Arty101

Now that's all wrong. The Vet, I meant.

Sevn86

I would like to repeat, DONT use armor all, it is the worst thing you can do to your car. Use a quality cleaner or conditioner for the interior. I don't even let armor all touch my tires. I use eagle one tire shine for my cars.

MissyBissy

I considered disposable plastic shoe covers but I think that would counter the reduction in my carbon footprint I was hoping to achieve by purchasing a hybrid....

bc6152

So what is so bad about Armorall? Please inform us...

wasjr

Not sure if this is why Sevn86 does not like it, but I have read and been told that the silicone in Armor All will damage the "topcoat" on vinyl causing it to dry out. Also, it has no UV protection.

I have always used 303 Protectant on vinyl boat seats and rubber, and it does a great job. 303 contains no silicone or petroleum products. After reading an earlier thread here, I started putting the 303 Protectant on the dash of my vehicles since it contains UV protection. I have used (and still do use) Lexol products on automotive vinyl and leather with success.

lesz

I've also read that, over time, Armor All can dry out dashes and other surfaces to which it applied.

Over on the GX forum, there is a long thread in which people have posted about the dashboards on their GX's cracking. While most of those who have experienced the cracked dashboards seem to live in locations where there is lots of hot weather, such as Florida, Texas, and Arizona, the other thing that many who have had the problem seem to have in common is that they had used Armor All on their dashes. When some of those people have posted pictures of their cracked dashes, besides the cracks, they really do look like they are very dried out.

SW17LS

The backlash against Armor All is outdated. Armor All used to be a nasty silicone based dressing that did mess up plastics...but for the past 15 years or so its been a water based dressing. Water based dressings are perfectly safe to use.

Personally I think it looks nasty, and there are much better dressings if you want to use a dressing, but it won't hurt the dash.

lesz

Actually, that is not correct. Armor All did have and still has silicone in it. When the formula was changed, they switched from using a petroleum-based carrier to a water-based carrier, but the silicone remained. And it is the silicone and what happens with exposure to the sun that causes many to have concerns about potential for negative long-term effects on dashboards and other surfaces.

I realize that what users report is merely anecdotal evidence, but there is no question that a significant majority of those who have reported dashboard cracks on the GX and other vehicle forums have also reported using Armor All on their vehicles, and the majority who have not experienced the issue have not used Armor All. Without a background in chemistry, I can't say with certainty that the Armor All caused or contributed to what happened to their dashboards, but I also cannot say with certainty that there is not a connection between the use of Armor All and the cracked dashboards. Even the presence of much of that anecdotal evidence would lead me to choose not to use the product if there is even a possibility that the Armor All contributed, perhaps with other factors, to the cracking of the dashboards.

dmccombs

I have the Parchment interior and what drives me nuts is the how fast the car[et near the floor mats turns black.. Like near the gas pedal, and near the left foot rest. I wished the floor mats covered the whole floor.

Since they don't, what do you do to keep those areas beige and not black?

lesz

The Weathertech all-weather mats that I (and others) have talked about earlier in this thread cover more area than do the carpet mats that come with the vehicle from Lexus. They cover the entire foot rest for the left foot and cover the area under and around the accelerator pedal. I doubt that I will ever buy another vehicle without getting these mats for it.

SW17LS

It contains silicone emulsions, but it is a water based dressing. What caused damage before was the petroleum based carrier.

If you look at the ingredients of basically any dressing there will be silicone emulsions. The question is do these emulsions do damage? I know enough professional detailers who use Armor All to be confident it will not. Would I use it? No...because it looks nasty...but I wouldn't use any dressing on the dash. It doesn't really need a dressing.

MissyBissy

OK I'm thinking black weathertech mats and then the black Lexus floormats over that - would that work? I took the mats out this weekend when I was cleaning the car and was surprised with how dingy the carpet under the mat has gotten. I've only had the car for 5 weeks..... Can't imagine how bad it would be after 5 months....

I saw a set of mats on Amazon but they said they weren't for the 2014 300h.... just the 2013. Anyone know if they will fit the 2014?

lesz

I don't think it would be a good idea to double up on the mats. For one thing, the retaining clips that keep the mats in place will not work with a double layer of mats, and, thus, the top mat will be shifting around. At a minimum, that would be a nuisance, and it could be a safety hazard.

If the mats fit the 2013 ES, they will fit the 2014. With the exception of a couple of very minor changes, the 2013 ES is identical to the 2014 ES. My guess would be that the Amazon vendor has just not updated his/her listing to include the 2014 model year. That said, whether it be carpet mats or all-weather mats, I'd stick with either Lexus mats or ones from a company with an established reputation for quality products, such as Weathertech. Over the years that you own a vehicle, saving $20 or $30 by buying something from Amazon or off of EBAY is trivial and, to me, not worth the chance that what I would be getting is an ill-fitting set of mats that were designed and sold by someone whose only interest was in making a quick buck.

MissyBissy

They have both WeatherTech and WeatherBeaters on Amazon - wasn't sure what the difference was. Both brands seem to have high overall customer ratings on their various products. We buy everything we can through Amazon since the kids school get a percentage of all of our purchases, we get free two day shipping and I don't have to head out to any more stores than necessary. Plus I can't get the WeatherTech site to actually work and pull up any products that fit my vehicle.

I guess my dream of having full floor protection and still being able to enjoy the nice soft floormats just isn't going to happen? We don't have weather in San Diego, just lots of dust I guess....

lesz

I've never heard of WeatherBeaters, but I do highly recommend the WeatherTech products.

I notice, when I check on Amazon, that the prices there are somewhat higher than they are if you buy directly from the WeatherTech site. I don't know why you are having trouble with their site.

And, yes, in the end, it is a car, and the floors of cars are going to get dirty. You can do the best job possible of providing protection, but it still isn't going to be perfect protection.