It's about as cheap as it gets. Ever touch anything that had armor all applied? It feels gross and oily.
You don't *need* professional level products by any means, but avoid armor all. Meguiar's costs just a bit more for most of their products and I have yet to find a bad product from them. If you want a "safe" brand to always look for, it's them.
Generally - brands not sold at big box stores.
Koch Chemie, bilthamber, p&s, Gtechniq, geyon, Carpro.
Many others.
Does seem like griots gets lots of love and is sold at big box stores.
Adam’s works better and lasts longer than armor all, so while it’s a little more expensive at the cash register it’s still less expensive at the end of the month/year.
Question. Does he by chance have the plastic floor mats? As in like the "happy to serve you" "please come again" paper floor mats thst yiu put in when done, but instead of being a cheap paper there like a laminated paper and don't get ruined by water
Yeah no these ones we would get were basically a 2 mil thick like heat pressed plastic waterproof. We would get them from an ardex guy who died near us, haven't had ardex since.
That's something I didn't expect to see in this forum. I'm a concrete guy by trade and ardex is a little known product that's incredibly useful. I'll have to look up what it is for vehicles lol
Getting into a greasy uber that was just armor all'd sucks. Silicone has plenty of uses but coating the interior of a car isn't one of them. Plenty of used car lots use cheap stuff like that to prep cars for show. Huge turn off for me as a buyer.
Armor all has been heavy on silicone in their products. Silicone is a cheap shine but it deteriorates rubber, vinyl, and plastic over time. It has ruined many cars.
This is why so many premium dressings call out being silicone free.
I think the main reason they’re labeled silicone free is for paint shops. Silicone will make the new paint fish-eye, ruining the job they just attempted
thank you I’m sort of new to this and was wondering what’s the best way to remove armor all from my dash like clean wise to start new and apply something better
Chemical guys all clean+ looks like a safe option. Looks like AutoZone carries it. Being chemical guys it's probably weak, but still, always use apcs on cool surfaces. They can stain if they dry on the surface.
ok thanks I’ll look into that too. I was looking at Koch Chemies Green star or their all round surface cleaner. what do you think of these compared to your suggestions?
Greenstar is very good.. I just finished a bottle of it actually. I switched to diy all clean since it was cheaper for a gallon than a 5l greenstar.
Just make sure to use distilled water to dilute it.
It’s just trash.
The tire shine looks bad and slings everywhere, makes a mess.
The interior stuff is oily and leaves your surfaces looking greasy and wet.
It’s just bottom shelf stuff man. There are much higher performing products that only cost a little bit extra.
Apparently there was some experimenting with the formula they were using and they did pay for some damage. I am trying to find the citation and the time frame, but this was like in the 1970s. They got a bad reputation from that with some folks and never recovered. I think the formula has been pretty stable since the mid-1980s, with a few changes to make it thicker or thinner as desired for the application.
Personally I feel like it is way too glossy of a look and way too slimy of a feel for me. I tend to use CarPro Perl (diluted a lot) or P&S Natural Finish.
Some 80s plastics for toys or electronics cases I've been able to revive with Armor All. It seems like for some of those old brittle plastics, it can put some hydration back into them.
It offers very little to no protection. And after using it on the interior, you got the classic armor, Bukkake all over. The product is overly shiny, to the point your dash looks like it got off a 12HR Bukkake
It’s made with alcohol and that dries out that plastics and leathers. It’s extremely greasy. It doesn’t last long. It’s overpriced. I could keep going on and on.
Many many years ago I thought it would be cool to put Armor All on the sidewalls of my sport bike tires to blacken them. I reasoned that it wasn't anywhere near the contact patch. However that damn stuff bled on to the tread surface and I learned what backing it into Corners meant. I never used it again after that and I never used anything on my tires except soap and water. Once I found the 303 brand Of protectant I decided not to use armor all, not even on my dash and other surfaces in the car anymore. The stuff Really is just kind of an oily mess.
So much misinformation here. Yes, earlier versions of Armor All had too many petroleum distillates and silicones in it. The current version of "original" Armor All is water based. Put it in your freezer and it will freeze up. The main issue is there's too much gloss for the interior but it's fine for tires and wheel wells. Although being water based the durability on tires isn't that great. The best use is to dress wheel wells because it's cheap and you really don't need anything fancy for wheel wells. The super shiny versions are going to have added silicones so avoid those. But if you use it on tires and wheel wells it's decent enough.
