Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bassexpander]

I purchased a bottle of Armor All to make my tires and dashboard shiny about three years ago. Finally ran out. Now I can't seem to find it anywhere, however I see many copy-cat Korean brands on the shelves.

Was this yet another product that was allowed to be sold here until the formula was stolen, then pushed out due to taxes or whatever?

[BoholDiver]

I wouldn't be surprised. Or it wasn't profitable for them to do business here anymore.

[madoka]

You don't want to use armor all anyways. From a car site:

"Probably the most widely-known and widely-used vinyl "protectant" product, Armor-All dominates the market and has been the topic of much heated debate. Opponents to Armor-All have claimed that Armor-All causes the dashboard to dry out and crack more quickly than it would have had it been left untreated due to it bringing oils in the vinyl to the top. Many IZCC members have backed up this claim with experience, mostly having to do with applying Armor-All to dashboards that, although uncracked, were old and may not have been treated with Armor-All in the past. Reports are that after applying Armor-All to an uncracked dash it cracked in a very short time (weeks). In Armor-All's defense, one member is the original owner of a 23-year-old Z and has faithfully used Armor-All and nothing else, and there are no cracks in the dash [I should point out that this particular IZCC member excercises a great deal of care and feeding of his cars -jk]. There are also reports of an ex-Armor-All employee who alleges that the company intentionally sold the product knowing full well that it would have adverse affects on vinyl parts that it is used on. By far, the overwhelming opinion of IZCC members seems to be that it is not the best choice to keep your dash looking good long-term."

There was also an allegation which appeared in the LA Times by a former Armor All research manager who claimed that the company knew the product caused tires and air bag covers to weaken and crack.

If I were you, I would look for Meguiars or Lexol products, though I don't know if they are around in Korea.

[djsmnc]

Well, if it's a subject of debate, there seems to be no well researched evidence. When I have used Armor-All, it worked wonders on my dashboard. Though I will say your post is one to consider.

[bassexpander]

Used it for years on four cars. Never had a cracked dash. It's not like I was applying it more than once every few months, though.

I bought a Korean brand for about 4,500 won from E-mart. I didn't try it on the dash yet, but it did an OK job on the tires.

[cangel]

I had a friend who used Armor All on his tires. His tires shined and shined and then cracked and died... His dash was fine, though. I kind of chalk it uo to buying 4 new tires for $160 (installed and balanced). Cheap tires!

The one blatant copy product that I have seen a lot of recently is Kicker, fake Kit Kat bars.

[bluelake]

[tall_dave]