Spare Tire Cover Maintenance

[rcl4668]

I washed my Bronco today and also washed the exterior of my spare tire cover with regular car wash soap. I'm letting it dry and may wipe doen and vacuum the interior before reinstalling it on the spare. It is a vinyl cover so should I also apply a vinyl protectant like 303 Protectant or Lexol? Thanks!

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[Doc TOC]

PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane aka dimethicone or dimethylpolysiloxane) is a chemical used to protect polymer plastics from UV exposure. When hit with UV, the PDMS elastomer cross links the methyl groups forming a SiO2 "film". That helps protect the vinyl's ethylene bonds from breaking when hit by the UV.

I would use Armor All. It has a PDMS concentration around 25%. It also has 0.50% DEG (diethylene glycol) as a solvent to facilitate surface adhesion. It's not considered a toxic dosage level, but I would still wear latex or nitrile gloves. For better results, apply 2 coats 24 hours apart. They dry time allows the 1st coat's water to evaporate.

303 Protectant has a 5% PDMS concentration. That means you would have to apply 5X the 303 to get the same level of protection. It also has DEG, NPEGE, and 6 other chemicals considered toxic and irritants. That is why I never use that stuff. No wonder they claim "proprietary formula".

Lexol no longer sells their Vinylex product. I believe they stopped in 2020.
Their current product is formulated for leather, which is not vinyl. The products contain basically oils, scent, penetrants, and softeners to keep leather supple. None of that will help vinyl.

 

[rcl4668]

Thanks! I actually still have a bottle of the Vinylex and will give that a try.

 

[rcl4668]

Actually, hold the phone: I received a message from fourwheelcovers.com, the company where I purchased my tire cover:

"We do not recommend adding anything to the tire cover because the chemicals good [sic] mess with the ink. We recommend using a warm wash cloth with water to clean the tire cover."

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