New car = blotchy dash

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kkreit01

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I recently bought a new MKZ, that had sat on the dealer's lot for over 1 year. Needless to say, the inside and out needed some minor attention and protection. The dash is dark gray. I have treated it with Surf City Dash Away, PB's Natural Look, and Megs Natural Shine. It still looks blotchy in places when you look at an angle. It looks much better than initially, but some spots still look "drier" than others. Should I just keep treating it every few days, or try something new? I've used 303 in the past. Would it help? Seems like I need a "conditioner" rather than "cleaner or protectant"? Would a leather conditioner help (I have Megs GC Cleaner & Conditioner)?
 
Not familiar with a 2010 MKZ dash. but alot of late model cars have a textured style dash to prevent glare. This type of material is not meant to be treated

Probally not the answer you wanted, but its all I got
 
I've used DP interior protectant on similar dash/material and it gives it a shimmer affect. I'll spray a micro fibre towel "generously" and wipe the entire dash, and then wipe off with a clean MF towel.
 
Flash Gordon said:
Not familiar with a 2010 MKZ dash. but alot of late model cars have a textured style dash to prevent glare. This type of material is not meant to be treated

Probally not the answer you wanted, but its all I got
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It's actually the vertical piece in front of passenger (passenger airbag area) which looks the most blotchy. The actual top of dash looks OK.
 
kkreit01 said:
It's actually the vertical piece in front of passenger (passenger airbag area) which looks the most blotchy. The actual top of dash looks OK.
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Try saturating the area with your product and let it soak in for 30 minutes or so, then buff dry with a clean microfiber
 
Some new materials just dont take dressings in too well. A prime example of this is the nissan 350z. The interiors on those are always splotchy and there is no top coating you can put on there to fix it.
 
Flash Gordon said:
BTW...What is a MKZ. Is it a Lincoln maybe?
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Yes -- Lincoln's fancy Fusion. :)

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I haven't tried letting it soak in for more than a few seconds. I'll apply some Natural Look with a foam brush, and let it soak for 30-60 minutes. It does seem to get slightly better with each application, but every time I back out in the morning, it's still not perfect.
 
In some cases your best bet would be to use lighter to no conditioners. It could be the VOCs are built up or still on the surface. Corvette owners suffer from blotchiness and white powdery buildup on their interior plastics from the degassing of the vinyl. This residue will not let conditioners do their thing, resulting in a blotchy appearance that doesn't seem to go away.

All my older hondas have had this problem. Previous owners drench in armor all and slop. It takes a season to a year for me to feel it gets better. After a deep cleaning (careful on older hondas, don't clean too much too quick), continue to use a cleaner like 1Z Cockpit Premium, once a week or so. I carried a very small spray bottle with some 1ZCP and a MF towel in the center console or glove box, and hit it up overtime I was in traffic or glued to a story on the radio in my driveway. After a few applications and then again every once in awhile I will go over the plastics with 303 or Meg's #40, then wipe off. A few hours later I go over with 1ZCP again. This cycle continues and each time it looks better. The trick is to apply the 303 when you see the plastics getting too dry, but use the 1ZCP for general maintenance. It does dress slightly, but evens out the surface better than anything this matte. I have even used 1ZCP for engine plastics that don't even out after other stuff.

So cliff notes: clean the surface first, then slowly build up the conditioning, using 1ZCP regularly. This seems to work for troublesome textured plastics. 1ZCP works great with a toothbrush as a cleaner as well.
 
kkreit01 said:
Yes -- Lincoln's fancy Fusion. :)

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I haven't tried letting it soak in for more than a few seconds. I'll apply some Natural Look with a foam brush, and let it soak for 30-60 minutes. It does seem to get slightly better with each application, but every time I back out in the morning, it's still not perfect.
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I have had good luck with Natural Look getting rid of blotchiness
 
Update: Last night I cleaned with Dash Away (it cleans very well), and applied Natural Look liberally. I rubbed it in real well, and let it sit for ~30 mins. I then buffed with a MF. This morning it looks worse -- blotchy, and some shiny streaks. I think I put too much product on? I will clean with Dash Away tonight, and leave it. Dash Away provides the most "natural, untouched" look IMO.
 
As someone else has mentioned. There are some materials that don't take well to dressing. Looks like you may have one of them
 
I just wanted to provide a new update to an old thread. A few weeks ago I remembered that I had Megs UP on the shelf. I mainly bought it for exterior trim, but thought I'd try it on the dash. I applied it to the dash via MF, let it soak for 30 min, and them buffed with clean MF. Wallah! -- no more blotchy dash. The dash is a tad shinier than I would prefer, but not too bad. I wonder what will happen the next time I treat/clean with Dash Away. Dash Away really provides the look I prefer -- which is "nothing" (completely natural/clean).
 
Lasthope05 said:
Some new materials just dont take dressings in too well. A prime example of this is the nissan 350z. The interiors on those are always splotchy and there is no top coating you can put on there to fix it.
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:iagree: This is very true especially on newer model cars. The best you can do is use distilled water very sparingly to clean the material. Using any top coating as mentioned above only adds to the splotchs.
 
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