Hello,
I wanted to share a video I posted recently regarding how to clean the vinyl dash effectively. This is a video for those who have this gummy build up on the dash. Not sure why it happens, but I found a solution by accident recently. I used Goop hand cleaner which always have on hand. I read it one time and thought, why not try it. In the past, the vinyl cleaners that I saw on the shelves were never effective and soap and water wasn’t good either. I also didn’t want the vinyl cleaners harming the vinyl dash or anything else. GOOP is your solution. This dash, although not perfect, is available for sale in addition to other Cougar parts I sell. Below are the links.
Neat trick! Probably smart to rinse with a wet towel when finished to remove any residue. Anybody had good luck with a preservative on these dashes? I used Armor All on my original 70 dash, and that was a big mistake.
I’ve used Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner. Really worked well on dried out leather seats. Not sure if it did anything for the vinyl dash since my dash was in very good condition to start with. Lexol makes a vinyl conditioner too, but I have not used that. It advertises that it has UV protection.
I’m also a big fan of Lexol and use their vinyl cleaner and conditioner on my newer cars vinyl dash and door panels. But I’ve been afraid to try it on my Cougar dash.
I used Goo Gone on mine cuz it was the only thing I could find that would cut through the sticky gunk ~ and it still took forever to do the whole dash! However, it says “not recommended for use on vinyl”, so I made sure to wash it off with mild soap and water afterwards.
After a few years of frequent ArmorAll use on my first 70 dash, areas exposed to sun started looking like a burned pizza crust. There was a lot of talk at the time about how the chemicals in ArmorAll broke down the dash plastics. Of course this was back in the 80’s and the formulation might be different now.
The dash pad currently installed in my 69 XR 7 came from a parts car that was made available to me several years ago. There were some dry spots on the dash but it was otherwise undamaged. I used a vinyl .restoration product that was handed out at one of our club car shows to try to restore the covering. I think the product was made by 303. The product softened up the dry spots and the dash pad still looks good
I too have been wondering about 303 Protectant for the original vinyl seats and dash in my 68’.
303 protectant is big in the boating community and I’ve used it exclusively on my current 19 year old boat. The upholstery in the boat is as soft as new and colors have not faded. Some say it has a slippery feel.
My concern (which I have not yet spent anytime researching) is if “new” protectant (303) is safe for “old” materials (68’ vinyl and dash). If it is safe, hands down I would recommend it.
One note, its only a protectant, not a cleaner. They make separate cleaning products (which I’ve never needed to use).
Vinyl can get sticky with age due to plasticizer migration. Some sources say to clean it with denatured alcohol. Mine was getting sticky several years ago and had a bad Amour-All burn on the top. Once cleaned, I did an overspray of vinyl paint to stop the plasticizer migration. SEM Tacfree can also be used to halt the migration.
