All,
What do you guys recommend to protect the dash and other interior vinyl surfaces from drying out and cracking? I currently use Lexol on the dash and door panels. I used Armorall on all my interior vinyl surfaces without problems in the past on other vehicles, but never on the XFire.
Armorall doesn't seem to work as well on the XFire and is why I switched to the Lexol....also from prior articles I found here...but wondered if that is what people are still using. Anything new/better?

Opinions? Thoughts?

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Cheers,
KrzyFast

 

Adams's V.R.T works for me.

 

Hello, everybody. Just bought a new 2008 Crossfire. Read the manual and of course, Mopar products were being recommended for everything. Do I need to buy Mopar products or I'll be fine with 'generic' or basic car care products.

Any help with info is appreciated.

 

Welcome aboard! I hate to state the obvious, but it would depend on what products you're talking about. There are some the car is real fussy about like coolant, so if you start substituting generic products you better be damn sure they're the same specs as the ones the book recommends. If you're in warranty you wouldn't want someone to deny a claim based on a Pepboys oil filter they spotted. Figure out what product you want to replace and do a search on the forum for that product, if you still can't find out. Ask a specific question about a specific product. The forum member are glad to help if you've done your due diligence.

 

The best 'protectant' I've found for my interior is tint on the side and back windows, and a sun shade for the windshield.

 

I would never use Armorall on my dash, NEVER. I use a damp cloth every time I wash the car(weekly) and like OKC-XFR said you need to do something about the sunlight...........either tint or I use one of those silver reflectors when I'm parked outside.

 

You cannot go wrong with any of this stuff:

Car Interior Detailing - Griot's Garage

 

I want something that's not shiny. More of a satin finish.

 

If you're getting good results with the Lexol and you like it, then there's probably not a real good reason to change. Interior vinyl dressings are one of those personal choice things and there are many good ones on the market. Some give a high shine, others a low shine or matte look. With any of them, however, you want to apply as evenly as possible and let the product sit for several minutes then come back with a clean, dry towel and give everything a final wipe down to remove any excess product and knock down a bit of the shine.

For a matte finish you might want to try Meguiar's Natural Shine or M40 Professional Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. For a higher gloss finish try Meguiar's Supreme Shine or NXT Generation Tech Protect. The Supreme Shine product will leave a fair bit of gloss without leaving a greasy, oily feel like many gloss products tend to do. And that is where the personal preference part comes into play!

Also, don't be worried about silicones and/or petroleum distillates. As long as you're sticking with a well known and respected product you're fine. Everything mentioned thus far in this thread - Griot's, Adam's, Meguiar's, Lexol - are excellent products and perfectly safe. Others would include Pinnacle, Armor All (yes, even Armor All is perfectly safe) and Mother's.

 

I use Sonus Cockpit Detailer. It's anti-static interior detailer formula, repels dust and is safe for all synthetic materials, including leather, vinyl and plastic.

It's matte finish no greasy or slippery film. It blocks the sun's UV rays for up to 30 days! Made in Italy, good stuff.

Car Interior Detailer, Cleaner & Protectant - Sonus Cockpit Detailer

 

Thank you all for the responses! They were very helpful.
I really appreciate it.

Cheers,
KrzyFast

 

I use Meguiar's Natural Shine. It applies easily, leaves a GREAT looking & not slippery SATIN finish and it even smells pretty dang good (IMHO). I would recommend it to anyone. I used to use ArmorAll's Natural finish stuff (purple bottle), but it actually leaves more of a dry looking finish. It was nice, but I prefer the step up of the Meguiar's. I am also a bit of a Meguiar's addict anymore anyway. Just bought the G110 for the exterior, see how that goes this weekend.