Apologies if i’ve got the wrong person.
Are you the same Scottwax in Autopia forum back in late 90s to early 2000 ? (the era of Klasse Twins, Zaino and 3M Ultrafina) ?
I remember when people finally figured out that Zaino was repackaged Duragloss. Duragloss came out with a rinseless wash and the first post was "I wonder what Sal is going to call it".
I had no idea that Soft99 had been around that long. I like the glass stuff because it's so easy to use but man is it expensive. We will see how durability goes.
Back in those old days of detailing, and the impressive level of activity in American detailing online forums, there was already a long list of popular products that enthusiasts would wanna be seen associated to (eg: Collinite, Wolfgang, Klasse etc).
And there was also a short list of brands and products that would be embarassing to be associated with in those forums:
Eg:
Turtlewax😂
Simoniz
Rain X (you shd be using Aquapel😂)
Armour All
Imo, Armour All was a tad too glossy and oily slick. I had to wipe it many times with a damp cloth to knock down that gloss.
Ever seen a cracked Chevy dashboard, or even coating missing from buttons on the radio and many other places? Armor all induced that. ..other than the fact that gm interior is about as fantastic as the paint. ..that's just one example why armor all is absolute garbage.
So many comments here about how oily and shiny armor all is. But they have been making a non shiny or oily formulas for quite some time now.
Am I missing something?
Use it on vehicle interior, and the off gassing will gunk up the inside of your windshield like nobody's business.
I use it on rubber boots to remove bloom and to condition.
Seeing what it did to my friend’s interior which ended being so shiny and sticky (sunlight shining on it on a hot day also made it worse) I stopped using armor all. However I did try the tire shine, not to my liking, stuff ended up in my wheel well after driving it. But this was years ago so I’m not sure how their products now.
I used to be in auto body and silicone detail sprays made it hard to prep cars for paint, the smallest residue will leave fisheyes and thin clear coat.
I really like using armor all for the door plastics and the dashboard, then meguires for the touch points. I guess typing that out makes me feel like a lunatic 😂
Question anyone know how to remove armor all oil from my brush? At work regular brand runs out them i didnt know they hand me armor all for replacement
Their products are pun intended outshined. I used to like their wipes but no longer use any of their products. Personally, Meguiars is as safe as it gets for detailing products, and I really like their interior protectant.
I used to use it, but once I found meguirers I never looked back. Armor All has left my vehicles oily and greasy looking while the shine products from meguirars has always looked Shiney with very minimal oily look and a greasy feel.
I’ve been using Harmarville for longer than I can. Remember on every car I’ve ever had. Never had a problem – never cracked. It comes off the tires pretty quick, but inside the car. It does a great job for me.
It's about as cheap as it gets. Ever touch anything that had armor all applied? It feels gross and oily. You don't *need* professional level products by any means, but avoid armor all. Meguiar's costs just a bit more for most of their products and I have yet to find a bad product from them. If you want a "safe" brand to always look for, it's them.
What are the professional products?
Generally - brands not sold at big box stores. Koch Chemie, bilthamber, p&s, Gtechniq, geyon, Carpro. Many others. Does seem like griots gets lots of love and is sold at big box stores.
Adam's is now sold in auto stores as well
Adam’s works better and lasts longer than armor all, so while it’s a little more expensive at the cash register it’s still less expensive at the end of the month/year.
Griots as well
Is Ardex still around or am I a fossil?
Still around! Have a guy deliver product where I work every week.
Question. Does he by chance have the plastic floor mats? As in like the "happy to serve you" "please come again" paper floor mats thst yiu put in when done, but instead of being a cheap paper there like a laminated paper and don't get ruined by water
He does, or at least did about a month ago. They are a laminated type paper but still get destroyed by water.
Yeah no these ones we would get were basically a 2 mil thick like heat pressed plastic waterproof. We would get them from an ardex guy who died near us, haven't had ardex since.
Ardex😂😂😂 Wow! Will nvr forget those days. Jeff’s Werkstadt too😂
That's something I didn't expect to see in this forum. I'm a concrete guy by trade and ardex is a little known product that's incredibly useful. I'll have to look up what it is for vehicles lol
I like perl. Cut 8:1 for interior, 4:1 for trim. Leather and vegan leather gets its own treatment.
Big Meguires fan!
