#356 Review - Vinyl Dressings

[Harley#356]

Another review for quite a few vinyl dressing products....all of these are in my regular lineup of items I'd recommend...




303 Aerospace: Well known as one of the best vinyl protectant products you can buy, easy to see why it's on my list. Great for use on the dash, or on exterior trim. Low satin sheen, dry to the touch, non-oily, water based, great product!

Vinylex: Not pictured, but another product interchangeable with 303 that I use frequently and would highly recommend for the same reasons.

Platinum Guard: We all have one ghetto pepboys product in our detailing arsenal lol. Bought this when I had my beater that wasn't deserving of 303. Surprising enough ended up really liking it. Water based so it's not bad for the dash like armorall, low gloss sheen like 303/vinylex, but the smell is INCREDIBLE!!!!! I'll actually spray it under the floor mats just for added scent in the cabin lol. I think they have several colors/scents, this one is the blue kind.

ZCS: This is primarily a paint product, but you can use it on exterior trim. I wouldn't use it on the interior vinyl. It's also VERY pricey but the bottle lasts a looooong time. It gives the vinyl a nice low gloss sheen and you don't have to worry about getting it on the paint since it's meant for paint, but the only downside is it only lasts about a day or two. Great for prep before a car show though since you can do the whole truck, vinyl included with ZCS in no time and head on out to the show.

Adams Under Carriage Spray: This is my preferred product for underhood trim and exterior trim dressing. Seems to last longer than 303/vinylex for exterior use, and has a nice low gloss sheen and visually darkens the plastic from grayish to blackish. Nearly dries to the touch, and applies quickly. I just did my betmat with it a few days ago as well and it looks brand new again.

Adams VRT: This stuff works pretty good, but I prefer the undercarriage spray for plastic trim. It doesn't really darken plastic pieces nearly as much as the undercarriage spray, and it's slower to apply being liquid rather than spray. They highly recommend it for tires so I may give that a try, but again it's more of a PITA for application being a liquid rather than spray. (yeah spray is a liquid, you know what I mean lol)

Meguiars Interior Quick Detailer: Great product for in-between detailings of the interior. Dry dusting makes the dust float around everywhere. Using too much vinyl dressing even the good stuff can build up and get too greasy if you use it too much. This is great for those in-between detailings. Leaves the dash bone dry and doesn't add any sheen or really much of any coating, just gets it back to perfectly clean looking and keeps the dust down and sticking to the MF.

Automotive Febreeze: Okay not a vinyl dressing, but since we were on interior products, I tossed this one in. Smells great, I always spray all the floor mats and the headliner with this. Next best thing after that new car smell is gone lol

[Merlin]

II have not used all the products listed above
I'll give me feedback on what I have tried.

303 Aerospace: Well known as one of the best vinyl protectant products you can buy, easy to see why it's on my list. Great for use on the dash, or on exterior trim. Low satin sheen, dry to the touch, non-oily, water based, great product!

This is another favorite in the arsenal and it lasts a long time.
Aerospace 303 darkens the vinyl a little and has a nice satin finish

Vinylex: Not pictured, but another product interchangeable with 303 that I use frequently and would highly recommend for the same reasons.

This is another go-to product I like to use on the interior dash and vinyl.
Another clean looking satin finish that's easy to use & gives excellent results

Automotive Febreeze: Okay not a vinyl dressing, but since we were on interior products, I tossed this one in. Smells great, I always spray all the floor mats and the headliner with this. Next best thing after that new car smell is gone.

I have used Fabreeze and it has a nice clean smell that gets rid of da' funk.
I personally like Poorboy's leather scent. I get compliments on it all the time.
Before go to a show I'll spray the interior. It has a subtle real leather fragrance.
Every time a judge sticks his head in the cab they always look at me and say...
"I just love that original factory leather smell"....I just smile and never say a word.


While we're at it I'll post on a couple of additional products I have recently tried.

Meguiar's Supreme Shine: This product is a little watery similar to the consistency of Vinylex. If you like the shiny trim look then this product is for you. It does not have any cleaners in it so make sure the area has been cleaned before use. I personally like shiny hoses under the hood and have used this product on the hoses with great results.

Meguiar's Natural Shine: This has a gel like consistency. It contains cleaners that will remove some dirt and grime as it dresses. It feels nice and smooth, has a matte finish and does not have a greasy shiny look. After application wait a few minutes and wipe with a MF towel. This will dull down the finish even more.

Both above products are water based vinyl & plastic dressings. Both are suitable for interior and exterior use but will diminish when it gets really wet like when it rains or the vehicle is washed. This tends to be true of almost any water based dressing.

Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant: UP contains some very specialized polymers that actually bond to the surface much like wax bonds to paint. I like it on the exterior vehicle trim due to the fact it is dry to the touch and has a 2-3 week durability. Be sure to clean the surface with an APC before using it. Simple application, darkens trim, dries to a non-greasy finish, a tad bit more is need than some other trim products.

Dry Shine - Black Trim Restore Treatment: For exterior trim I still stick by Dry Shine - Black Trim Restore Treatment. I applied this back in January (See THREAD) and that one time application is still going pretty strong. It contains pigments that darkens faded surfaces, as well as protects the surface from future fading with UV inhibitors. This is not the easiest to apply but well worth the little extra effort.

[Harley#356]

Whats APC?

I'll have to give the poorboys leather scent a try. Never used any of their products before.

[Merlin]

Whats APC?

I'll have to give the poorboys leather scent a try. Never used any of their products before.

All Purpose Cleaner (APC)

I like the Poorboy's products. They are inexpensive and can be used in sun or shade. You would like Black Hole it's a glaze (for dark colors) applied before LSP.
Here's a couple more products I think you would like...Wheel Sealant, Natty's Liquid Blue, Trim Restorer, Super Slick & Suds Car Wash...to get you started.