Armorall Ultra Shine Caution

[Patton]

Have you ever seen the engine cowling on a B-17? During the 2nd big one, after the allies had air supremacy over Germany they didn't really need to waste paint camouflaging the planes from above so they left them in all their bare steel glory. Except for "victory stripes" to help prevent friendly fire and a noticeable matte black, gray or olive drab square on the side of the cowling that faces the pilots and on the portion of nose that the pilots can see. It was typical of all allied planes at that time, just to me most memorable on the B-17. The point of all of this History Channel blabber is that I came to a sudden and rather dangerous realization that a MATTE finish is MANDATORY on your freakin dashboard, whether its spotting that goddamn minivan that just casually drifted into the fast lane going 60, or letting the top turret know that the Hun is closing in at 9'oclock high,... GLOSS IS BAD.

I put Armorall ultra shine on all non optic plastics during this months in depth interior cleaning (Which looks BEAUTIFUL!!!) and forgot that the dash has a lot to do with optics... Everything was fine until I turned into the sun on the freeway at about 80mph, and BAM THE SUN APPEARED ON MY WINDOW. I literally had to pull over slowly and take the next exit with one hand up to block the blinding mirror like reflection, all of this was with sunglasses on! I had to gently remove the ultra shine from the dashboard which took at least a good 20 minutes to bring it to an acceptable level. Which is still brighter than I would like, I suspect it will take some time for the shine to completely wear off.
It might sound a little over dramatic, but trust me it isn't, I was absolutely unable to see out of the windshield... Although I’m sure most of you didn’t need to figure that out the hard way, I figured I would share my total DUMB@SS moment to maybe save another from a potentially hazardous situation.

[tomtom72]

Holy smoke! That's the worst glare problem I've read about in a long while. I'm glad you were able to get out of that jam without mishaps.

I was told I could use leather conditioner on the dash top. I did but very little and I still don't like it to be as shinny as it is. I used Lexol conditioner. I think I might try some 303 protectant as I have that in my kit already. If that don't work I might go to Meguire's.com & see what they sell.

Truthfully, I kind of like the 303 because I use it on almost everything except the leather seats. I even use it as tire shine!

tom

[Aurora40]

Yeah, high shine on the dashboard is a real pain. My daily driver 200SX has a dash made of super shiny plastic. It's horrible when the sun is in front of you, it puts a big spot on the windshield of glare.

I've found 303 Aerospace Protectant is a nice matte product, as is Pinnacle Rubber & Vinyl Conditioner. Meguiar's #40 is pretty matte also, and has some gentle cleaning ability. But it will depend on the surface as well as to how matte or shiny a product will be.

Glad you nothing bad resulted from your experiment.

[Z Factor]

Many of us have had similar experiences with glossy finishes at one time or another, so yours is but an extreme example. Personally I stopped using glossy finishes for other reasons as well, not the least of which is because every little piece of lint/dust sticks out like a sore thumb. I use 303 Aerospace Protectant not only because it provides a matte finish, but it also protects against the suns harmful rays with inhibitors.

[A1990]

When I first got my Z, I wanted everything shiny too. I too armoralled my dash. Huge mistake. Nothing but 303 now!

[Patton]

Thanks for the tip fellas, I'll be picking up some 303 right after my brakes go in!

note: Hell yes everylittle speck of anything stands out, I found myself wiping her down every morning just to feel comfortable.

[Aurora40]

Originally Posted by Z Factor

I use 303 Aerospace Protectant not only because it provides a matte finish, but it also protects against the suns harmful rays with inhibitors.

Your windshield will provide your dash with UV protection.

[Z Factor]

Originally Posted by Aurora40

Your windshield will provide your dash with UV protection.

True, but extra protection never hurts. Heck, my garage provides the best protection possible.

I also use it on my weather-stripping, and anything in my interior except for the leather.

[rbidwell]

I had the same problem. I purchased a Dash Saver from Mid America. It looks like carpet. Could fit better, but at least I can see to drive. It has the proper cut outs and the glove compartment door is accessible. It is easily removable. Ron

[Patton]

I never planned on buying a dash mat because I either have it in my garage, being driven, or at my destination with a car cover. However I have now been looking into it!