New Armor All wheel protectant?

Discussion in 'Car Detailing Product Discussion' started by SDMDChris, Feb 1, 2011.

  1. SDMDChris

    SDMDChris Birth of a Detailer

    Armor All - Product Detail

    I know, i know, its ArmorAll, but the video doesn't lie.

    I was wondering if anyone has used this? Seems like a great product and its getting good reviews over on the corvette forum
     
  2. Chaseme

    Chaseme DB Forum Supporter

    The video is entertaining and all but those tests were not real world examples.

    I'm more concerned about brake dust than dust from the earth.
     
  3. Kilo6_one

    Kilo6_one DB Forum Supporter

    I have a can of it that I got free at a car show. I have not used it simply because I am not a fan of armour all products.

    LOL.

    Anyway, Ive seen other videos of this......

    If you pay for shipping Ill send it to anyone who wants it for free. I almost tossed it today in the dumpster.
     
  4. SDMDChris

    SDMDChris Birth of a Detailer

    I'd try it to see how it works, I mean how will brake dust stick to the wheels if honey cant even? Seems like its worth a few bucks, maybe ArmorAll has stepped up just a bit?

    Anyone actually USED this and can provide some info?
     
  5. floraneg

    floraneg Birth of a Detailer

    I've used it and it works ok. No where near the video resultsYou if you use to much of it, and it doesn't dry good enough you are in big trouble. Everything sticks like a glob of glue. I paid $7 for a can to try it. Maybe if I got another can for free I may use it, but wouldn't buy it again. It lasted about a week for me.
     
  6. SDMDChris

    SDMDChris Birth of a Detailer

    Thats what i needed to see! Thank you.
     
  7. wwevo8

    wwevo8 Birth of a Detailer

    one of the guys on the evo forum im on did a review on this

    OK, so after seeing the other thread i decided to try it on my set of wheels. and take pics so its not just reading what people say.

    many have said it works, even other forums. here is my review on them, and i think its perfect since i have white wheels and the big brake kit (major dust). it will really show if theres any imperfections with the product.


    first, i washed the car yesturday. cleaned as specified.

    spray on the product after everything is dry. i saw extra water just bead up and slide right off when i was spraying.

    after allowing it to dry for 17hrs. (they say the longer it dries the longer it will last) i drove out from San Jose to Union City, here are the results of just that drive.

    its pretty clean, still see some accumulation of dust. but major dust build up where it falls into corner crevices.

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4001.jpg

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4002.jpg

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4003.jpg

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4005.jpg

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4006.jpg


    and theres stains on the inside of the wheel where i have also sprayed...

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4004.jpg

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4007.jpg

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4008.jpg


    rear wheels however are much cleaner than the fronts (they usually are)

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4009.jpg


    *****OK now here is the major break in the product ******

    As i have spoken to Kasaper while at FFTec today, he also mentions this problem. when you see spotting as i had above and decide to wipe and clean it off, you will wipe the coating of "protectant" off too. as i will show below.

    i wiped off the wheel where i saw spotting, then afterwards i drove home. here is the result of that.

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4031.jpg

    you can clearly see where i have wiped the wheel before, and therefor lost its coating and is now accumulating dust.

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4032.jpg

    http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/mtsevoix/IMG_4033.jpg


    so overall i do like this product. is it as perfect as their ads say it is? no. but is it better than not having it? yes.

    i think in the long run it will make washing the wheel later easier than without the spray. but in the end, there is no way your wheels will not get dirty.

    **note after returning home, i have cleaned off the wheels and resprayed them** will see how they hold up over a week or two.**


    hope this has been helpful to those that are looking at this product



    ok, here we go. took some pics today, and yes i havent cleaned the wheels for just about a month now :) its gotten really dirty, but its still white. normally it would be dark grey by now

    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/4955431390_d848787545_b.jpg
     
  8. Danny

    Danny Nuba Guru

    Nice review on it man may be worth giving it a try since its not expensive.
     
  9. CU2MIKE

    CU2MIKE Guest

    I've seen someone use it, it works very well.
     
  10. Kilo6_one

    Kilo6_one DB Forum Supporter

    I may have to use it. Does it affect the finish? I dont like glossy wheels, so i dont want anything on my wheels that would create gloss
     
  11. Kilo6_one

    Kilo6_one DB Forum Supporter

    sick looking Evo BTW.
     
  12. durabio

    durabio Birth of a Detailer

    I remember when this product exploded in popularity about a year ago, I would say this does work, not the greatest, but its pretty easy to apply. IMO it makes the wheel a little more glossy and I notice a greater accumulation of brake dust around the edges of my wheel, not sure if its because of the spray though.
     
