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Thu Jun 25, 2009 3:29 pm

Ok, so I replaced my dash pad a while back and Im pretty sure Icy suggested to use Vaseline as a protective coating for it as Armorall tends to mess crap up because once it dries out anything used with it cracks like hell. So taking this idea I noticed that my seals are starting to dry rot pretty quickly and figured I could use it to help make it last just a bit longer as I really dont want to have to install new seals all around just yet.

Any way I got the Vaseline out of my truck today (it was a steady 100+ degrees in the cab) and opened it up and the stuff was completely liquid. So I went to testing it out on some of the rubber and naturally the paint got some of it. Now keep in mind my Ghia's single stage is starting to show its age and it is oxidized to the point that it looks like a dirty satin. Then I got to thinking.

I really cant wax the car right now as any wax that I try to use is going to dry VERY quickly due to the heat and become crusty, mix that in with the idea that detailing around the emblems of the car and the crevices will show milky dusty white spots of dried up wax, which doesnt look too good. Enter idea of liquidized Vaseline. I tried it out on the top of the car for shits and giggles and it actually looks pretty good. The paint absorbed it well and has a nice sheen to it similar to waxing it but it never dried up and gave the top a nice liquid look but nothing horrible. I know that the "pros" use carnauba wax which is some outrageously pricey stuff and I know I wouldnt buy it (http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-fuzion-carnauba-polymer-car-wax.html) and at $175 I cant justify that, unless I was rolling a Bugatti Veyron... which Im not.

So Im thinking of washing the car then using this liquefied Vaseline as a wax/protective coating. It seems to smooth out easily and goes a long way and has a real benefit to becoming liquid at such a high heat and is actually cheaper then waxes at Wal Mart.

I figure if its good for keeping dash pads looking good and shinny, why not the paint of the car.

Im opening this up for good discussion so any ideas of input is good.
Im going to go back to the car tonight and see how it pans out once it cools to around the high 70's/low 80's and see if it gels which is the only downside I see, but then again since it was liquefied then it was an even spread to it much like paint levels out.
Maybe im crazy but if I am, let me know.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:40 pm

Hmmm, I am curious to hear if it works for you. However if it real does work that well on seals I will be trying that for sure. Good Luck.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:44 pm

I posted the idea up on the other forum which they had a good point is that Vaseline doesnt dry up which could cause it to attach to dirt. I am wondering how it is going to stand up to UV protection though and as it is glycerin based Im thinking it will last longer maybe and since it traps the dirt it may protect it from the dirt embedding into the paint there fore you just wash it off then reapply a new coat.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:10 pm

The PO of a Ghia 'vert I used to own told me
he used copious amounts of petroleum jelly
rubbed into the vinyl convertible top.
That did seem to preserve it quite well but
I could never talk myself into giving it a try
on my own.
The top still looked good years later when I sold that Ghia.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:28 pm

I have brought old floor mats back with a vaseline rubdown. I thinks Icy has preached this in the past.

Rich

Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:25 am

I read that somewhere on-line as well and when I started my rebuild, I took the interior arm rests, coated them in vaseline and wrapped them in plastic wrap. Seven year later when I upwrapped them...they look almost new. And I can't see any of those little microcracks on the surface.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:05 am

It probably won't hurt your paint but it seems to me you will have a mess after it rains and you get dirt on it.

I remember as a kid the old timers would use Johnson's paste wax which I think has beeswax as a base. It was a bear to apply as it was hard as a rock but it shined great and held up well.

You might want to consider it as an alternative to pricey waxes, particularly if you have a power buffer. They sell the stuff in bulk for institutional uses. Of course the temps have to be right for application.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:06 am

Makes sense. Vaseline is petroleum-based; so's a lot of the rubber on your car. :)

Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:31 pm

I tried it last night and it was definitely gelled. It seems that when its hot outside with both the Vaseline and the car that it applies just like a hot wax and works pretty well. The rubber is getting some moisture back slowly but surely. When it was cooler out last night I didnt like the results as the gell was much harder to apply and did not smooth as well. Id love to do some test shots to show you guys what Im talking about but I am trapped at work until 6, like I said, it only seems to really work when its 100* outside and when the car is blistering hot.

