what do you guys use or recommend for the deep cleaning and restoration of the vinyl dash, door side panels etc? Armor All evaporates and tuns white. I don’t want to use something that is greasy. Or damages the material. Thanks for your help!
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Paint/dye it.
I've had good luck with Mother's:
https://www.zoro.com/mothers-v...-oz-6524/i/G5430166/
Maguire makes a good vinyl treatment spritzer, too.
x 2 on the paint idea. I had a mix of colours on my older IM and when redoing everything I used SEM brand spray paint available at most automotive places. It's easy to use, covers very well, you can change dark colours to light easily and it's cost effective. It is important to prep with their cleaning product. On top of that, it lasts very well even in the sun. I drive almost exclusively with the top down and my painted interior surfaces show no sign of fading etc.
Thanks gents! The vinyl is not in bad shape... just very dirty and from sitting in the garage without a cover. I'll try the Mother's as I like most of their products.
Safety Jim posted:Thanks gents! The vinyl is not in bad shape... just very dirty and from sitting in the garage without a cover. I'll try the Mother's as I like most of their products.
I painted mine to get all things to match. My tonneau and dash were black while my seats, door cards and shifter boot were brown. The windshield was already off.....
BTW: For you'se guys who have real By-Gosh leather interior bits, Dusty Johnson (Remember him? 'Saddle maker to the Stars' guy?) recommends "Leather Therapy" (LT) to soften and strengthen your leather seats. I had thick, saddle leather seats in my pickup truck and used LT twice a year, sometimes 3 times if it sat in the Sun a lot. It was super easy to apply and left no residue. I would always use a top-quality saddle soap first, let it dry and buffed it, then hit it with 2 applications of LT. I sold the truck when it was ten years old and the seats, while slightly discolored here and there (mostly from summer sweat) had zero cracks in them and were as supple as saddle leather can get (it's pretty stiff). That stuff really works. Available at tack shops, Tractor Supply and farm supply stores nation wide (even in Canada!), or online (if you're a hi-tech kinda guy).
I'm a vinyl owner... couldn't afford leather at the time, or now for that matter! But, it is making a nice shiny new looking comeback with the MOTHER's. I am using micro fiber towels. Pics of the interior coming soon.
I use Leatherique for my leather it is an enzyme base and you apply it with your hand it lubricates the leather you leave it soak in the heat and penetrates the leather. Then you can if you want wipe it down if you find it a bit sticky.. They have a seperate cleaner but in reality leather properly lubricated floats away dirt to the top then you wipe it down with their leather and vinyl cleaner. I find it works well.
David that is a nice job, I have used SEM on different trim parts and it works well for the beige interior trim I have.
I have a little scuff on my passenger seat vinyl. It looks like someone sat in it with something in their back pocket.
Can anyone suggest something to make that disappear?
Michael McKelvey posted:I have a little scuff on my passenger seat vinyl. It looks like someone sat in it with something in their back pocket.
Can anyone suggest something to make that disappear?
Don't look at it.
I pretty much agree with Rusty - Scuffs in vinyl upholstery are TOUGH to get out because the vinyl material is a surface texture that is "printed" into it when manufactured. It is often pressed into the vinyl topcoat with a hot roller. That said, getting the scuff out without "ghosting" the area and the area around it is really hard to do.
However, if you look at it and think "well, that's not much of a texture and I still want to try something, you have three alternatives:
1. Leave it alone and live with it.
2. Car Paint Rubbing compound if the scuff is of a course nature - gently rub it on with a stiff-ish tool or 2-3 fingers behind the application rag/sponge. Don't go nuts as you can easily rub through the surface skin and potentially lose color and sheen. This will leave a dull finished surface. Remove the remaining polishing compound with water and elbow grease.
I've tried "Scotch Brite" scouring pads on bad past scuffs - don't do it! It just made mine worse.
3. Car Paint Polishing compound if the scuff is lightly on the vinyl skin surface. Rub it in with a rag and use circular motions. This will leave a shinier surface, more like a light satin finish. If you want a really shiny surface, try some compound for polishing plastic headlight covers. Again, a rag over 2-3 fingers and circular motion, remove excess with water.
It would be good to clean the area with vinyl cleaner after this process and that might help to blend things in.
I have not tried the saddle soap trick on vinyl, but saddle soap and a small, light scrub brush on the scuff on saddle leather will remove the scuff (it's like microscopic "hairs" sticking up), followed by polishing it with a leather treatment with Lanolin to improve the look, but you have to be careful to "feather" it out into a wider area to make everything blend in. You're removing the outer skin of the leather so polishing what's left to match the surroundings is usually really tough. I worked for HOURS on one of my daughter's saddles before finally waving the white flag and declaring that it was "good enough" (it wasn't much improved, really). In the end, she covered that area with decorative tack.
Got a picture. I've seen a product that fills leather cracks and scuffs and it worked really good.
Michael McKelvey posted:I have a little scuff on my passenger seat vinyl. It looks like someone sat in it with something in their back pocket.
Can anyone suggest something to make that disappear?
The scuff or the person that sat in the car? LOL
Look up Leatherique (leather) and other vinyl repair kits on YOUTUBE you will find that their are some compounds that can be used that stay flexible and if you can redye the area you can repair it well enough to be satisfactory ... not easy but doable.. Also there are some guys out there that can do it for you...
Gordon Nichols posted:BTW: For you'se guys who have real By-Gosh leather interior bits, Dusty Johnson (Remember him? 'Saddle maker to the Stars' guy?) recommends "Leather Therapy" (LT) to soften and strengthen your leather seats..........
Yes, I'm still in touch with Dusty and buy luggage and hood straps from him regularly. He and the "LMS" (lovely miss Sharon) moved from Colorado to Arizona a couple years ago and are doing well.
I'm so glad to hear that! Loved both of them when they joined us at Carlisle one year and it sounded like a good move for them in AZ.
I think they moved to be able to have the leather more naturally tanned 
