and no i dont think armor all harms rubber but i would never use it any way
mike phillips explained why the myth was created and how there was some truth behind it
"First of all, modern plastic dashes, (this includes vinyl, which is a type of plastic), are far more advanced in their chemistry than vinyl dashes 30, 20 and even 10 years ago. Just like most things, when new technology comes along to make a product better, most companies adopt it. I can’t say that I have seen too many dashes on modern cars crack.
The way older vinyl dashes were made, a Plasticizer was included in the vinyl to help make the plastic soft, elastic and flexible. Over time, and exposure to heat and direct sunlight, the plasticizers in the vinyl break down, deteriorate and the vinyl becomes hard and brittle and susceptible to cracking instead of flexing.
Some vinyl protectants in the past used a plasticizer in their formula to soften the vinyl to make it flexible, and keep it flexible. Here was the problem with that, there’s an old saying, �Like products dissolve like products�, this was the case with the plasticizer in some protectant products, it had a tendency to dissolve and leach out the vinyl’s original plasticizers prematurely thus accelerating the deterioration process. This could lead to cracking in vinyl dashes because the vinyl became more brittle and hard.
An analogy is your finger nails. When your fingernails are hard and brittle, they will crack. After exposing them to water for an extended period of time, shower, swimming, bath, hot tub, etc. your fingernails become soft and flexible, much less prone to cracking or breaking. Because of new technology used to make plastics, plasticizers in products are no longer an issue.
Meguiar’s vinyl products contain no plasticizers.
Meguiar’s vinyl products don’t use any ingredients that are harmful to vinyl, and in fact just the opposite. Some of Meguiar’s vinyl protectants contain safe and gentle chemical cleaners to help clean the vinyl so you don’t seal and trap dirt and dust into the surface. Meguiar’s M-40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner is an example of a vinyl protectant that contains a safe chemical cleaner.
Other ingredients used in Meguiar’s vinyl products are in their to block out UV rays which fade the vinyl by breaking down the pigments used to give vinyl it’s color. Some ingredients add protection by leaving behind a coating that water proofs vinyl and prevents staining. Specialized ingredients penetrate into the vinyl and create beauty while helping to maintain flexibility. Other ingredients, such as silicones are added to create shine.
By the way, Meguiar’s uses no harmful silicones in any of the products. Silicones are inert, they have no negative effect to the surface or material they are applied to. In some formulas they ad shine, in some formulas the improve application and removal which is a benefit to the user."
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