I did try it on the interior and holy crap, Icy was right, looks better then when I found it in the box.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:44 pm

Ghia Nut wrote:

Quote: ...Icy was right

You really should not have said that! :lol:

Sat Jun 27, 2009 5:27 am

Really Nova, think I better run over there & check his head size this morn :?: :?: :?: :lol:

Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:30 am

I quit using Armor ALL years ago. Water based, you have to apply it too damned often, and (like ChapStik) it is commonly regarded as ultimately damaging.

Try Lexol leather conditioner. Once or twice a year, it really permeates vinyl and will keep it better.

Pat
the Other Pat

Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:00 am

Armor All is the Painters nightmare, spray Armor All near your car and you will have fish eyes from hell the next time you need to paint anything on it. Lexol is the pro's choice.

Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:46 pm

All rubber o-rings on the fuel systems of jumbo jets are coated with vaseline on assembly. I personally use it (sparingly) on all the o-rings in my carburetors.

Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:06 pm

74Pepper wrote: Makes sense. Vaseline is petroleum-based; so's a lot of the rubber on your car. :)

Actually, this is not true. Most rubber and vinyl products on our cars are rubber or synthetic and not neoprene, which is oil resistant. I'm watching this thread with interest, because in the chemical world, "rubber" and Vaseline are not compatible. Rubber products should deteriorate in the presence of a petroleum product like Vaseline, and I'm not sure why they are not. Have you ever soaked a piece of rubber heater hose in fuel overnight? It blows up 3x the size it was 12 hours earlier!

Rubber products: Interior parts, tires, floor mats, glass gaskets, weatherstripping.

Neoprene: Fuel lines, oil seals and o-rings, anything that touches oil or fuel.

All of the stuff you guys are treating with Vaseline should, in theory, freak out when a petroleum substance is applied to it. I don't understand why it is not.
Good Luck!

Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:31 am

EUSTexas wrote: I quit using Armor ALL years ago. Water based, you have to apply it too damned often, and (like ChapStik) it is commonly regarded as ultimately damaging.

Try Lexol leather conditioner. Once or twice a year, it really permeates vinyl and will keep it better.

Pat
the Other Pat Armor All is silicone based, not water based. That's why it makes the surface slick and shiny and why it will cause paint to fish-eye. That is also the reason why it destroys vinyl dash tops and seats. Unless it is applied regularly, it sucks all of the petroleum residue out of where it was applied.

I've been told that baby oil works great as a preservative as well.

Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:35 am

In the 911 owner's manual Porsche actually recommends the use of petroleum jelly on the Fuchs wheels to preserve the finish.

Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:34 am

Bruce Amacker wrote: 74Pepper wrote: Makes sense. Vaseline is petroleum-based; so's a lot of the rubber on your car. :)

Actually, this is not true. Most rubber and vinyl products on our cars are rubber or synthetic and not neoprene, which is oil resistant. I'm watching this thread with interest, because in the chemical world, "rubber" and Vaseline are not compatible. Rubber products should deteriorate in the presence of a petroleum product like Vaseline, and I'm not sure why they are not. Have you ever soaked a piece of rubber heater hose in fuel overnight? It blows up 3x the size it was 12 hours earlier!

Rubber products: Interior parts, tires, floor mats, glass gaskets, weatherstripping.

Neoprene: Fuel lines, oil seals and o-rings, anything that touches oil or fuel.

All of the stuff you guys are treating with Vaseline should, in theory, freak out when a petroleum substance is applied to it. I don't understand why it is not.
Good Luck! this is everything i was always told as well i will be following this post.
as for fixing the paint with a grease rubdown it is a seriously old used car lot trick and with enough applied to be shiny attracks dirt and dust like mad

Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:57 am

Baby oil is mineral oil and fragrance. I use straight mineral oil on my slate fireplace surround, never tried it on anything else. I have used fuser oil on my wheels. The color copier we had here at the office was made in such a way that it would leave a few ounces in the bottom of the bottle when filled so I would take it home to use on my wheels. It had the same consistency as mineral oil but is synthetic.

Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:45 am

I use this, if its good enough for Aston Martin and Rolls Royce its good enough for me :wink:

Airhead