Car Cleaning Questions

[flop170]

2 questions......

1) i can't figure out what will clean the hard plastic part of the dash.... armorall sp? works on some of the dash, but the other part everything i've tried smears.... it's very frustrating.... any ideas?

2) is there a trick to cleaning around the lugnuts when you're cleaning the wheels?

...while i'm at it.... i also have a crack in my bumper right in the inside corner under my headlight that was there when i bought it.... and i want to prevent it from cracking more..... some kind of glue i can use?

thanks!

[Cory]

1) Don't use Armorall for your dash!! It doesn't do will in direct sunlight and can cause your dash to wear even faster. I use Meguiar's Interior Detailer, which is safe even on electronics.

2) For the wheels I just spray some wheel cleaner into the lug-holes and then pressure-wash it out. Works fine for me, but then again I wash my car twice a week.

[smooth1]

2 questions......

1) i can't figure out what will clean the hard plastic part of the dash.... armorall sp? works on some of the dash, but the other part everything i've tried smears.... it's very frustrating.... any ideas?

2) is there a trick to cleaning around the lugnuts when you're cleaning the wheels?

...while i'm at it.... i also have a crack in my bumper right in the inside corner under my headlight that was there when i bought it.... and i want to prevent it from cracking more..... some kind of glue i can use?

thanks!

For the hard plactic parts I use Novus #1 plastic clean & shine. Works great for clear and colored plastics. For the dash itself I have been using Armour All's new ultra gel. It's not to shiney like I think some of the others are, and seems to work great. Iv'e noticed that the material for the passenger side air bag is more like a rubber and the rest of the dash is a carbon vinyl. So if you put sort of a heavy coat on the dash and give it a few minutes to settle and dry, I go over it again with a clean microfibre and it makes it a nice mellow lustre that lasts for weeks. For cleaning around the lug nuts (when I used to have lug nuts on my car), I use these foam sponge things on a wooden stick. They worked really well for getting in there where you can't get your fingers.

As for the cracked bumper, you'll have to post a pic so I can see it.

[smooth1]

What's up with Armour all cory?

[flop170]

As for the cracked bumper, you'll have to post a pic so I can see it.

i'll post a pic later today when my fiancee gets here with the camera

[flop170]

yo smooth here's the crack picture.... and yes yes i know it's dirty as sin.... but ran into a gnat shower last night... and i half !Removed! wiped them off...and i haven't had a chance to do it right yet... :P ....you can hardly even see the crack in person unless you get right up on it... but for some reason this picture makes it look worse than it is.... i just figured i'd try to fix where it wouldn't crack anymore

[smooth1]

well, yeah, that little crack really sucks. Do you know how that happened?

I would at first try using a 2 part epoxy. Use some masking tape and cover the painted area first. then mix the epoxy and fill it in. I would try and reach up behind the bumper and push that piece out and with your other hand push it in at the same time to make it fit in there as tight as possible. Then I would use another piece of tape to hold it in place until the epoxy dries.

Once it dries, peel the tape off and see if you can live with it. ( I would try if I were you. Metallic paint is very hard to match anytime you have to drag a brush on it.) But if you want to fix it more, then I would use the Lexus touch up paint and pour some into a small cap or cup, and then with an artist paint brush, make a sieres of dots along the crack. Don't stroke the brush on it. Then leave it to dry. When you come back you'll see the paint sunk in to the crack, so do the small dot thing a few times until it fills the cracks. It should be small enouph that nobody would ever notice unless you told them about it.

[Cory]

What's up with Armour all cory?

Until a few years ago, ArmorAll was horrible for plastic and vinyl because it had chemicals in it that would suck the moisture out, causing your colors to fade and the plastic to crack. There's debate now as to whether or not the problems have been solved, but I still refuse to use it on my car due to negative experiences. I know it was still causing problems as of 4-5 years ago, I don't know about the current formula.

[smooth1]

What's up with Armour all cory?

Until a few years ago, ArmorAll was horrible for plastic and vinyl because it had chemicals in it that would suck the moisture out, causing your colors to fade and the plastic to crack. There's debate now as to whether or not the problems have been solved, but I still refuse to use it on my car due to negative experiences. I know it was still causing problems as of 4-5 years ago, I don't know about the current formula.

Well, if you go back far enouph, your right in that they didn't incorperate the use of a quality UV protectant. So by using any of the dash or vinyl care products was actually like rubbing yourself down in baby oil and deep frying yourself under the sun at the beach. As UVA and UVB inhibitors have gotten significantly better over the years, so has the level of protection in just about all the dash protectants out there today. In the beginning the theory was to keep moisture in the material would help stop it from cracking. They all have learned that doesn't work. I don't know if you have noticed or not, but most of the products now don't feel like WD-40 on your dash anymore. Remember those days? Now they actually dry, and leave a touchable surface behind. So, they all are getting better. I think it's all about personal brand preference and how much gloss you like.Some products put a super high gloss on your dash, and then there is "natural finish", and semi gloss, etc.etc.

[bartkat]

I use Lexol vinyl and rubber dressing on mine. It comes in a kit with the leather cleaner and conditioners.

[03' IS 300]

lexol works for me too. I use the leather cleaner and the conditioner. Not to fond of armorall. I bought mine at the dealership.

I use Lexol vinyl and rubber dressing on mine. It comes in a kit with the leather cleaner and conditioners.

[whulu42]

2 questions......

1) i can't figure out what will clean the hard plastic part of the dash.... armorall sp? works on some of the dash, but the other part everything i've tried smears.... it's very frustrating.... any ideas?

2) is there a trick to cleaning around the lugnuts when you're cleaning the wheels?

...while i'm at it.... i also have a crack in my bumper right in the inside corner under my headlight that was there when i bought it.... and i want to prevent it from cracking more..... some kind of glue i can use?

thanks!

http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

This is a great step by step series on how to wash and detail your car-inside and out. Gets into the chemistry of the products and application thereof. As a brand new IS 300 owner I haven't found a better comprehensive guide. They push their specialty brand of products, but also include

major brands like Meguires etc.

[smooth1]

Thanks bro.

[whulu42]

Thanks bro.

Hey Smooth,

Glad I could be of help.

You were the first person to respond to me about a month and a half ago when

I was first starting to look at buying an IS 300. You responded to several of my questions/needs; appreciate brother.

Hope you're well and enjoying.

Now if I could just get 22+mpg while driving 'sporty style'...

[smooth1]

You can wack the throttle open on this and still get about 45 mpg. !!! LOL

Hope you're well and enjoying.

Doing well, and impatiently waiting on the rest of my parts to come in for my project on my car. I have a thread ( Modifying an IS 300, Chronicles of a Dream Ride), if you want to see what that's about.

You were the first person to respond to me about a month and a half ago when

I was first starting to look at buying an IS 300. You responded to several of my questions/needs; appreciate brother.

I just like to help if I can. I'm just glad you got a good IS 300!!!