El Cid

Have used Lexol Vinylex for years with very good results, but it is now almost impossible to find. I don't do Amazon or eBay so those are out as sources.
Advanced Auto Parts has the following: Mequiar's Ultimate Protectant; 303 Protectant; Griot's Interior Cleaner and Mother's VLR that appear interesting. Not looking for a glossy/shiny finish, just a good cleaner/protectant. For use only on vinyl, prefer not an all-purpose.
I tend to suspect all-purpose cleaners.
Anybody had experiences with the above products?
Open to other suggestions, other than Amazon or eBay, etc.

EDIT: Also saw a product from Chemical Guys Total Interior cleaner & protectant.
Thanks.

LILBENZ230

I mean, did you try google? Like, you don't internet shop in general? Only use cash at brick-and-mortar stores?

ECS tuning carries it, but they list it as back-ordered and shipping will cost almost as much as the bottle.

El Cid

Have googled, but only shows up on Amazon or places that charge as much for shipping as the product.
I do not patronize Amazon because I try to support local businesses, even if I have to special order something. But, primarily I do not like Amazon's corporate policies and also the devastation to local businesses and cities it has caused.

LILBENZ230

I couldn't find it on Amazon. It appeared they had it, but when you went to it the product was something different. Wal-Mart was out of stock as well.

Napa auto parts appeared to have it. Not sure about your location but it showed up for me. Also DollarItem did free shipping and appeared to have cases of 6 bottles in stock for $60 with free shipping.

El Cid

Thanks. It would take me a couple of decades to use six bottles Tried the closest NAPA store, but did not show up at all, whereas other brands did. I have to go to the big city in about two weeks so I may call the Pep Boys store there and see if they will order one to two bottles for me. It shows up on their national site.
I have found that a lot of things that show up on Wal-Mart are actually sold and shipped by another company. Wal-Mart just processes your order and takes their cut.

pierrejoliat

I use the Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant, works fine and the shine goes away pretty quickly. I used to use the Lexol but it is hard to find.

bmwpowere36m3

Personally not a fan of clean and protect products... since usually they don't do a good job at either. For cleaning vinyl you can use diluted degreaser (10:1 or adjust strength as needed) or a dedicated vinyl/interior cleaner. For leather I've used diluted Woolite or dedicated cleaners as well in the past.

My current go to:

* P&S Xpress Interior. Its strong and gentle, lathers up great, leaves no residue and finished to a matte shine. I use this on every vinyl, plastic and leather surface inside the car.
* 303 Aerospace Protectant. Used on vinyl and plastic surfaces for protection. Wiped after application to semi-matte finish.
* Sonax Premium Leather Cleaner. Foaming leather cleaner which won't saturate leather and really deep-cleans along with their stiff brush.
* Sonax Care Cream and Brush. Non-greasy cream provides protection to leather surfaces and leaves them matte.

For leather I use P&S are my weekly (or monthly cough, cough) cleaner. Once a year I'll use Sonax for a deeper clean and protection. I tend to buy my detailing supplies from online retailers like Griots, Autopia, theRagCompany, Autogeek, etc..

Left Coast Geek

I use 303 Aerospace Protectant on exterior vinyl, such as awnings.

I use their 303 fabric treatment on my 1993 Cabriolet's sonndheim canvas top. worked wonders, rain bounced off.

I've been using Meguiar's #40 vinyl cleaner on interior stains on our 212, using it lightly, just a spritz or two on the towel that I clean the mark or stain off with, then buff the area with a clean corner of the towel, I'm not saturating whole panels with it.

ygmn

Any of the whit milky products you find are all about the same as Protectant go.
Difference is amount of PDMS in them which is not super duper crucial IMHO.

You said cleaner though... so buy Griots cleaner it is fnie and safe...
Clean
Dry
PROTECT.

Protectant should not be used to just clean as it can covers up some dirt

chassis

If by vinyl you mean MB-Tex, a cotton terry cloth damp with water will do well. A damp with microfiber cloth works wonders on plastic and the leather wrapped steering wheel. No purchased cleaning products are necessary.

