Dash Cleaning?
- Thread starter multipurpose
- Start date
airbur said:
The first thing to ask yourself is how long do you plan on keeping your 4runner? If you're thinking that you'll keep her for over 150K miles, then you could probably benefit from some of the higher end detailing products on the market. If you're like most people and you trade in your vehicle in 3-5 years, it's not going to make much of a difference what products you use. I've taken several detailing courses, and the one thing that I've learned is that there's only so much you can do for a daily driver vehicle. Hand washing with proper technique, using a dedicated car wash soap cleaner, and applying a wax and/or polish a few times a year is going to preserve your paint for a very long period of time.
As for the interior, the less chemicals you use, the better off you are. Anything you apply in the cockpit is going to leave some residue behind. This residue eventually vaporizes on the windshield and I suppose it can even degrade the dash finish over time. The thing is, it's going to take a LONG, LONG time to degrade your dash if you care for it properly. Vacuum regularly and use a mini duster of some sort (California) for your routine cleanings. A few times per year, apply a dash cleaner/treatment and treat the leather with a conditioner. Use a "made for automobiles" type of glass cleaner so you don't have a sticky mess to deal with, and that's all you really need to do.
I'm not a fan of armor all or many of the over the counter cleaners/treatments, but I can assure you that I could maintain my vehicle better than 95% of daily drivers on the road even if I only had armor all, turtle wax, and cheapo car wash solution. It's much more about proper application (less is more) of these products than the products themselves. Don't get too caught up in the marketing hype of these products if you're using your 4runner as a daily driver and/or off-road vehicle.
Good luck!
Well I used just a dash of "joy" liquid soap in a half gallon of water to clean my dash. Came out looking like new. Without any shine. Think the owners manual suggest a mild soap and water too. The manual says absolutely nothing about putting on a protectant. So to my way of thinking nothing else is needed to care for your dash. Tell me if I am wrong as I'm one of those people who will try to keep my runner for a very long time. It's getting way to expensive to buy a new vehilcle every few years. Had my last 2 vehilcles 17 yrs and 14 yrs.
I hear what you're saying it's just what the ownwers manual says to do. Although it could be wrong as I've never done it like that before and had pretty good luck. Never had 1 dash crack in all my 41 years of car ownership. Than again I use to use armor all for my dash and have heard it's not good if not done repeatedly. My last car (95 Trans Am) had a perfect dash when I sold it and I'd armor all it about once every 2 years. It was shiney though and I'm trying to stay away from that.
shootmymime
New member
one day i was looking at my car, it was dirty. so i thought how could i get all that dirt out of the cen. consol without taking every pice apart and cleaning each one.
so i thought about it a bit longer and it came to me, ill just use all my other armorall products and use the steamer....
HOLY CRAP that did wonders! a steamer and some paper towles go collect the dirt... and the next week my dad got his 03 pro detailed... payed like $150 bucks.... and mine liiked just as nice! but didnt smell as nice as his did because i just used water....
dont waste your money on pro detailing just go buy a steamer and add some water, or any other claning product and use that! you will be steaming everything! its simply ammazing!
go buy a steamer!
so i thought about it a bit longer and it came to me, ill just use all my other armorall products and use the steamer....
HOLY CRAP that did wonders! a steamer and some paper towles go collect the dirt... and the next week my dad got his 03 pro detailed... payed like $150 bucks.... and mine liiked just as nice! but didnt smell as nice as his did because i just used water....
dont waste your money on pro detailing just go buy a steamer and add some water, or any other claning product and use that! you will be steaming everything! its simply ammazing!
go buy a steamer!
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T4RYota2134
New member
Armor Cleaning, and Protectant wipes FTFW! Nothing gives a better shine, and is more simple.
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Even Steven
Guest
I've never used anything but a damp microfiber towel to get the dust off my dash, but now I'm starting to see whitish looking streaks in the middle of the dash.
It definitely looks a bit dry, so I want to put some sort of dressing on it, but I HATE the shiny Armor All look that makes it look like cheap glossy plastic.
What can I use that will get rid of the dry look and hopefully get rid of the white streaks without shining it all up??
It definitely looks a bit dry, so I want to put some sort of dressing on it, but I HATE the shiny Armor All look that makes it look like cheap glossy plastic.
What can I use that will get rid of the dry look and hopefully get rid of the white streaks without shining it all up??
Even Steven said:
I use 303 Products Aerospace Protectant. I apply it with a damp cloth and then rub it down with a dry cloth to keep the shine down. It protects well and is not very shiny. Also, it should be able to be removed with a wet cloth if you don't like the results.
