Everyone agrees not to use Armor-all.
FWIW, I don't agree. I used Armor All on my cover for 8 years and it was in like-new condition, as shiny and flexible at the end as at the beginning.
Elsewhere, last October, Dr. Spa had said, "As for armor all, DO NOT USE IT on ANY vinyl product..... Basically it removes all the natural plasticizers from the vinyl and replaces them with it's own version..... If you don't reapply the armorall quite regularly, your vinyl will crack and fall apart quite prematurely."
Curious about this, I googled "Armor All" with "sucks", "problems", "research" and "crack". I found little of substance. Mostly it is people repeating a rumour, a sort of urban legend that everyone has heard from a friend of a friend or heard on the internet but never bothered to verify. It seems to be one of those things that "everyone knows", just as everybody "knew" that the earth was flat. It's the "where there's smoke there's fire" excuse for thinking: "If it weren't true, why would everybody say it?" For the psychology of this, I refer you to
www.snopes.com, an urban legends site.
Here are some results from my internet search:
"Armor All looks good, gives a nice shine, etc., but I hear there's something in it...that over time will actually dry the vinyl out." is a typical comment. (
http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Body/vinyl.htm; this thread reviews a few versions of the story, with various degrees of pseudo-science)
"The story goes like so: If you apply a dressing on a vinyl surface, you will have to apply it regularly to that vinyl surface or it will start to crack. There is no real evidence that this is true, at least with modern day dressings." (
http://www.web-cars.com/detail/dressings.php - an auto detailing site)
"There was once a debate over the effectiveness of the product Armor-All . One assertion was that, instead of replacing softening oils, Armor-All actually brought oils to the surface causing them to evaporate more quickly. Of course, another study showed the complete opposite." (
http://www.pslc.ws/mactest/work/dash.htm) Can't find a study that shows either.
"Appears to cause long-term damage to vinyl which is exposed to ultraviolet."
http://www1.epinions.com/content_231006768772 - this is a well-done anecdotal account of dashboard deterioration which the author, rightly or wrongly, attributes to Armor All. If it weren't for the date, I'd be prepared to consider this the source of the whole rumor.
"I can't prove their claims, but there's a contingent that believes Armor-All prematurely ages plastic." (
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/38466 - maybe because there's no proof?)
Might we consider the possibility that the whole thing was the result of a slur from a competing product? Hard to say; there is never any source attached to the rumor (typical of one type of urban legend). It's hard to refute what's not there.
Armor All directly denies the story (but then, you'd expect that): "Protectants can help protect your car from the elements that can cause your dash to fade and your tyres to crack. Surfaces can't become "addicted" to protectants, and damage is a result of neglect, not use." (
http://www.armorall.com.au/content.aspx?id=19)
For objective information, I turned to the various vinyl trade organizations. The Vinyl Institute (
http://www.vinylinfo.org/) has NOTHING about Armor All, nor did the Canadian Vinyl Council (
http://www.plastics.ca/vinyl/default.php?). The Vinyl Siding Institute actually RECOMMENDS Armor All as a cleaner (
http://www.vinylsiding.org/aboutsiding/cleanmain/cleaning/).
My conclusion: nothing wrong with Armor All for spa covers.In the end, I emailed the Armor All people to ask about the suitability of their product for marine-grade vinyl. Here is their reply:
"ARMOR ALL Protectant is a water based silicone emulsion specifically designed to protect and beautify polymeric materials such as rubber, plastic, vinyl and leather. The protectant fights deterioration caused by ozone, oxidation and ultra-violet radiation. It does not contain plasticizers, petroleum or alcohol.
While we are confident that ARMOR ALL Protectant is both safe and effective, we are also aware that nothing can prevent the eventual failure of polymeric materials. Deterioration of these materials can start within one year of service. The rate of this deterioration is dependent upon many factors, including exposure to the elements, the amount of care given to the surface, and the original quality of the material. I hope this information answers your concerns and that you will continue to use ARMOR ALL with confidence.
This is our statement for use on vinyl in automobiles. The vinyl used for hot tub covers or boat covers are different in that many of the manufacturers treat with a substance to make them waterproof. The product they treat it with may react with the Armor All. I have spoken to consumers that have had good luck with the product on hot tub covers. However, since we have not tested our product in this type of application we can not recommend it. " [Well, uh, with a large and growing number of hot tub owners, maybe you should test it, and recommend it!]
So there's my verdict - charge dismissed for lack of evidence. But I'm willing to reconsider my opinion if presented with solid, verifiable proof to the contrary.