VegasE

I live in the desert where sun damage is intense. I've been using saddle soap for cleaner for decades on my car interiors, sedans and convertibles. I use it on plastic, vinyl, MB-Tex, and leather (of course), but not cloth. I then apply conditioner (Connolly or Lexol) to leather surfaces only. Anything that darkens plastic or vinyl is bad because it increases heat absorption which promotes cracking/fading. Anything that leaves a "protectant" film behind is even worse because heat builds up under the film which accelerates damage.

El Cid

Guess I should have been more precise. Actually more interested in protectant than cleaner. Our interiors, even the truck, seldom (if ever) get any dirt or grime on vinyl parts.

Thanks to all who responded. Good information out there.

Oliver Liu

I've used Mother's VLR; it's very greasy.....needs to dry for a long time before you want to touch or sit on it.....can't say I love it.....
(staying tunes for additional recommendations for better products)

bmwpowere36m3

Chemical Guys VRP, water based and doesn’t leave a shiny surface. 303 should be available at WM, West Marine, Home Depot.

I’ve used some Megs natural shine as well, my then GF bought it for her Honda. It needed to be wiped a bit to reduce the shine. It “seemed” to work fine.

Like a lot of things, YMMV... I like trying new things, sometimes you find something that works really nice and better.

For me 303 works fine and leaves a matte-ish finish. Like I said, a step up is CarPro pearl with allows adjustment in shine via dilution and it supposedly lasts a while. Unlike 303, which when used outside washes off rather quickly. Not and issue on interior trims, but exterior rubber and tires...

bmwpowere36m3

Another tip for cleaning, pick up a brush like this: https://theragcompany.com/collection...or-scrub-brush

I thought it was gimmicky, but wow it really deep cleans vinyl surfaces. I’ve gone back over areas I’ve cleaned with a MF towel and cleaner... only to clean up more grime.

Left Coast Geek

oh, several people mentioned 303, there is a 303 vinyl CLEANER, not to be confused with the Protectant, that works GREAT. I find using cleaners like this with a microfiber cloth (not microfleece) works better than the old school tericloth towel/rags.

chassis

Little known fact - MB specifies to NOT use microfiber on MB-Tex. Hence the use of cotton/terry on MB-Tex seats. It's in the owner's manual.

bmwpowere36m3

I've seen the warning... MF towels are standard today in detailing. Not sure what the issue MB has with them.

Left Coast Geek

cheap MF towels do tend to shed a lot of bright colored fibers, these probably make a mess thats hard to clean off the surface.

ghlkal

I've been using 303 protectant on my wood trim, but I didn't consider it for the leather.

Their site indicates it can be used on leather, as some of you indicated

chassis

Polyester in the microfiber cloths is similar in hardness, or harder, than the seat vinyl and the stitching threads. Extensive rubbing and scrubbing over time may remove the vinyl finish and fray stitching. Clearly not a one-occurrence situation but rather exposure over time. Picture the vinyl with a dull surface and frayed or fuzzy stitching.

El Cid

Never heard this. Will have to look up in my way too detailed Operator's Manual. However, I have been using MF towels on my vehicles since 2010 with zero problems. Then again, we do not have dirty/grimy spots in our cars (other than carpets), so no reason to bear down. Just use them to apply and/or wipe off the protectant.
Thanks for the info though.

Tried to change thread title, but unable to.

chassis

@El Cid Using microfiber on MB-Tex has been addressed on this site several times. If you try the search function you will probably find the owner's manual reference on MB-Tex cleaning in the search results.

El Cid

My manual does NOT state not to use microfiber towels on the MB-Tex. I have used them for over 11 years with no problems. They are not cheap, but also not expensive either. OM says to use a lint-free towel or a cloth moistened in mild detergent.
I tried the search function and could not find anything saying not to use MF towels on MB-Tex or any other part of car.
However, as I noted above, I do not really clean my vinyl and plastics as they never get dirty. I just used Vinlyex as a protectant.

bmwpowere36m3

I've seen the warning, but I can't remember if its in the printed OM or online versions.... if it affected stitching, then leather seats would have a similar problem. Your telling me seats that should be designed to withstand sitting in them, with some amount of dust/dirt present, moving around for thousands of miles... but can't take occasional cleaning with MF, okay.

What I find it actually the surfaces, whether leather or vinyl become "glossy" (i.e., polished) over time from gunk and friction.