How To Maintain Interior Vinyl and Rubber Surfaces

Auto detailers take great pride in a car's appearance, including the outside plastic and rubber areas. The inside needs a little love, too! With continued exposure to sunlight and uv rays, the dashboard, steering wheel, door panels and plastic trim can deteriorate. It can fade and dry out, leading to discoloration and cracking. Taking good care of the interior will keep your car feeling like new long after that new car smell is gone.

There are three parts to caring for the vinyl and rubber: cleaning, conditioning and dressing.

Any all purpose cleaner may be used for general cleaning. For really stubborn grime, a specialty product such as Malco Aero Thunder Aerosol or Meguiar's M39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner may work better.

Conditioning is the most important step for keeping the vinyl from becoming brittle. It will revive dull, faded areas, screen out ultraviolet rays and prevent drying and cracking. Check out CarPro PERL and Meguiar's Mirror Bright Vinyl & Rubber Treatment.

Most people don't like when the dashboard is too shiny and blinds you while driving west in the afternoon. For a light matte or satin finish use an interior spray detailer or a properly diluted water-based dressing. Aerosol coatings tend to leave a shinier finish that may feel greasy or produce glare.