Aerospace 303 vs other protectants

[aquariuscsm]

I recently bought a new bottle of Formula F21. They`ve changed the formula and it isn`t what it used to be,a total waste of money imo. I`ve thought about ordering a bottle of Aerospace 303,but I`ve Googled it and there`s a ton of mixed opinions,just like with stuff like Armor All,etc. Is it really THAT much better than something like Armor All,or is it just a bunch of hype? I basically just want to keep all the outter rubber mouldings,etc in showroom condition. I`ve thought about just going back to the old school Armor All since the Formula F21 changed the way it`s made.

So,what`s the verdict,is 303 worth all the hype?

 

[XS650]

I think it is. It's easy to use, as far as I can tell it works.

It doesn't make stuff look shiny, it makes it look more like its well cared for and nearly new. If you are looking for a real shiny looking dressing, you won't like it.

If you aren't looking for greasy shiny, try some.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Agreed with XS650.

I just grabbed another bottle of 303 from Ace Hardware last week.

 

[saaber1]

303 is great and as said above does not make things shiny. I use it for interior surfaces. It's forte is UV protection.

If you want to keep rubber moldings soft and pliable there is nothing better than dupont krytox. It lasts a very, very long time. Can get it from saab, volvo, bmw, vw, gm dealers but have to find a knowledegable parts guy sometimes. It's expensive. Available as a grease, liquid, or spray. I don't recommend the spray because you don't get that much material for the money. Liquid is the easiest to apply. You can buy the grease from mcmaster-carr

 

[kkreit01]

303 is good. My bottle lasted several years. I like to try new products, thus I bought Surf City Dash Away from Napa. I like the looks & smell of it better than 303, and it's cheaper. You literally can't tell anything is on your dash -- it just looks new and clean. No shine with Dash Away (if that's what you prefer). 303 probably provides better UV protection. I may still use it for my tonneau cover, and other exterior items.

 

[harry j]

303 now has it's formulation in a wipe form. Excellent for underhood detailing as well as on weather stripping.

 

[MKZman]

Originally Posted By: kkreit01
303 probably provides better UV protection.


Unfortunately, there is no standard for indicating UV protection ability. We just have manufacturing claims and endorsements.

 

[kkreit01]

^ True. Dash Away doesn't mention anything about "protecting" on the bottle or website. Thus, I contacted Surf City prior to buying. They promptly replied, and stated it provides protection against UVA and UVB rays, and no additional "protectant" is needed. I really like this stuff. It's an excellent cleaner -- which 303 is not. It runs $9.99/bottle -- which is a good 25% less than 303.

 

[Craig in Canada]

My favourite dressing is Meguiar's #40, but 303 is a very close second. Since I ran out of #40 the last time it's become harder to source and I opted to just use up other things I've bought to try.

I'm pretty happy with it as an interior dressing, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It seems to have a decent amount of cleaning ability during application (not all do), and isn't super-glossy. I've been applying it with a sponge pad (ie. a wax applicator).

I don't use it under the hood or on tires.

 

[inHaliburton]

I use 303 on the hull of my canoe. Does a nice job and looks great. Do not use on inside of hull, makes it very slippery.

 

[Hessen]

Been using 303 for about 7 years with great results. Excellent protectant and "brightener" for most interior surfaces and exterior trim. IMO worth every penny. The downside is that it CAN look streaky/splotchy if too much is applied or not wiped down properly. When done right it gives a solid OEM look. It's worthless for parts and trim that are faded (i.e. black exterior trim).

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I have a small bottle of 303. When wiped down after application, it leaves a low sheen look. Otherwise it leaves a shiny surface. The smell of it bothers me. Can't really describe it, but it lasts for ~ 1 week after application. It's not particularly pleasant. I would buy it again but since I like trying new things, I probably will try something else after I'm finished with it. Probably won't last long on the exterior. It's water based after all.

Don't bother with something called Black Wow either. This might sound a little crazy, but try finding Black Magic Matte Tire dressing. It's water based and I like the low sheen look it leave on my tires. Seems to last through rain storms too. I normally don't like Black Magic stuff so this is actually decent stuff. I would expect it to hold up on your exterior rubber.

 

[RTexasF]

Black Wow is for severely faded external trim or plastic and renews it easily. Excellent product in my opinion, in fact there's none better when used on the correct surface and directions are followed.

