Interior Detailing...Dashboard/Vinyl Protectant or No Protectant?

[STC]

Next month I will be cleaning and detailing the interior of my new Yaris. After cleaning the windows, dusting, and vacuuming, I would like to protect my dash and doors from cracking and preserve from premature aging and dullness with a good protecting conditioner.

I have heard vinyl conditioners can actually lead to dashboard cracking, if not applied regularly after the first application? The protectant will bring out the shine, but if you do not condition all the time afterwards the dashboard will dry out from the protectant’s chemical solution because of the sun’s harsh rays and the car’s extreme interior heat. Thus crack? I was told this years ago, when I lived down South. Is this the true? Or is this just a wives’ tale?

Has anyone just used a product one time and had no issues afterwards? If so, what brand?

What should I do? I now live in a temperate climate zone in the North East.

Thanks...

[RedRide]

Modern dashes do no have a "cracking" problem for the most part like the dashes of old. as they have built in UV protectant. Even padded dashes are mostly imune from it from my experiences. My 9 yr old Celic's dash is still showroom new looking.

Having said that , I am of the school that says not to apply any sort of preservitive product that will add shine as they are all silcone based and are mostly worthless.
Also dash shine can be very anoying so a shiny dash is not a plus!

I just wipe a dash with a micro fiber cloth I keep for this purpose to keep it looking new adding a bit of water if nessary to remove stuborn dirt.

[STC]

Okay! That explains everything... I had three 1970's era vehicles at one time.... used Armor All in the beginning and then stopped. After some time the dashes cracked. My later vehicles (90's and above) I didn't use any... they never cracked, so I thought the protectant was the catalyst.

I didn't think of material and UV protectant in newer vehicles. In this case... new is better than old!

Thanks...

[UTVitz]

Ditto on the micro fiber cloth just sprayed damp with a little water makes the dash look as good as the day it was new. never spray anything directly on the dash either, if certain chemicals hit the lens of the speedometer it will permantently stain it. Just use a damp lint free cloth for the interior and you'll never have any regrets. Unfortunately, the plastics in the car do scratch easily-like the piece in the door sill, not much you can do about it I've found

[matanfr]

for interior vinyl/plastic i use "stp son of a gun"..i don't use aerosol sprays or something like that because it causes cracking and fading after a some years in the israeli sun.

for the rubber seals around doors,you can also use "stp son of a gun",but it won't protect it for a long time and you'll need to replenish it once every 2 weeks.

for stp soag i reccomend using a micro-fiber towel.

another thing i do recommend is something called "silicone spray" (made by companies such as LIQUI MOLY,MOLYKOTE and WULF) that you spray it on the rubber seals,plastic and vinyl and it vaporates,leaving the rubber soft and shiny.be careful not to spray in near the speed gauge.
there is another option that is most effective (though a little dirty if you aren't afraid of messing up your fingers) and it's called silicone grease.apply it once every 3 months and even if your'e in the desert,the rubber will be kept in good condition.

[STC]

Thanks all for the info!

I hear the term micro-fiber cloth or towel all the time! When I clean my interior I use a household magnetic cloth... like a Swiffer. Is this the same? I have to try one of these micro-fiber cloths.

Can't wait to clean Memorial Day Weekend... Exterior and Interior.

I have Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner to clean her... Then I'm going to apply the Gold Class Liquid Wax. I have an old bottle of Mother's Back-to-Black that I think I'll use on my rubber wheels.

Inside I'll wipe down... mostly dusty. Don't know if I'll use any conditioners right now. I will be cleaning my windows (int/ext) with Stoners Invisible Glass. I picked it up the other day after hearing excellent reviews on the product from this forum. I'm also going to apply Scotchgard on my front and back seats.

Cheers...