Keeping those hoses shining

[bonzo4ever]

Under the hood again - What is the best (or at least preferred) product to use on the hoses? Right now I have some leftover Turtle Wax ClearGuard protectant (that they don't make anymore, unfortunately) that I keep around specifically for under the hood. It is pretty thick stuff, and shines like hell, which is why I've kept it for this purpose. But the old supply is running out, and I wondered if Turtle Wax had a replacement product (Formula 21/F21 Protectant, perhaps?) that would do a good job. Been using Black Magic protectant on the dash, but I'm not entirely pleased with the look (hoping for something a bit shinier, actually). Any advice would be great!

[Toasted7]

Get Whelan on this... he will not only tell you what to use and what looks best, but will tell you why as well. He's the man for the job!

[Whelan]

As far as wax and hoses, not a good mix. Hoses are meant to expand and contract and adding wax does nothing more than clog up the pores of the rubber making it harder and more brittle over time, thus ruining your hoses.It's a rubber, therefore it needs to be given treatment with some type of lubricant/oil/liquid polish to be absorbed into the rubber to keep it clean and functional. I posted somewhere on here about engine detailing, attached it below Basically the Meg's #40 is really good at anything plastic, rubber or vinyl. I say it all the time, the key to keeping rubber and dashes clean is to not just spray and wipe over like it's pledge on a coffee table. You need to spray it onto the microfiber, then work the product in as if it were a polish on the paint. This will ensure even coating, you will not be left with big streaks of glossiness and the smell from #40 is TRUE new car smell. If you want something that is really shiny on your dash, then go check out Meguiar's Interior Shine. You can get it at any auto store, red bottl, black spray top. It is very shiny. My issue with products that shine like that is there is a residue film that is left behind that can pickup dust, fingerprints and look streaky after a few days. The #40 gives it that clean just off the dealer lot loook. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=29374

[bonzo4ever]

In my infinite wisdom (insert sarcasm detector here), I had used Black Magic titanium tire gel on the cladding. Which was great, the way it shined, except that it's been picking up everything from towel lint to dead bugs and all points in between. Not to mention it's approximately impossible to wash off. Learn from my mistakes, I suppose. I think I'll be stocking up on this #40 as soon as I'm done moving. If it makes the engine bay look that good, it should do the same for the cladding and interior. For the dash, I may try Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect, as I see that's been getting good reviews as well. The ClearGuard I mentioned was a vinyl and rubber protectant, long since extinct. Don't know if anyone else remembers using that stuff or not.

[Sublimewind]

I'll tell you a product that I LOVE, for rubber parts... That stuff is GREAT, the really great part about it is, I can go back after 10min or so and go over things to knock some of the SHINE down... tires aren't supposed to look like they are covered in glass, they are supposed to look like rubber... Being able to take the shine down a bit is great, and it's for rubber, so using it on hoses seems like a no-brainer... Whelan?? Beware though, the stuff is SLICK, I mean REAL slick, like even brake cleaner doesn't want to remove it slick...!!!

[keithvibe]

be careful what you put on your rubber hoses. It can soften the rubber of the hose and cause it to fail.. your better off using nothing but soap and water.