Vinyl seat protectant

[Johnboat200]

What's the best stuff to use on vinyl seats to prevent fading and cracking? I've heard mixed opinions about AmorAll.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

Armor all is crap!! The best you can use is formula 303 spray.Get it at boaters world or any marine place.It is absolutely the best protection you can get against uv rays and fading and cracking.It is not cheap but it goes a long way.I have also heard the 2001 spray is decent too but I have never tried it.Charlie

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

Do not use Armorall! It is one of the two biggest chemical frauds ever perpetrated on us. The other one is WD-40 as a lubricant.<br /><br />Armorall will cause a deterioration of the material you use it on. Whatever you use be carefull. A lot of vinyl treatments will make the seating surfaces very slippery and in a boat that could be hazardous to your health.<br /><br />Unfortunately I do not have an alternate recommendation. Be sure to keep your boat covered when not in use. You can even keep big towels over the seats when you are out for the day and no one is sitting in them.

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

Just some side info, WD-40 is not a lubricant, it is a penetrant. After cleaning/penetrating rust, dirt or corrosion with WD-40, a lubricant needs to be applied. However, the most recent web page on WD-40 does tout it's lubricting abilities, which are indeed short lived as it dries out rather quickly.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

I've been using wd-40 for years on my guns to clean, lubricate, and prevent rust. I never use oil and my guns show no sign of rust.<br /><br /> http://www.communicorps.org/uselessknowledge/page_wd40.htm

 

[kd6nem]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

WD-40 has its uses (penetrant) but there are better products for any given category, especially rust prevention and lubrication of firearms. Guns and Ammo magazine did a side by side comparison of many products and WD-40 was not rated highly at all. Use enough of it often enough and you'll probably get by just fine, but there are better things out there. I have seen guns rust after a few months using WD-40, and I live in a mostly dry climate. One thing it does seem to be good at is removing petroleum based stains like road tar, though I doubt I'd try it on anything that would be too expensive to repair just in case. (test small inconspicuous area first)

 

[Doin Nothin]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

Here is an excerpt from Boating Magazines "Quick and Easy Boat Maintenance", 1,001 Time Saving Tips"<br />Soft, Fresh Vinyl<br />To keep boat vinyl fresh and newl looking, wash regularly with mild dish detergent and then coat lightly with petroleum jelly.<br /> Sweat and body oils from legs in shorts and bodies in bathing suits can harden vinyl, so even if you do nothing else, be sure to thoroughly rinse vinyl cushions with fresh water after each voyage.

 

[gewf631]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

I've had very good luck with 303 Aerospace Protectant (it's also real popular in the car detailing world).<br /><br />There's a lot of info on their website, here including this...

Protecting Vinyl<br />Using the wrong vinyl "protectant" product is worse than using no vinyl treatment product at all! Avoid vinyl treatment products that contain any type of oil, have an oily or greasy feeling, contain petroleum distillates or leave a coating that dries like wax. If a product label says "flammable or contains petroleum distillates", do not use on vinyl.

You can also get a couple free samples from their website, here

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

Petroleum jelly??? I'd think would slip right off the seat!

 

[John Carpenter]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

I just did a side by side comparison yesterday with ArmorAll, 303 Aerospace Protectant, Nu-Vinyl, and a commercial tire dressing that I sell. I was helping my son detail his car for the prom The CLEAR winner was 303 Aerospace Protectant...no comparison. It also does an excellent job on fiberglass.<br /><br />I have sold (and used)a variety of penetrating oils for many years & in my opinion, WD-40 is at the bottom of a long list. I would never use it for corrosion prevention...it is not much of a lube, and there are far better penetrating oils out there.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

had seats upholstered one time.. the man said never ever ever ever use anything on vinyl.. it all magnifies the sun an makes it worst.. <br /><br />except 303 ....<br /><br />water displacement 40th attempt is a good product but yes there are better products.<br /><br />it's sooo easy to improve on a better then the original product...

 

[1986mariner150]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

w-d 40 was developed for a missle program to displace moisture,(the W-D stands for water displacment) so many soldiers and civilian employees were taking it home for personal <br />use it was packaged and sold to the public.<br />It has many uses outside of water displacment, <br />(nothing works better to get stuborn shoe marks off vinyl flooring) but for penertration or lubrication there are better products.

 

[Johnboat200]

Re: Vinyl seat protectant

Thanks for the advice. I'll be using the 303 and looking for a replacement for WD-40. I agree it's a good cleaner, but now that I think about it, that's about all it's good for.