants, mainly carbon black (which is why tires are black), and
anti-ozonants, mainly hydrocarbon waxes. Ozone, a form of oxygen, is
the great enemy of tires. UV speeds up oxidation/ozonification. So
keep your tires out of the sun if possible. Petroleum distillates
dissolve hydrocarbon waxes and are bad for your tires. Most tire
dressings contain petroleum distillates and should not be used,
especially if you live in a big city swimming in ozone. Michelin, I
believe, makes a tire dressing that not only does not contain
petroleum distillates, but contains UV and anti-ozone protectants.
Not sure about Armor-All but I think it has some kind of UV
protectant.

But having said all that, the treads will probably wear out before
ozone ruins your tires.

 

Stay away from it. If nothing else, the stuff is a dust magnet.

 

i'm convinced that some of the so-called paint protectants are
responsible for peeling clear-coat we see on cars too. best u.v.
protection possible for any car or its componentry is a garage. forget
all this chemical crap.

 

yes, avoid. even if it doesn't ruin your rubber, it makes it slippery,
and you never know when you may need that extra few ounces of traction
in a tight situation.

 

Just having a car port will yield a good degree of protection. A lot of
folks don't realize that it ain't the moisture that comes out of the
sky, it's the moisture that leaves the ground and condenses on every
available piece.

No substitute for a heated closed garage though.

JT

(Who's daily drivere don't have a clue of what a garage is...)

 

Do you mean to say that you have room in your garage for a car? Mine is
full of 4-wheelers, an Argo, a couple of motorcycles, two roll-arounds, a
cherry picker, two engine stands and the air compressor. How do you get your
car in yours? Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

DaveD

 

Simply drive down to the local free clinic and claim that you are a
*victim* of clutterrossis, whine on how your life has been ruined etc.
and perhaps you'll receive a guv'ment grant to remedy your situation
which of course is to buy a bigger piece of property with a minimum of a
40' x 60' building to house all your goodies.

Your Welcome,

JT

 

Hmmm....I've used it for 18 years on an old Corolla I have, with no
cracking or tire dry rot problems.

It IS slippery, aviod on steering wheel. Also, there is better stuff for
tires. Don't use it on the brake or clutch!

I live in Mass. I recently had to have a storm door glass replaced, and
Mass requires Lexan or other Plexi-Glass replacement for safety. The girl
at the counter said, get a Microfiber cloth and Pledge to clean it. Since
then, I have been using Pledge on the plastic in front of the instruments
(Windex ET AL will eventually break the plastic down and cloud it, found
that the HARD way..) and on the dash. Too soon to tell about the cracking,
though...

 

Been there, tried that. They just laughed at me and showed me pictures of
their garages. Sigh!!!

DaveD

 

Just clear clean water does the job.