cheap plastic dash material

[pilot~lyte]

How do you all deal with it? Do you use something to prevent the white streaks? If not, how do you hide them after they appear?

Also, the door panel inserts...are they leather? Or vinyl?

[armpilot]

Originally Posted by pilot~lyte

How do you all deal with it? Do you use something to prevent the white streaks? If not, how do you hide them after they appear?

Also, the door panel inserts...are they leather? Or vinyl?

I havent had any white streaks, i use vinylex ( lexol.com ) on all the vinyl and rubber. The panel inserts are plether.

[rocky]

Other pleather is used on the sides of the seats, etc etc

White streaks?

Whats been used to clean the area?

[armpilot]

Pleather = leather from a plastic cow.

[pilot~lyte]

Originally Posted by rocky

Other pleather is used on the sides of the seats, etc etc

White streaks?

Whats been used to clean the area?

The first week I had my Pilot something brushed against the dash right in front of the passenger seat and left white streaks. Has anyone ever seen really high quality chocolate that has aged for some time and gets what is called "bloom"? Good quality beeswax candles do it, too. Plastic should not bloom, but the plastic in my Pilot sure does. If my fingernail connects with the door as I'm pulling it closed, it won't just scratch the plastic, the spot that got scratched (and I'm not talking gouged, I mean lightly brushed) will turn white. It's almost like the black color is painted on a white background.

I discovered right away that regular Armour-all will cover it but as the shine wears off the white streaks begin to show again. I was hoping there was something that could remove them completely.

And I know it's not just me. I googled "2010 Honda Pilot dashboard white streaks" and got a few hits for other people that have experienced this as well.

i would show pictures, but I haven't taken any yet. Right now, the car is freshly detailed so the white marks don't show. I'll give it a few weeks and come back.

[typhoonduster]

i got my first scratch that turned white two days ago. i think it was from my keys. my 2011 pilot exl has an all black interior. the scratch is on the driver door at top by the glass where it can be seen. i used a little armor all and now it is not noticeable. i have a feeling when the armor all wears off it will come back.

[mobro]

I wonder how Mother's "back to black" would work? It's great on the black plastic trim, and gray trim for that matter.

[03HondaPilot]

Armor All should work?

[cwa107]

Originally Posted by 03HondaPilot

Armor All should work?

Armor All is kind of outdated. If you use it on hard plastics, it doesn't seep in, so it kind of stays on the surface as a greasy oil slick. I wouldn't recommend it even on vinyls as it has a tendency to dry them out.

303 products makes an awesome all-purpose cleaner for fabric, plastic, vinyl and leather. That's what I use on mine and it works great. If you feel the need to use a protectant, their Aerospace protectant is wonderful too:

303 Products - Aerospace Protectant, High Tech Fabric Guard - World's Leading Automotive Care Products

I have read about this stuff on forums in the past and thought it was bunk. I finally broke down and bought it and have been very impressed both on my Pilot and my wife's new Subaru. It really does wonders and is easy to work with.

[armandjones82]

If you want a good dash material, why wont you try some parts that coverlay and other brands would give to you. In that way, you get your money's worth, instead of purchasing those cheap materials. Try to invest it.

[samc]

I personally haven't used it but the volkswagen people rave about the 303 product mentioned above. I'll order some myself when I get around to it. (not available where I live).

[cwa107]

Originally Posted by samc

I personally haven't used it but the volkswagen people rave about the 303 product mentioned above. I'll order some myself when I get around to it. (not available where I live).

I ordered it from Amazon - it wasn't cheap, but it is just amazing stuff. I even used the vinyl/fabric cleaner in my Bissell Carpet Cleaning machine and it took an old coffee stain out of the carpet that many other cleaners wouldn't.

Not sure how keen I am on the protectant product as it does add just the faintest sheen to plastic (by no means as bad as products like Armor All). But from what I've read, modern automotive interior plastics don't really need a protectant. With that said, some have recommended the 303 protectant on headlight lenses. They say a coating after each wash will keep them from hazing/yellowing over time. Can't really attest to that, but if you're going to use a protectant, this one seems to have varied uses.