95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

Armor All = No bueno?

Old Jul 1, 2004 | 05:33 AM
  #21  
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"Armor-All is kinda like Rogaine. It works quite well but once you start using it, you cannot stop or else you're ˟˟˟˟˟˟ed."
I couldn't more. AA is junk. Go check out the post about it on Autopia. I used it on my Runner years ago before I knew it was bad. Could never figure out why my tires were always brown. It is the only vehicle I have had that got a crack in the dashboard.

Many tires foams that are solvent based will also turn tires brown (which AA is). I use the STP Son of a Gun brand tire foam and it's been fine. I came to this conclusion when I left a can of STP and AA tire foam in the car one night it went below freezing. The STP can froze solid while the AA can didn't. The STP must be water based.

From what I remember from Autopia is that there was a AA product that was OK. It was the low gloss protectant. This stuff smells different from the regular AA. I still have a large bottle of this stuff and only use it to spray the underside of my Runner in winter. Its not going on the vinyl just incase.

Vinylex and 303 seem to be considered the best.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 05:52 AM
  #22  
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for tires I use just a pressure washer to clean off the grit and dirt and brake dust, then the no touch wet look spray. looks awesome
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 06:12 AM
  #23  
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What about WD-40?
Anyone try it on their Tires?
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 06:21 AM
  #24  
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I use mud, and lots of it
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 06:30 AM
  #25  
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WD-40 is great for cleaning Rubber door seals.

Plain old H2O is all that ever goes on my dash or anything plastic/Vinyl.

Of course, regular old saddle soap for the leather.

The trick to making tires look good - is cleaning the crap out of them with a brush, Soap and Hi-Pressure Water. If you want to make them shine rub on some mineral oil then rub off the excess.

I'm old school detailer and don't use any of the other crap unless I'm about to sell a vehicle. Then, it's anything goes.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 10:44 AM
  #26  
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You want to use MEGUIAR'S "HIGH GLOSS" Endurance.

This stuff is awesome and lasts WEEKS! Even throught the rain!





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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 10:47 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by toy283
Like I said on a similar post over at Pirate:
"Armor-All is kinda like Rogaine. It works quite well but once you start using it, you cannot stop or else you're ˟˟˟˟˟˟ed."
Bingo - you hit the nail on the head, so to speak.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 10:48 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Jason B
You want to use MEGUIAR'S "HIGH GLOSS" Endurance.

This stuff is awesome and lasts WEEKS! Even throught the rain!
It does work very well... but is a royal PITA to apply if your tires have a lot of "texture"... raise lettering, aggressive sidewalls, etc.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 11:01 AM
  #29  
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why, what form does it come in? is it like a paste or something? if its a fluid, i cant imagine it being very hard.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 11:04 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by lee
why, what form does it come in? is it like a paste or something? if its a fluid, i cant imagine it being very hard.
It's a gel that you put on with a spongy applicator thing. I find that it gobs up in some places (corners of treadwall and such).
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 11:08 AM
  #31  
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I've used AA for years now on my truck and other cars also never had a problem with it but It does'nt last very long and takes too long to dry so I switched to Black Magic it looks good and last long.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 11:36 AM
  #32  
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sun causes most damage on interior plastic. get a sun visor and clean the parts with soap and water or occasionally dust it off. This worked for me for years. and ditto with JasonB on Meguire's endurance tire gel. they last far more longer than anything else i've tried.

Last edited by 2001Millrunner; Jul 1, 2004 at 11:37 AM.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 11:48 AM
  #33  
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Has anyone ever used or heard of Red Lion by Chromate? I use their Insta-shine, Insta-clean and quick clean products on my truck. No complaints
It does come with an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)
http://www.chromate.com/MSDS%20-%20A...%20Listing.htm
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 11:52 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Pretacopower
Yeah someone recommended that I use something called "Black Magic" for my tires....anyone heard of it?
Yes, Black Magic works well. They have both a spray bottle (for vinyl/plastic) and a "tire wet" that comes in an aerosol can. Be careful where you put it in your interior - it is very slippery.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 12:11 PM
  #35  
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Wesleys Bleach White!!!!!!

I would HIGHLY recommend buying some Wesley’s Bleach White even if you don’t have white letters or white wall tires. As soon as you spray it on the rubber it pulls all of the brown crap out of the rubber and removes all of the build up from the tire dressings. I swear by the stuff and I am sure you will to once you try it!!!! You spray it on and wait a minute then hit them with water, even if your tires look clean the brown residue and dirt will pour out of the rubber, just don’t use it on a clean driveway or a cement drive because there will be a lot of crap coming out of your rubber trust me!!!!!! then you can apply a fresh coat of wet tire or tire black or what ever product you use, I personally don’t like the shiny tire look. try the stuff out and lets see how you like it! Matt
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 03:41 PM
  #36  
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AA looks shiney because it puts silicone on the surface, but robs the surface of moisture, thus cracking it.

VERY OFF TOPIC BUT... That is also the reason that you should not use a silicone baised leather cleaner. Megeaurs (however it is spelled) and coach are great leather cleaners. The AA leather cleaner is terrible for leather almost as bad as the other stuff is bad for vinyl and rubber.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 05:37 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Ilovemountains
I would HIGHLY recommend buying some Wesley’s Bleach White even if you don’t have white letters or white wall tires.
I use that afer I first scrub the tires with a brush and Ajax.
The stuff is great.

Then the Hi GLoss Endurance goes on after the rig is wiped down.

I also spray the Wesley's on the mud flaps.
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Old Jul 1, 2004 | 07:27 PM
  #38  
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Armor All contains mostly silicon, and it will draw out the solvent in plastic making it more brittle. When I did bodywork this crap was NOT allowed in the body shop. Mostly because it would contaminate the paint. Meguires makes a great plastic/vinyl cleaner its also called No. #40 if my memory is correct.
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Old Jul 21, 2006 | 08:07 PM
  #39  
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From: USA-PA
Originally Posted by Jason B
You want to use MEGUIAR'S "HIGH GLOSS" Endurance.

This stuff is awesome and lasts WEEKS! Even throught the rain!





Anyone else use this stuff? I still do, cause I love that it lasts WEEKS ad through the rain. Recently, I can't seem to find it now....
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Old Jul 21, 2006 | 09:48 PM
  #40  
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I had occasionally used AA and similar products on my tires over the years, until I got my '98 4Runner. The warranty statement for the oem Dunlop Grand Trek tires it came with explicitly said that use of any tire dressing (it was worded in a manner that clearly conveyed the message that they meant AA) would void the sidewall cracking portion of the warranty.

Needless to say, I no longer use AA or any other dressing on my tires.

Now, in fairness to AA and its emulators, my tires which have never been touched by AA have turned brown. To remove it, I'll occasionally use carb or brake cleaner liberally applied to a rag to wipe down the tires. I don't do this often!

Last edited by khaug; Jul 21, 2006 at 09:51 PM.
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