Have I ruined my interior with Meguiars APC?

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D10123

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I used Meguiars APC 10:1 on my interior and it has stained some of the hard plastic areas(around window switches, center console, airbag). In some spots I accidentally let over-spray dry, and others I was just cleaning normally and then wiping with water.


Also some over-spray dried on the glass and won't come off. So far I have tried Invisible Glass, alcohol, and vinegar.

Any tips to remedy these issues?
 
APC and White Staining

Hi. Try the link above if it will get you there. Or google APC white staining and AutoGeek. Seems it may be related to 'hard water' and not using distilled or 'soft' water. That and Meguiar's APC has been known to 'etch' a little according to the same link... I bet if you 'soften' the water you'll be fine...

i'm sure some more seasoned pros will chime in...

peace
 
I’ve experienced the exact same thing with others APC’s and simply there is no turning back. I stopped to use apc in interior trim. only in floor carpets. I upped my game and started to use more premium products like Inside from CarPro or vynil cleaner from gyeon. In that specific case i must use a conditioner to hide that blank discolorations... it ‘s very dissapointing when you use ‘detailing products’ to avoid cheap ones and you end in this kind of situation....


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
 
Goonie75 said:
APC and White Staining

Hi. Try the link above if it will get you there. Or google APC white staining and AutoGeek. Seems it may be related to 'hard water' and not using distilled or 'soft' water. That and Meguiar's APC has been known to 'etch' a little according to the same link... I bet if you 'soften' the water you'll be fine...

i'm sure some more seasoned pros will chime in...

peace
Click to expand...

Sorry but not my case! I only use distilled water in my dilutuons and it happened with me and with several apc’s. Don’t agree in this one


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
 
Put some leather conditioner on it. It may take a couple or more applications, but it should bring it back to normL. I’ve had the same problem before, usually happens with Toyota or Honda dashboards & door panels if you steam clean them with APC. Leather conditioner brings it back. I use Megs D180.
 
D10123 said:
I used Meguiars APC 10:1 on my interior and it has stained some of the hard plastic areas(around window switches, center console, airbag). In some spots I accidentally let over-spray dry, and others I was just cleaning normally and then wiping with water.


Also some over-spray dried on the glass and won't come off. So far I have tried Invisible Glass, alcohol, and vinegar.

Any tips to remedy these issues?
Click to expand...

I switched to this: Optimum Opti Clean Concentrate, OptiClean cleaner protectant, Optimum all purpose cleaner protectant and never looked back...

I still use Meg's APC for mats and exterior cleaning but Opti-Clean really works better for me.
 
Route246 said:
I switched to this: Optimum Opti Clean Concentrate, OptiClean cleaner protectant, Optimum all purpose cleaner protectant and never looked back...

I still use Meg's APC for mats and exterior cleaning but Opti-Clean really works better for me.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, are you talking about Optimum Power Clean which is an amazing APC/degreaser? I know Opti-Clean is a waterless wash but it works great as an interior detailer. IMO Optimum made the names of these two very different products way too similar.
 
D10123 said:
I used Meguiars APC 10:1 on my interior and it has stained some of the hard plastic areas(around window switches, center console, airbag). In some spots I accidentally let over-spray dry, and others I was just cleaning normally and then wiping with water.


Also some over-spray dried on the glass and won't come off. So far I have tried Invisible Glass, alcohol, and vinegar.

Any tips to remedy these issues?
Click to expand...

On cars this old I try my best to avoid using any APC or degreaser. If it's really bad I'll used M37 Hi-Intensity APC+ but I dilute is 20:1.

In the future, I would just clean with a low-nap microfiber towel and a mild cleaning product like M37 N-914, Optimum Opti-clean, D114, ONR, M37 Fast Interior detailer, etc.

If you do feel you need to use an APC, just use a dramatically weaker dilution and be sure to wipe the surface down with a damp towel to neutralize the alkalinity.

If you have a tornador (even the classic) you would be amazed by how well just using distilled water cleans.


