Page 1 of 1
Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 6:47 am
by spoiledred94
I've read in a few places that armorall is not as good at protecting your interior/trim as most think. I saw a you tube of a test car from the 70's that had half the dash treated with Armorall and the other got nothing except a wipe down. The Armorall side was ruptured and looked rotten.
I've been using 303 Aerospace (developed for the space program

) and it cleans and looks great too. The look lasts a long while...It's suppose to nurture the interior materials and actually add to their "qulaity". It's like $15 a pint.
Anybody use this conditioner?
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:18 am
by nos4blood70
I think Will says he likes to use it.
I use stuff I steal from work, love it because it doesn't leave any kind of shine or gloss whatsoever. I hate shine. Don't know what the stuff is, but it looks exactly like pee and smells like lemon and bleach.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:01 am
by crash93ssei
303 is great stuff and one of my favorites. No nasty gloss left behind, no greasy feeling, gives a slightly darker appearance, all around great stuff.
Armor All has a very bad reputation from 20 years ago when they used a petroleum based silicone, a long time ago however, they switched to a water based silicone and it does not dry rot and crack like the old formula did. I wouldn't use it inside due to the slippery greasy feeling and shiny, outside however it is good still for tires and wheel wells.
Little fun fact; I work for Dow Corning, which is the company that actually makes Armor All. We sell the base to them and they basically super dilute it with water and bottle it up to sell.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:23 pm
by mike2fix
Been using 303 for many years, saw it on a detailing forum and tried it.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:45 pm
by gweg_b
I need to look into this 303, as I'm always willing to try new things. I'm currently using something from Detailer's Pro. It's a two step with a cleaner and protectant. It does have a very minor shine to it, and it you rub it well enough into the surface, it doesn't get greasy. A 32 oz. bottle of each stuff has lasted me for years.
Also smells like fake bananas.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 7:53 pm
by nos4blood70
So does it smell like fake bananas in a good way or a bad way? hahaha
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 6:36 am
by spoiledred94
nos4blood70 wrote:I think Will says he likes to use it.
I use stuff I steal from work, love it because it doesn't leave any kind of shine or gloss whatsoever. I hate shine. Don't know what the stuff is, but it looks exactly like pee and smells like lemon and bleach.
Will, really?
do you get a wet look on your dash? Does it just make a new car look?
The thing maybe just using a very light amount and to wipe downf quick.
I've still got armorall around here. I just don't want to use a product with such bad karma
lemon and bleach? That sounds kinda volatile.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 8:05 am
by crash93ssei
Did you even read my reply about armor all?
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 9:24 am
by nos4blood70
It's pretty strong, on some cars it'll strip the dye out of the leather within seconds if you let it sit... BMWs for example. Works fine on GM stuff and Bentleys though. It's called ProFinish Interior Shampoo. It leaves a satiny kind of sheen, no shine. I love it. The smell is actually very good and kills odors as well.
crash93ssei wrote:Did you even read my reply about armor all?
Armor-all is perfectly fine to use if you like shine..... I hate it for a number of reasons. The sun blinds me in the reflections, it feels greasy, and looks kinda ghetto in my mind for some reason.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 10:09 am
by haro1225
I use the Armor all natural finish stuff or Fantastic depending on what I have on hand. I also hate the super high gloss that the original leaves on the dash.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 10:21 am
by 00Beast
I use 303, and I love it. Great stuff, a 16 oz spray bottle has lasted me like 4 years.
Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 5:23 pm
by Backhoe
I've hated AA on seats since I shot myself off the back of my dirtbike when I was a kid.

Re: Armor all Vs. Other protectants
Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 7:55 pm
by spoiledred94
crash93ssei wrote:Did you even read my reply about armor all?
Ryan forgive me. I typed out reply in the middle of the night drinking late. I let the post wait until morning to double check and didn't want to send it.
I still haven't found anything better. I hope you give it a try.