Dashboard cleaner?

[Ken]

Not a 75 but I am sure you don't mind me asking for help. I recently changed cars (again) and my new one has been 'valeted' inside to an inch of its life! The dash and plastic trim is all in as new condition but the dealers so called valeters have covered everything in the horrible slippery shiny rubbish so much that if the door is opened in the rain the raindrops actually makes craters in the stuff

I thought about taking it back and getting them to valet it properly but before I did I had a word with the kids that do it and they were as thick as two short planks so decided against it. What I need is a good dash or plastic trim cleaner that will remove all the rubbish and clean the plastic up leaving it as it was meant to be ie not sticky, not shiny and above all clean.

Not bothered about price or hard work as long as it's good, any suggestions?

Thanks

Ken

[Lost Soul]

I use Mr Sheen.

[clf]

Autoglym interior shampoo to clean it off, then vinyl and rubber care,

[Ken]

Originally Posted by clf

Autoglym interior shampoo to clean it off, then vinyl and rubber care,

Now I have always used Autoglym products and have found them excellent but they do two, interior cleaner and interior shampoo. So it's the shampoo one that I want which is handy as I have some of that in the garage

Thanks

Ken

[clf]

Originally Posted by Ken

Now I have always used Autoglym products and have found them excellent but they do two, interior cleaner and interior shampoo. So it's the shampoo one that I want which is handy as I have some of that in the garage

Thanks

Ken

I always use the shampoo for everything, that is dirty or greasy. If it doesnt work, it will need something more specialised and then I will do further research. My late grandfather used to smoke a pipe, and the staining on the cream headlining of his Toyota was unreal. Varying shades of errm, well it went from the original cream through yellow orange and brown!! A couple of squirts of interior shampoo, cleaned it right off!!!

I would wipe the wet shiny finish with a soft cloth first, discard it, then with a clean cloth use the shampoo, testing a small area first of course . This wil likely leave it dull and flat looking. Then use vinyl and rubber care, which may be too shiny for some tastes, but wiping it more for a satin type finish.

Under the bonnet, spray over the plastics and hoses and just leave to dry Amazing transformation with no effort!

Tyres too, dont waste money on tyre shines, spray vinyl and rubber care on the tyres and leave to dry too

[Supervinnie40]

The stuff you have on your dash is cheap 'dressing'. Not the type of Auto Finesse, but more along the lines of Halfords Valma. Cheap car-washer (I don't even like to call them detailer or valeters), put that stuff on anything because it makes most things look good (from a distance and only for a short while).

You can just remove it with a damp cloth and some shampoo, or even household APC.
The dashboard in your car isn't like that paint of your car, the shampoo you use is therefore a bit less important, as long as it contains citric-acid you're good to go (most of household APC have citric-acid).
Get a small bucket, fill it with warm water and a little bit of household APC, put the cloth in the bucket, wring it out good and wipe of your dash with it.
You might have to wipe twice.

I would advice against using a spraybottle, because the mist can go places you don't want it to go, and it might stain if it isn't removed before it dries up.

Since your dashboard isn't really exposed to the elements, you don't need to cover your dash in anything. Don't buy into the UV-protection stuff, that's just BS.
If you wanna go the extra mile, you can give the wood a slight polish and you could cover it with wax, sealant or something like it. But isn't really necessary.

p.s. insider tip, for those difficult to reach places you can use a clean (new) paint brush. Just be careful around shiny bits because the hairs of the brush can leave swirls (and sometimes even scratches).

[Ken]

I have spent four hours today getting the rubbish off the dash and in places it had actually pooled in areas where it had run. So far I am half way through working down from the top. First of all I washed it it off with a slightly damp cloth and sponge which took ages, then dried it with one of those micro cloth things. I have used three new cloths and they need washing out before I can carry on with the rest of the dash. I have now tried the Autoglym interior shampoo because I couldn't wait on the half of the dash I have done and it's really come up a treat and now looks new.

As I said before it's not a 75 but a Meriva (suicide doors) which is three years old but she has only done 13k so it should look nice and it does. The dash on these wraps around and becomes part of the front doors so I reckon I have another five or six hours work until it's all done but so far so good

Thanks all

Ken

[billericaymgxpower]

I use Astonish all purpose cleaner (Yellow) which effortlessly removes any grease and dirt. Then, just finish with a household spray polish. I usually buy the wife some pledge, ok, I know I'm spoiling her, but it is good stuff.

[Ken]

Ok all done and the interior looks great now

Now for the outside, door shuts etc. I don't think it's seen much in the way of polish in its life except possibly the Wax n Wet stuff which is ok but not to be used all the time. It's ok I know how to do paintwork so no more questions from me on that

Thanks all

Ken