Armor All Leather Care Gel
You don't know, what you don't know
Armor All leather care gel remains popular despite the rumors that still gain traction regarding Armor All cracking your dashboard. Rumors that date back as far as the 70's and still persist today among car owners and car enthusiasts alike.
But just because you hear it, or read it, or see it on the Internet does not make a statement true..or false either. I have yet to personally confirm as to whether using Armor Will will crack your dash or vinyl seats.
But we are not talking about the Armor All original protectant, we are talking about their version of a car leather conditioner...or are we.
Or are you simply asking the wrong questions out of inexperience or the bad information you have been fed from the countless so-called experts that fill the Internet.
Armor All leather Care Gel:
Asking the right questions
Under the best circumstances, keeping up with the hyped-up marketing of the cosmetic car care industry will make your head spin. Endless marketing hype, ambiguous labeling and terminology, and misrepresentation that is widespread in the industry makes for what would feel like a lesson in futility!
If you find yourself even half as frustrated as I am, you now know you are in good company. And with that said, I am here to illuminate you by asking the questions you don't even know to ask.
- Perfect if you are among the "Cliff Notes" mentality
- Perfect if you simply want a false sense of security
- Perfect for anyone who doesn't want to over-think car leather care
- Perfect if you accept and invite mediocrity into your life
Will Armor All Crack Your Dash
This depends on who you ask and how much you know about chemistry. I am neither a chemist or a formulator. But I have been required to learn more than most people as a result of being a professional detailer over the past 30 years.
I also don't need to be a chemist or formulator to know that paint thinner is neither good for my skin or my car leather. But this an absurd comparison to most people.
I find that using the absurd to illustrate points can be very effective. And a large part of the point I am attempting to illustrate has to do with the endless marketing hype used by this industry to separate you from your money.
Armor All leather care gel talks makes the same basic claims that virtually every other leather conditioner makes:
Will Armor All Crack Vinyl Upholstery
No. At least not that I could ever prove, nor have I seen anyone else ever prove. But lack of evidence is not the same as evidence that it will.
Meaning there is no evidence to prove that Armor All will crack vinyl upholstery, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it won't. And the evidence that Armor All won't crack your dash or vinyl upholstery is supported by every car owner that has not only used it in their car for years, but now swears by its beneficial merits!
Does Armor All Really Protect
This depends on what you personally determine to be "protection". Armor All leather care gel certainly changes the appearance and feel of your car leather. This added feel and appearance certainly suggests that something has happened, but to classify this as some form of protection is debatable.
Virtually every company selling a version of car leather care gel, spray, or cream claims to have UV inhibitors that protect your car leather from UV rays from sun exposure.
I have yet to see or read single test to verify this clam. Armor All leather care gel makes this claim as do most all other car leather conditioners.
What I find particularly interesting is that only the car industry makes this claim with their car leather conditioners, while every other industry that makes a leather conditioner makes n clams about having UV inhibitors in their formulations.
This would be a very easy claim to substantiate, and yet no single company has any test or evidence to support this. I have asked many formulators and chemists what ingredient could be added to a product that would actually create a sunscreen effect like the very sunscreen you can put on your body to avoid a sun burn.
The closest I have come to an answer is a formulator that told me the reason sunscreen works on your skin is the ability f your skin to absorb the sunscreen. But coated or finished car leather has an actual clear coating on it that would prevent any car leather conditioner absorbing into the car leather itself.
Armor All leather Care Gel
More marketing hype
Does Armor All really use marketing hype?
Once again; this largely depends on who you ask and how you define marketing hype. I have found that many people don't even know when they are being "sold" through marketing hype.
As noted above, Armor All leather care gel uses the same bait and switch tactics that most other products use to sell you their car leather care products.
make the standard claims about protection and UV inhibitors, while doing nothing to actually educate you in the process. Every company does this...well, almost every company.
This fall under what I call
"Distinction without a difference"
The Armor All leather care gel is distinct in a few ways:
- The name itself is different than any other manufacturer
- They call theirs a gel, rather than a cream, spray, or liquid
But there seems to be little to zero actual difference from this product to the next. Same claims, subtle differences in user experience or results, but virtually no real difference.
But I accept that I am a tough audience. But my experience enables you to get better understanding and better results in your part of the world!
Car Leather Care Conditioner
What Would Darren Do (WWDD)
By this point you are either questioning the Armor All leather care gel at a minimum, or completely turned off by the idea.
And for this reason as I do on many of the pages on my websites is answer a very common question that people present to me in their own unique ways:
"Darren, just tell me what you would do"
Many people go to a doctor to get health advice or treatment for an ailment. Any doctor will happily recommend a remedy in the form of a prescription or a strategy. But ask a doctor what he would do if he were you. You would be surprised by the different answers you would get.
Just as people don't necessarily ask what I would do (many do, but not everyone), as often they simply want my advice. I have always delivered advice based on what I would do if I was in their situation.
CSI Nu Tyre Lotion Quart 62-208-Q
- My "go-to" product for all things rubber, vinyl, plastic
- A product labeled as a tire lotion (tire dressing), but extremely versatile for use on any rubber, vinyl, plastic, and wait for it...coated car leather
- True waterborne technology (the water molecule is the actual carrier of the other active/inert ingredients)
- Dries to the touch
- Delivers a nice, moderate sheen rather than the hyper-shine of other leather conditioners or rubber/vinyl conditioners
- I use this professionally for tires, exterior black trim, interior vinyl, rubber, plastic, and car leather
Darren's Tips: I actually prefer a car interior to be extremely clean, but have a very stock or original appearance. This means I am not a huge fan of shiny interiors, especially not a shiny dashboard.
Many of the car leather conditioners like the Armor All leather car gel have a tendency to produce a shine that is not only unwanted, but can actually create a hazard.
Having a high-gloss shine to your dashboard can create a blinding glare when driving in the direct sunlight that makes visibility very difficult.
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