is it better to use car wax or a type of “armor all” product when cleaning and preserving exterior rubber gaskets and plastic? Or is ther some other type of product you would recommend. We park our 09’ F-150 outside in the Florida sun and need to do something to protect it from the elements and keep the rubber and plastic from deteriorating.
How about a car cover?
There are a number of products available that specifically treat plastic, vinyl and rubber. Go to Autotopia.com for reviews on many of the products available. I personally use Meguiar’s, but there are others that will work just as well. Don’t used car wax on your plastic or rubber, it will leave a white residue on the pourous plastic that is very hard to get off.
Yes wax is VERY hard to get off. I have found denatured alcohol to work the best but still a pain.
You have a tough question. Cars just don’t like those conditions.
I would avoid all Armor-all products. They tend to give a quick nice looking appearance, but often end up creating a bigger problem than you had to start with.
That said, I would suggest that having some sort of shade is about it. Even one of those car ports that are just a cloth building type thing, would be far superior to other solutions. Car covers will protect it from UV, but you need to put it on and take it off. They also often move in the wind and can scuff the finish or trap sand under them causing even more damage.
On hard plastic I use wax. On rubber I use nothing.
I agree with those that suggest avoiding ArmorAll.