Consumer Reports Reviews Cladding Treatments

[blacksambo]

What do we think of "303"?

[Ala5ka]

haven't tried it don't know where to get it but it comes highly recommended by some.

[whitebreadx]

I used wipe new and it still seems to be holding up just fine 11/2 years so far

[Ala5ka]

I used wipe new and it still seems to be holding up just fine 11/2 years so far

You can simplify to 5 1/2 years

[vt_maverick]

Lol...

[vt_maverick]

I bought a bottle of the Meguiar's M40 product mentioned on page 1 and tried it out over the weekend. This is unquestionably a commercial grade product and quite different from their protectant product featured in the Consumer Reports article. I've used that product before and it's a heavy, milky white substance that actually dries to a yellow wax if not applied to the vehicle. The M40 product is thin and comes in a spray bottle, and appears to be either light white or clear (couldn't tell, it kinda foams on the terry cloth when you spray it). And man oh man does it stink. As in apply it outside or with fans running and all doors open in your garage, then let it sit overnight to dissipate. But it leaves a beautiful dark finish, and you can actually watch it penetrate the cladding during application (as opposed to their "protectant" product which seems to be a layer of oil or silicone that simply sits on top of the cladding). I put 4 coats on with a terry cloth applicator and a terry cloth drying towel, and it took no time at all - a spray bottle is way faster than pouring it out of a bottle (a la Back to Black or the other Meguiar's product).

So I'm very happy with the initial appearance, but as we all know the real question is how it reacts to rain and how long it lasts. It's supposed to rain here this week so I'll leave it outside for a few days to see if there's any immediate degradation.

[Mile High VX]

Good to hear...mine came on Thursday and unfortunately it snowed yesterday so no detailing this weekend.

I can't wait to try it...but more snow on Thursday and Friday so maybe this weekend.

[Ala5ka]

tried Armor All Outlast trim and plastic today...stay away from that stuff dusty swirls city, hoping it will come off eventually

[vt_maverick]

In other news I saw an ad for this in Motor Trend today:

Mother's Back to Black Heavy Duty

[Ala5ka]

Imagine scrubbing all of your cladding with that little toothbrush

[Mile High VX]

In other news I saw an ad for this in Motor Trend today:

Mother's Back to Black Heavy Duty

I bought this today from my local O'Reilly's today. About $10 and you get a free 12 oz. Back to Black.

[Mile High VX]

So spent some time with this over the course of the afternoon.

I used the small brush on the rear half moon to test it out. Product is a gel and it smells like Fantastik spray cleaner. Did a great job of cleaning and leaving the cladding bare.

I used a microfiber towel to apply this one cladding piece at a time. I put it on thick and then used a larger detail brush, with stiff bristles like the small one, to scrub and then removed with a microfiber towel. If I did this all at one time it would take me about an hour to do the entire VX and wipe it down.

I treated the cladding with the Meguiars 40 product discussed in this thread. Put it on heavy and rubbed it in good, going around the VX 3-4 times. It starts to get sticky after a bit and like Ashley said above you need to do it outdoors...whew!

I'll post some pics, but I think it looks great and has less shine than the other products that I've used. We'll see how it holds up to frequent washes...

[Y33TREKker]

So spent some time...

Come on...admit it.

All of that was simply a ploy to be able to post another jealousy-inducing picture of your fender mirror.

[FlyingV77]

fount it!

http://shop.armordillots1.com/

[Ala5ka]

I don't trust that armadillo...he looks like an unsavory character