Onto remedying the problem...Optimum Protectant plus AKA Optimum Leather protectant has impressive filling ability on vinyl and plastic surfaces. It does an amazing job restoring the factory appearance and can even hide scuffs and scratches. It may take several applications to restore the appearance. Unfortunately, the next time you use a harsh cleaner like D101 it will strip the protection and you'll always have to reapply an interior protectant.

Rather than using D101 again, just use an interior detailer like 1z Cockpit Premium or M37 Fast Interior Detailer to maintain the vinyl and plastics.
 
I like ONR, or Meguiar's M40 for those parts.

I tend to use D101 on carpet, upholstery, floor mats, and wheel wells.
 
mwoywod said:
Just to clarify, are you talking about Optimum Power Clean which is an amazing APC/degreaser? I know Opti-Clean is a waterless wash but it works great as an interior detailer. IMO Optimum made the names of these two very different products way too similar.
Click to expand...

Power Clean is nasty and strong as a degreaser. Opti-Clean is more gentle and interior-friendly. I stopped using APCs on dash and interior doors and mainly use it for floor mats and totally filthy seats but for wipe-down type cleaning I use Opti-Clean.
 
Thanks for the replies, I will try a leather conditioner and see if that helps it. I will be keeping APC away from all interiors going forward.

Any idea how to remove it from glass? Might have to try a glass polish.
 
Goonie75 said:
APC and White Staining

Hi. Try the link above if it will get you there. Or google APC white staining and AutoGeek. Seems it may be related to 'hard water' and not using distilled or 'soft' water. That and Meguiar's APC has been known to 'etch' a little according to the same link... I bet if you 'soften' the water you'll be fine...

i'm sure some more seasoned pros will chime in...

peace
Click to expand...

Never had any issue with Meguiar's D103 APC. D101 should be fine too. I dilute all my concentrates with distilled water.
 
Meguiars make some of the best APCs on the market. Avoiding them is not the solution, What you need to do it learn why it did that and not repeat the same error. From the post that came after yours, it seems like it's hard water issue. So use distilled water and the problem is resolved. I have used D103 at 10:1 on everything and it never damaged anything. This product cleans very well and the only downside to it is the smell that is unpleasant.
 
See the image. That "sun" thing the someone tell that degraded the plastic is not true...In this seat lateral part there is not afected by the sun...appeared after 2nd time using APC

View attachment 63386

In the dashboard, you can imagine the effect....it ruined my car...this "detail kind of" products... :nomore:
 
Calendyr said:
Meguiars make some of the best APCs on the market. Avoiding them is not the solution, What you need to do it learn why it did that and not repeat the same error. From the post that came after yours, it seems like it's hard water issue. So use distilled water and the problem is resolved. I have used D103 at 10:1 on everything and it never damaged anything. This product cleans very well and the only downside to it is the smell that is unpleasant.
Click to expand...

"Use distilled water and the problem is solved" .......Really?

No one is telling him to avoid APC's. We're telling him that APC's and D101 in particular can be very caustic and are highly alkaline. On an older vehicle, specifically like the vehicle in the OP's photos, the plastics and vinyl surfaces can be more sensitive to high alkaline cleaners and EVEN when diluted properly, there are instances where D101 and other APC's may be too strong and can potentially etch the surfaces.
 
mwoywod said:
"Use distilled water and the problem is solved" .......Really?

No one is telling him to avoid APC's. We're telling him that APC's and D101 in particular can be very caustic and are highly alkaline. On an older vehicle, specifically like the vehicle in the OP's photos, the plastics and vinyl surfaces can be more sensitive to high alkaline cleaners and EVEN when diluted properly, there are instances where D101 and other APC's may be too strong and can potentially etch the surfaces.
Click to expand...

I have yet to see anything like that. Granted I work mostly on newer cars, but I have worked on cars from the 80s and 90s and never experienced issues with APC at 10:1. Will keep that in mind for future projects.
 
I know that there are not a lot of Simple Green fans here on the forum but it is a relatively safe APC. It has a pH of around 9 and diluted 10:1, it makes it a safe cleaner. Meguiars D101 on the other hand has a high alkaline pH of around 13. That is one level below oven cleaner. I would not use it on interiors.
 
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