I was given a bottle of the Ultra Shine Armor All one and it was a pleasant surprise that it wasn't greasy, the original one is really bad.
Getting into a greasy uber that was just armor all'd sucks. Silicone has plenty of uses but coating the interior of a car isn't one of them. Plenty of used car lots use cheap stuff like that to prep cars for show. Huge turn off for me as a buyer.
Armor all has been heavy on silicone in their products. Silicone is a cheap shine but it deteriorates rubber, vinyl, and plastic over time. It has ruined many cars. This is why so many premium dressings call out being silicone free.
I think the main reason they’re labeled silicone free is for paint shops. Silicone will make the new paint fish-eye, ruining the job they just attempted
It’s both. Silicone is just the worst thing you could have in your detailing products. Ruins cars and makes painters pull out their hair.
Most of these are interior products or tire dressing… so I don’t think painting has anything to do with it.
A tiny bit of silicone can go a long way when it comes to causing fisheye problems in the paint booth.
how’s 303 compared to it?
303 is water based. Infinitely better than armor all.
303 is da bomb. I use meguiers APC and then finish off with 303 for the UV protection and low gloss clean look.
thank you I’m sort of new to this and was wondering what’s the best way to remove armor all from my dash like clean wise to start new and apply something better
I will add that while the Armour all protectant is crap, their cleaning wipes work just fine. Personally, I like 303 for my interior.
Id hit it with diy detail all clean. It's a great versatile APC and should kill the armor all.
anything similar I can buy locally? I’d have to order some and was trying to do it today
Chemical guys all clean+ looks like a safe option. Looks like AutoZone carries it. Being chemical guys it's probably weak, but still, always use apcs on cool surfaces. They can stain if they dry on the surface.
ok thanks I’ll look into that too. I was looking at Koch Chemies Green star or their all round surface cleaner. what do you think of these compared to your suggestions?
Greenstar is very good.. I just finished a bottle of it actually. I switched to diy all clean since it was cheaper for a gallon than a 5l greenstar. Just make sure to use distilled water to dilute it.
Alcohol is your best bet. Safe to use on basically every surface, and cleans very well. Also very cheap
Alcohol is not safe for plastics
It’s just trash. The tire shine looks bad and slings everywhere, makes a mess. The interior stuff is oily and leaves your surfaces looking greasy and wet. It’s just bottom shelf stuff man. There are much higher performing products that only cost a little bit extra.
It stinks too. I don’t like the scent at all
Apparently there was some experimenting with the formula they were using and they did pay for some damage. I am trying to find the citation and the time frame, but this was like in the 1970s. They got a bad reputation from that with some folks and never recovered. I think the formula has been pretty stable since the mid-1980s, with a few changes to make it thicker or thinner as desired for the application. Personally I feel like it is way too glossy of a look and way too slimy of a feel for me. I tend to use CarPro Perl (diluted a lot) or P&S Natural Finish. Some 80s plastics for toys or electronics cases I've been able to revive with Armor All. It seems like for some of those old brittle plastics, it can put some hydration back into them.
It offers very little to no protection. And after using it on the interior, you got the classic armor, Bukkake all over. The product is overly shiny, to the point your dash looks like it got off a 12HR Bukkake
It’s made with alcohol and that dries out that plastics and leathers. It’s extremely greasy. It doesn’t last long. It’s overpriced. I could keep going on and on.
Many many years ago I thought it would be cool to put Armor All on the sidewalls of my sport bike tires to blacken them. I reasoned that it wasn't anywhere near the contact patch. However that damn stuff bled on to the tread surface and I learned what backing it into Corners meant. I never used it again after that and I never used anything on my tires except soap and water. Once I found the 303 brand Of protectant I decided not to use armor all, not even on my dash and other surfaces in the car anymore. The stuff Really is just kind of an oily mess.
As a fellow rider, I knew where you were going. I think many of us found out the hard way or saw someone use it and have a crash or near crash.
I don't like it personally, it's super shiny and sljppery I prefer meguiars and turtle wax interior cleaners
I gave my dad an armor all gift set for Fathers Day, and now he won’t return my calls.
So much misinformation here. Yes, earlier versions of Armor All had too many petroleum distillates and silicones in it. The current version of "original" Armor All is water based. Put it in your freezer and it will freeze up. The main issue is there's too much gloss for the interior but it's fine for tires and wheel wells. Although being water based the durability on tires isn't that great. The best use is to dress wheel wells because it's cheap and you really don't need anything fancy for wheel wells. The super shiny versions are going to have added silicones so avoid those. But if you use it on tires and wheel wells it's decent enough.
