I've been doing cars for years and have had a few bad experiences with interior cleaning and presevation products. This is particularly true of vinyl and leather dash coverings.
Three times I have used STP or similar products only to have the material "crack" violently within a week or so of application on a dash I was trying to restore. Never had an issue on cars I bought and cared for from new.

My Crossfire is a "new" '06 which very likely spent at least 18 months in the sun before I bought it. I don't want to chance it with my baby.

It is also time to actually clean the top, which looks fine but one can only do so much with clear water.

Suggestions?


roadster with a stick

 

I would suggest "RaggTopp" cleaner and preserver kit.

http://www.autogeek.net/racotopcakit.html

I think we get a discount there. This is tested and approved by Hartz, who Makes the roadster tops.

When I applied the protectant, I slid a clean sheet of 4 mil "visquene" (sp?) plastic under the top and over the tonneau to catch overspray. I don't know that it's needed, but one can't be too careful, eh?

 

Thanks, Raggtopp was my first choice for the top and your "visquene" is a good trick I've used before. Purpose of my thread was to see if there is anything new worth looking at on the top.

But mostly I am in a pickle over the dash cover. I would rather just wash it with mild soap and leave it alone than ruin it with a protectorant. When the dash split on my Benz, I cried. Same thing happened on my truck with products I had used for years so I am hesitant to follow my own advice here.As you say, one can't be too careful.

thanks for the input.

 

Mags has a very good product in "Interior Detailer" It cleans and preserves without the greasy shiny finish which I don't care much for on my cars.

 

If you're thinking of our Quik Interior Detailer, that's a great product for fast dust and fingerprint removal but realy doesn't offer much in the way of long term protection. It's along the same lines as a quick detail spray for the paint - cleans things up without removing the wax or, in this case, the protectant you have on your dash, etc. Nice thing is it's safe to use on all interior surfaces because of this, including nav screens, leather, etc. But it's just a very light cleaner.

For serious cleaning and protecting I'd recommend either our Natural Shine Vinyl & Rubber Protectant or our M40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. The M40 might be a bit tricky to find since it's from Meguiar's Professional line whereas the Natural Shine is Meguiar's best consumer grade product for this chore, particularly if you don't want a high, or even moderate, shine. M40 tends to leave a bit more shine than Natural Shine does, but a quick wipe down with a clean microfiber will knock it down. Even without the final wipe down it isn't nearly as shiny as some other products, but it's a great cleaner and protectant.

I wouldn't recommend either for use on the leather though - use one of our dedicated leather products for that.

 

I must have missed something. Kinda new here....
Don't mean to sound ignorant but when you say "our " Natural Shine Vinyl....

to what the heck are you referring? What brand? Mequiars?

roadster with a stick

 

Forgive me Mike. Old brain here forgets everything.

You escaped the daily grind in a print shop and get to detail really cool cars for fun....and get paid for it!

Meguiars of course.


roadster with a stick

 

Correct, but I should have been more specific, sorry.

 

Sorry guys if this'll boar you but, I recently joind the xfire owners and I'm very very very....excited about it! I'm the type of owners who most would categorize as "****!!!" about their car lol! have a 2006 limited w/7400 miles pearl red with two tone interior (dark grey and vanilla)!
as you can tell, the vanilla part of the interior is pain in the neck to keep clean! I read what mike said about that product, but mike could you give me more info as where can I buy that or if that'll clean and protects the vanilla part of my car's interior!?
Thanks guys!