Awesome although I'm sure that over here it'll be easy to find, probably next to the rainx[emoji38]

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Best advice would be to order online in the 1 gal jug. It will last you years for just 1 car.

https://www.amazon.com/303-30320-Pro...99883038&psc=1

Perfect, thanks for the link!

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OB. Upon recommendation here by yourself and others I grabbed some of this stuff about 6 months ago. It appears, smells, and feels just like classic Armor All. Is it just another formulation of that product by another company? It has all the same properties of the stuff too. Doesn't keep anything nice and black on the exterior of my truck. Works great in the engine bay though. But again so did classic Armor All. :dunno:

:thumbup:

I agree 100% with you that the products look, smell and taste the same from my reading of a "Aerospace 303 vs. Armor All" search. Both are "conditioning products". However the Aerospace 303 does leave a dry to the touch, matte finish where the Armor All leaves a shiny, greasy finish so there has to be a different chemical composition. Even more so with Aerospace 303 has UV protectant and is not oil based where the Armor All is oil based and does not provide UV protection.

One of the best quotes from the interwebz:

"From what I understand (**disclaimer - I am not a chemist**) the polymers in plastics and vinyls consist of Bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthlateakadioctyl phthlate, also known as DOP. This is a plasticiser that makes polymers soft and pliable. It evaporates when exposed to UV light.

The arguments against Armour All are as follows:

*Armour All brings the DOP to the surface and allows it to evaporate quicker.
Many studies show this is true, while others show that this is not the case, so I guess this needs further testing.

*Armour All doesn't block UV, thus allowing the DOP to evaporate.
This is true as far as I know.


*Armour All does not seal the DOP, nor replace it.
This seems to be true also.

Conclusion: Using Armour All will not protect your rubber pads from exposure and *might* increase the evaporation rate.

303 Aerospace Protectant has UV blockers and is not oil based so it will not dry out the surfaces it is used on."



In the end, I do see quite a difference in application appearance using the Aerospace 303 but it all comes down to personal preference. I find the shiny optics make a "cheap looking plastic" visual appearance. :dunno:

FWIW, I still use Armor All on all the exterior plastic and rubber on my cars, I have for 45 years. I like the shiny finish better on the exterior. I only use the Aerospace 303 in the engine bay.

Looking good!

Quick tip for the perfect engine bay look:
Armor All, spray everything, let sit for 24 hrs, buff off excess with a microfiber towel. Delivers a semi gloss look without any of the greasy dirt collection mess.

For exterior black plastic parts, I would recommend Griot's Garage long lasting tire shine (harder to find now days). The long lasting shine will last months and does not "blotch out" like some products. It will not run like Armor All when it rains. It also will stand up under a wash or two.

I agree on the visual appearance of shiny (greasy) plastic looking cheap. I always do a heavy coat of Armor All in the engine bay, run engine for 10 minutes(ish), and then come back and wipe off all the excess. Leaves the plastics in a very similar state to 303. Maybe a little deeper black compared to a "naked" new black type that 303 leaves. But never leaves it greasy for sure. I'll take a few pics the next time I do my bay. Would be an interesting comparison with your shots though as I said, very similar results.

I do not like the finish 303 leaves on the exterior plastics though. It looks good when wet but as soon as it is wiped off it looks as if nothing is on the trim piece. I'm sure it's doing it's UV thing on there, but nothing for the appearance unfortunately. Perhaps it's designed to keep "new" plastics looking that way rather than trying to rejuvenate "tired" plastics?

At any rate I am still looking for a product (besides Duplicolor trim paint or SEM trim paint) that leaves the outside plastics looking good. I always end up painting my trim pieces for best results after trying and failing with wipe on products. :dunno:

Edit: Stephen beat me to it. My bay looks basically the same as that.

I edited my post above saying that I only use Armor All on all the exterior plastic and rubber. The shiny finish buffed off does make all the trim look much better. :thumbup:

303 works best on harder dense plastics like found on a M5 battery cover for example. Again if you let 303 set up for 24 hrs or more it will penetrate the material.