 

[Schmoe]

That 303 stuff is amazing. You can use it on the dash, tires, weatherstripping. I've even used it on my gelcoat finish on the boat for UV protection.

 

[Footpounds]

Originally Posted By: Hessen
It's worthless for parts and trim that are faded (i.e. black exterior trim).


I disagree and in fact, it is for this very reason that I use 303! I have a Tacoma with the black plastic fender flares and if I neglect them for too long, especially in the summer sun, they will almost turn white. 303 brings them back to like new condition. It may take several applications but it always works.

 

[EMPIRE]

i use Mothers vinyl/rubber/plastic protectant, or Lexol's Vinylex. Mothers smells nice, Lexol has no smell. i believe Vinylex has better UV protection. both do a very nice job of keeping vinyl/rubber/plastic looking new and protected. both leave no sticky residue, will not brown, and take a fairly long time to fade away. also cheaper than 303. try them and see for yourself.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: EMPIRE
i use Mothers vinyl/rubber/plastic protectant, or Lexol's Vinylex. Mothers smells nice, Lexol has no smell. i believe Vinylex has better UV protection. both do a very nice job of keeping vinyl/rubber/plastic looking new and protected. both leave no sticky residue, will not brown, and take a fairly long time to fade away. also cheaper than 303. try them and see for yourself.


Vinylex is another one of those products I bought to try because of all the hype and still have an almost full container sitting around. I personally found Vinylex to have absolutely no "cleaning" ability at all. When doing interiors I found it couldn't remove even the slightest amount of dirt on the vinyl, it would simply "protect" over top of it. Since I had just bought a car with light grey interior, this was a big deal to me. Yes, I could use separate products, but I was already devoting enough time to detailing. Some purists probably disagree.

I've found that both 303 and my fave Meguiar's #40 have some decent amount of cleaning ability as well as good protection and a good shine level. The M#40 seems to have a good smell (to me anyways) which stays behind for a bit. I agree that 303 doesn't smell...great...but I don't object to it.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Well,I ended up buying a bottle of armor all original formula. Blows away the newly changed formula f21 stuff! Anyone here ever try the armor all ultra shine stuff?

 

[EMPIRE]

i stay away from AA. go look at their MSDS for their products, many of them use petroleum distillates !!


Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada


Vinylex is another one of those products I bought to try because of all the hype and still have an almost full container sitting around. I personally found Vinylex to have absolutely no "cleaning" ability at all. When doing interiors I found it couldn't remove even the slightest amount of dirt on the vinyl, it would simply "protect" over top of it. Since I had just bought a car with light grey interior, this was a big deal to me. Yes, I could use separate products, but I was already devoting enough time to detailing. Some purists probably disagree.

I've found that both 303 and my fave Meguiar's #40 have some decent amount of cleaning ability as well as good protection and a good shine level. The M#40 seems to have a good smell (to me anyways) which stays behind for a bit. I agree that 303 doesn't smell...great...but I don't object to it.


i dunno... i use a "cleaning" product to clean. i use a "protectant" to protect. having two-in-one is like using Pert all-in-one shampoo/conditioner.

do you really need to "clean" everything? if so then perhaps you should be more careful to not get every sq.in. of surface dirty to the point you need to "clean" it...?

also, the title of this thread is "303 vs other Protectants"

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: EMPIRE
i stay away from AA. go look at their MSDS for their products, many of them use petroleum distillates !!



i dunno... i use a "cleaning" product to clean. i use a "protectant" to protect. having two-in-one is like using Pert all-in-one shampoo/conditioner.

do you really need to "clean" everything? if so then perhaps you should be more careful to not get every sq.in. of surface dirty to the point you need to "clean" it...?

also, the title of this thread is "303 vs other Protectants"


Hmm, spoken like a person who rides alone in their car and doesn't have kids.

Let me put it this way - when I used it Vinylex cleaned less than plain water. I expect the product that I use on interior plastics to do at least as much as a wet rag and both 303 and #40 do a better than that as well as being excellent protectants. On my paint I don't use any combo steps so don't accuse me of short-cutting everywhere. As I said I already spend too much time detailing and didn't need to make interior plastic detailing a multi-step process too.