What's the best way to restore vinyl?

[Harry Da Hamster]

What's the best way to restore an old vinyl dash? I'm not looking to dress it with a product that only sits on top and makes it look pretty, i'd like something that permeates the pores and restore suppleness back into the vinyl to prevent cracking. Dash in question is for a 10 year old Lexus GX which is notorious for the vinyl covering on the dash to crack. I'll be working on one soon with a pristine dash but i know the odds are already against us so i'm looking for something preventative. Hopefully there's a product available similar to Leatherique but for vinyl where i can soak the product in and wipe off. Any ideas?

[mwoolfso]

Vinylex and Mother's VLR works for my Volkswagen CC. I work in the product with a MF sponge and then top it with PERL.

[allenk4]

I have not heard of a Leatherique type product for vinyl, but they do suggest that their Pristine Clean can be used on vinyl and rubber:

"PRESTINE CLEAN - Absolutely the best cleaner available for all fine leather. Does not contain any harsh chemicals to dry and destroy fine leathers. Contains a conditioner which cleans and conditions leather, but to a lesser extent than our Rejuvinator . Use to clean leather after the application of Rejuvinator. has done its job and as a maintenance cleaner and detailer on an as needed basis. This product is also an excellent cleaner and conditioner for vinyl and rubber. Use Prestine Clean every time you wash your car."

[Harry Da Hamster]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think i'll skip in the Vinylex since it looks like it only cleans and protects but does not restore.

I was thinking about just trying Leatherique and Pristine Clean for the vinyl. It seems like most leather cleaner/conditioners are specified to work with vinyl also.

[Mike Phillips]

Just to comment....

This is must my opinion... when we the collective in the detailing discussion forum world use the word vinyl and talk about vinyl I "think" it conjures up what's called an "anchor" in your mind's eye wihch means a "picture type" of a fairly generic material.

From what I've seen over the years though is the vinyl used in new cars isn't the same type of vinyl that was used for decades for dashes, door panels and seats for example in a 1967 Chevelle.


Point being... most "vinyl" dashes on new cars are not like the vinyl of old days and doesn't react like the vinyl of old days. It's a lot more like solid hard plastic. It seems to be a lot more finicky than simple vinyl from days gone by.

What I think has happened in some cases is car companies use green or partly green raw materials, that is somewhere in the mix is reclaimed plastics from recycling. Just a guess. Even if the door panels, carpet, headliners, dashes etc. don't contain some portion of recycled plastic these new materials just don't seem to be as dressing friendly as the kind of vinyl that came in a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1


You say you want something to "restore" the softness and suppleness and especially the flexibility of the dash on your 10 year old Lexus GX. My guess is the dash material, i.e. the vinyl... probably wasn't soft and supple to start with but more like rigid plastic.


Please update this thread with what you finally choose to use and how it works out.

[Desertnate]

I wouldn't underestimate the Vinylex or other interior protectants ability to restore the interior.

Years ago, I used Armour All exclusively on the black interior of my BMW 3-series. Over time, the product left the interior dry, slightly faded, and looking neglected. The more I used, the worse it looked.

I switched to Vinylex and after the first application there was a marked improvement in both feel and look of ALL the interior plastic/vinyl (to include the "leatherette" seats"). After a second application a month later, the interior was back to looking new...something I hadn't seen in years.