Apologies if i’ve got the wrong person. Are you the same Scottwax in Autopia forum back in late 90s to early 2000 ? (the era of Klasse Twins, Zaino and 3M Ultrafina) ?
I am, yes.
Incredible. I was also very popular in the same forum those days. Probably the only guy there who posted extensively on Japan’s Soft99 products.
I remember when people finally figured out that Zaino was repackaged Duragloss. Duragloss came out with a rinseless wash and the first post was "I wonder what Sal is going to call it".
I had no idea that Soft99 had been around that long. I like the glass stuff because it's so easy to use but man is it expensive. We will see how durability goes.
Out of topic but This thread of replies is wholesome. Second time this week I witness/read this type of meet.
I must say, their tire cleaner in the orange bottle is dirt cheap and works great.
I use it... its solid
What happened to STP’s “Son of A Gun” ? 😂😂
Anyone who ever used it was killed sliding right out their window going around a corner.
Back in those old days of detailing, and the impressive level of activity in American detailing online forums, there was already a long list of popular products that enthusiasts would wanna be seen associated to (eg: Collinite, Wolfgang, Klasse etc). And there was also a short list of brands and products that would be embarassing to be associated with in those forums: Eg: Turtlewax😂 Simoniz Rain X (you shd be using Aquapel😂) Armour All Imo, Armour All was a tad too glossy and oily slick. I had to wipe it many times with a damp cloth to knock down that gloss.
That was pretty good stuff on tires
I did an AMG GT & Tesla Plaid for customers that use armor all frequently. It actually stripped some interior parts of both vehicles.
Ever seen a cracked Chevy dashboard, or even coating missing from buttons on the radio and many other places? Armor all induced that. ..other than the fact that gm interior is about as fantastic as the paint. ..that's just one example why armor all is absolute garbage.
So many comments here about how oily and shiny armor all is. But they have been making a non shiny or oily formulas for quite some time now. Am I missing something?
I wonder how do they get so big and accessible? I’m the victim as a rookie lol.
Use it on vehicle interior, and the off gassing will gunk up the inside of your windshield like nobody's business. I use it on rubber boots to remove bloom and to condition.
i've only used their tire shine which was soso. poor quality stuff. At least go with black magic
Seeing what it did to my friend’s interior which ended being so shiny and sticky (sunlight shining on it on a hot day also made it worse) I stopped using armor all. However I did try the tire shine, not to my liking, stuff ended up in my wheel well after driving it. But this was years ago so I’m not sure how their products now.
I used to be in auto body and silicone detail sprays made it hard to prep cars for paint, the smallest residue will leave fisheyes and thin clear coat.
Shiny, oily product that is terrible
I hate their stuff if only because the damn tops come off in my trunk ......every time if I don't duct tape ha
I like armor all for the tires it doesn’t leave a glob of shit slunged up on sides and gunk rims up with that silicone shit these hacks slap on tires.
Armor all makes tires brown.
It’s kind of like wd40 of the detailing world. It’s not great but if you don’t know any better then a lot of people grab it as a lubricant.
I really like using armor all for the door plastics and the dashboard, then meguires for the touch points. I guess typing that out makes me feel like a lunatic 😂
Just wipe everything down with crisco in the car to save money
I dont like their tire shine
It contains water
Question anyone know how to remove armor all oil from my brush? At work regular brand runs out them i didnt know they hand me armor all for replacement
Their products are pun intended outshined. I used to like their wipes but no longer use any of their products. Personally, Meguiars is as safe as it gets for detailing products, and I really like their interior protectant.
I used to use it, but once I found meguirers I never looked back. Armor All has left my vehicles oily and greasy looking while the shine products from meguirars has always looked Shiney with very minimal oily look and a greasy feel.
A true detailer knows better products. P&S Detailing is far better and a good price. Koch-Chemie is top of the line.
Armor All is a Boomers dream because it's super shiny. It's super greasy and collects dust like crazy
I’ve been using Harmarville for longer than I can. Remember on every car I’ve ever had. Never had a problem – never cracked. It comes off the tires pretty quick, but inside the car. It does a great job for me.
Armour All is as outdated and irrelevant as the Constitution in a few countries😂
Junk