  13. CU2MIKE

    CU2MIKE Guest

    He used it on matte black wheels, there was an initial shine, but it went away as it dried. He did note this white milky residue on his wheels after it dried.
     
  14. wwevo8

    wwevo8 Birth of a Detailer

    was not my review or evo just a guy from the the forum im on! just to clear it up lol
     
  15. blackgn

    blackgn Virgin Detailer

    Yeah, I tried it out about a year ago and wasn't too impressed with it. Although more work, a couple coats of Colli 476 seemed to work better for me. Here's the original thread from March of 2010: Armor All Wheel Protectant
     
  16. Richard@BlackWow

    Richard@BlackWow DB Certified Manufacturer

    I'm not a fan of Armor Al products but this one certainly works though it greatly depends on the type of wheels you have. As CU2Mike mentioned (he was referring to me), I've got custom powdercoated wheels in two colors, Matte Black and Gloss Red inside.

    It lasts for about 2 weeks or 1,000 miles for me. I tested it in stop and go traffic and during a roadtrip from California to Colorado. My MINI/BMW brake pads dust like mad, and Wheel Protectant definitely cuts down on the "sticking" of it. It makes dirt and water act like mercury.

    I like that it's easy to use, I will wash my car and spray it on in two coats over the front wheels, one coat in the rear, and let it dry overnight.

    Here are some examples from my tests:
    (Although some of the pictures show my front wheel or rear wheel, they were consistent enough that I wanted to show how all the wheels looked)

    These are my wheels when they are clean
    [​IMG]

    Ok sorry for the iPhone photos but you can get the idea

    No Armor All WP, and 100 miles of brake dust
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    After a Dawn Wash
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Immediately after the first application
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    After 1 hour of drying
    [​IMG]

    Second coat applied
    [​IMG]

    Milky haze
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    First Time Notes:
    So after letting it dry overnight, I wiped off the milky residue. It was pretty easy. Not sure if that will impact the protection, but it seemed slightly sticky, so that couldn't be a positive thing as far as repelling dust. I just rubbed it lightly with a MF towel.

    Notes:
    August 7 to August 17
    I drove 80+ miles in stop and go traffic today and no brakedust on my wheels or calipers. That's a huge change from the norm where these BMW pads dust like crazy. I'll be driving atleast 500 miles tomorrow and will report back my findings!
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Notes:
    For me, I guess I'm looking for for just improvement. My wheels are covered in brake dust in just a few hours of stop and go traffic. When my red inner lips get covered, they look pink and grey, lol. The less frequent I need to wash them, the less I worry about the rest of the car being dirty, lol.

    Notes:
    Well 650 miles since application and the inner lip and calipers are still brake dust free! It really works! By now, my wheels and calipers would be totally covered in dust. I give this product a thumbs up..atleast for painted wheels. It does have a milky residue on it, but if you can live with that, it does what it's supposed to do.
    [​IMG]

    Notes:
    Ok, so I covered a major roadtrip of over 2400 miles and I say that the protectant worked well. It's best performance was in the first 800 miles or couple of days. During that time, there was no dust accumulation at all. By the end of th...e 2400 miles or a week later, there was considerable dust on the wheels, though it still came off pretty easily during the wash. Also the milky look was something that would appear, I would wipe it off, but would reappear later. I do think it makes maintaining wheels easier however. I will likely continue testing this product out, and especially use it the day before a show or run with friends!

    Had to drive up a long dirt road to get to the hotel
    [​IMG]

    Obviously the matte painted areas aren't repelling the dirt, but the gloss red areas are. Not sure if it's due to different exposure or just the nature of the paint.
    [​IMG]

    Notes:
    Removing Milky Residue
    I actually just rinsed the wheels with water when I washed the car. When I wiped the wheel with a dry towel, the white residue disappeared.
     
  17. oldcracker

    oldcracker Jedi Nuba

    hey Richard, are the wheels clearcoated?
     
  18. Richard@BlackWow

    Richard@BlackWow DB Certified Manufacturer

    No, they are powdercoated only.

     
  19. watermark

    watermark Virgin Detailer

    I drive a BMW 335i, and this product worked "ok" on the wheels. Kind of let the dust create a sort of milky look to it, hard to explain. However, it works FANTASTIC on the exhaust tips. Actually well worth the money for that.
     
  20. Chaseme

    Chaseme DB Forum Supporter

    Best solution for cutting down on BMW brake dust is dustless pads. :D
     

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