Keywords: Cleaning, Protecting, UV, UVA, UVB, rubber, wood, vinyl, plastic, ...

Armor All, has been the leader in Vinyl, plastic and rubber protection, but Meguiar's, 303 Aerospace Protectant and others (see below) are all popular now.

You can find blogs claiming problems with Armor All such as, dust collection, no UV protection, deteriorates rubber, etc.
I couldn't find anything that looked like a scientific test.
I have a bottle of Armor All fro about 2000 and it says it has UV protection, yet there are web blog posts as recent as 2008 that claim it doesn't. It was reformulated somewhere around 2005 to be water based, so most of those claims were based n the old product.

Armor All claims:
"Our improved, thicker formula provides enhanced control, a nongreasy finish and a deeper shine. All this plus even better UVA and UVB protection."
* Helps prevent cracking, fading, discoloration and premature aging.
* Renews and revitalizes vinyl, rubber and plastic.

See: 303 Protectant VS Armor All, 2008 at CrossFireForum.org for pros and cons.
One comment there:
As many of your know, I work for Meguiar's. Of course we test and compare all the competitors products, even to the point of having our chemists literally take the stuff apart.

Armor All is, without a doubt, the single most maligned product in the automotive finish care world. Back in the day it was just about the ONLY product of it's kind on the market, and it was being used on plastics and vinyls of the time (think back to the great quality of domestic car interiors back in 1975 - yeah, junk). Now consider that most people did NOTHING to the dash in their cars and over time the material would just dry out horribly. So Armor All hit the market and people jumped on it. Spray some on that badly weathered dash and the material would often swell and split, so everyone blamed Armor All - after all, the dash appeared fine before applying the stuff. Truth is, if the dash is that badly dried out it will have a tendancy to swell and split if you appy almost anything to it - even plain water. But since Armor All had virtually no competition at the time, it took the blame.

Armor All was reforumlated several years ago, mostly due to changing VOC regulations that they, us and all of our competitors face on an ongoing basis, and it's now basically just a water based dressing not terribly unlike 303, or several of our own (Meguiar's) dressings. It does tend to impart a pretty high shine still, which I personally don't care for (but then again we make a product or two who's appearance I don't care for, but some folks like that look so we make 'em). Of course, just because many of these are water based doesn't mean their all identical - far from it. 303 is an excellent product, but I'd put our M40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner or Hyper Dressing up against it any day.

Otherwise Armor All is fine to use on the interior, tires, etc. If you don't mind the look.

A note at the Wolfgang Vinyl & Rubber Protectant page in 2009 still claimed "Other protectant products contain petroleum distillates as their shine agent." Because of VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) regulations in many states this is no longer true.

Vinyl:
See:
Armor All Protectant Gel vs. 303 Products vs. Meguiar's vs. Mothers Polish at autopia.org

Rubber:
The general purpose products like Armor All and Meguiars protectant say they are good for rubber also.
However there are a bunch of products designed just for tires:
Meguiars Gold Class Endurance High Gloss Tire Gel
Zaino Bros Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss

Others:
Meguiar's Supreme Shine Protectant (SSP)
Meguiars Mirror Glaze M40
Wolfgang Vinyl/Rubber Protectant
303 Aerospace Protectant
Comment at pistonHeads.com: "When 303 Aerospace Protectant is used on the external trim, such as bump strips, wiper arms, etc - don't bother. Doesn't last, streaks as soon as it gets wet, and I shudder to think how much silicone it contains.

Fabric and Leather:
Treatment for outdoor apparel, backpacks, tents, nylon, boots (nylon or leather)..., Most rainwear requires periodic revival to maintain a durable water repellent (DWR) finish.
Wash a waterproof/breathable (WP/BR) garment at least once a year.
Most of the products below are water based, do NOT contain silicone, work with breathable linings (e.g. Gore-Tex, SympaTex, eVENT) and provide UV protection. See: How to Care for Technical Fabrics : Expert Advice from REI

303 High Tech Fabric Guard
Kiwi Camp Dry Fabric Protector - This non-silicone polymer repels water, dirt and oil stains without darkening or discoloring. Restores durable water repellancy on apparel to prevent "wetting out." Ideal for all apparel and light-colored boots. Dries quickly, leaving no odor.

PenguinBrands:
  Penguin Leather Water & Stain Repellent
  Tectron Water Repellent

Nikwax:
(They recommend a two treatment system with cleaner then waterproofing.)

McNett:
  Revivex

Product water-based flamible OK w/ Gore-Tex UV protection
Tectron Water Repellent Y Y Y Y
Penguin Leather Water & Stain Repellent ? Y ? ?
Nikwax Fabric & Leather proof Y N Y ?

There are both spray-on and wash-in products for jackets.
See more products at and Fabric and Gear Care at REI

Car tops:
A comment at amazon: "For low quality fabrics, it might work. But for the convertible top on BMW, it doesn't do much. The effect worn out very quickly. I should have stick with Autosol Convertible Top Sealant and Protectant. It is a little more expansive. But it last almost a year for each application."
303 Fabric Gard got 5 stars in 9 out of 11 reviews.

Raggtopp and Renovo were also recommended for convertible tops.

95% of ALL convertible tops including all Ford products use a top made by a German company called Haartz. Haartz and the company Wolfsteins developed the product called RaggTopp. RaggTopp is the only product endorsed by Haartz and actually applied to the material when manufactured, the manufacturer recommends that is be maintained with RaggTopp. RaggTopp besides cleaning will condition the material, block UV rays from fading the material and just as importantly is conditions the stitching on the top. Source Greater Toronto Area Mustang CLub (gtamc.com/forums)

Silicones should be kept away from rubber soles and rands of boots/shoes.

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last updated 11 Sep 2009