Interior materials of new cars

[al_motor]

I noticed that the interior materials of cars have deteriorated ever since the onset of the new millenium. Auto manufacturers use so much hard plastic! New cars feel so awfully cheap--I know cars like the Mazda3, Honda Civic and RAV4 are supposed to be entry-level in the world market, but it shouldn't feel that way given what you're paying for! Actually even the expensive Camry has plastics that feel out of place in a midsize car! Audis have rubberized switches falling off! UGH! Our '88 Crown feels more solid than any of these cars!

Ironically, Ssangyongs at the recent Manila Motorshow had so very plush interior trims!

[empy]

ok naman ang sa honda at toyota ah...they are hard plastics and cloth to be sure, but they don't look cheap, shiny or rubbery. kind of more like a nice textured matte yung mga plastic nila. the cloth is likewise nothing special but not cheap either.

they are definitely much better than the korean and american interiors, that's for sure (imo)

diba yung crown is comparable to a lexus or similar upscale vehicle? i remember my mom's office had an '85 cressida - puro plastic and cloth din yun, but the seats were very very plush and comfortable...but then again mas upscale yata yun kaysa sa camry/corolla.

someone correct me if i'm wrong

[delprado]

... Parang baliktad yata, base sa napansin ko, mas better yong itsura nung interior nung cars ngayon compared sa mga car nun 90s and much much better compared sa cars nung 80s ...

[al_motor]

itsura maganda, pero yung material quality panget na, lalo na mga dash materials. they feel so cheap!

Case in point: EK Civic soft-touch yung mga surfaces vs. ES and FD Civic...Puro hard plastic pati sidings!!! YUCK!

Yung interior ng Ssangyong Kyron ganda ng feel, parang European car (circa late '90s...yung mga European car ngayon tuklapin yung mga materials!)

[oldblue]

after 3 months at nag-fade na yun amoy bago, lagyan mo kagad ng armor-all. sa mga cars namin ganyan, masipag kami mag-lagay ng armor all. even our 11 year old civic esi, preserved na preserved ang dash. try to apply armor-all every quarter.
our first car na halos puro plastic is yun chevy venture, pero na-preserve naman.

[niky]

Well, new cars are now using much harder and sturdier plastics, that's a given. At least there's an effort to make those plastics look soft (of note, the Hyundai Coupe's dash has the same plastic quality as the crappy Accent dash, but looks way better).

Other cars, like the Focus, have strangely cheap looking pebbly plastic that actually feels quite nice.

But many older cars have dull plastics, too... and the very nice and soft texture of vinyl dashes and interiors of some older cars aren't very sturdy compared to the materials they're using now.

I'm trying to remember what it felt like inside the FD at the show... while I wasn't impressed with the color of the dash plastic, the feel wasn't that bad... and the steering wheel and gearshift felt all right... which, I guess, is all that really matters to me.. :lol:

[number001]

after 3 months at nag-fade na yun amoy bago, lagyan mo kagad ng armor-all. sa mga cars namin ganyan, masipag kami mag-lagay ng armor all. even our 11 year old civic esi, preserved na preserved ang dash. try to apply armor-all every quarter.
our first car na halos puro plastic is yun chevy venture, pero na-preserve naman.

OT

Doesnt Armor-all make the plastic surface too slippery to the touch? Does is clean the surface or is it just to prevent the surface from cracking.

[oldblue]

OT

Doesnt Armor-all make the plastic surface too slippery to the touch? Does is clean the surface or is it just to prevent the surface from cracking.

accdg to the description in packaging, it protects the plastics from heat of the sun even yun mga nasa pinakaloob. that's why mayroon mga dash and interiors na madali mag-crack. dati nga may naiwan ng dad ko yun casio organizer nya sa loob ng glove compartment ng civic for almost a week, pagbukas nya tunay na yun plastics ng organizer.

yes it's slippery to touch at first application. pero matutuyo din yun. pero yun chemicals can last for months. usually, we will re-apply kapag maalikabok na yun dash and interiors. yun tipong pag hinawakan mo eh maaligasgas.

i got so used to armor-all na even sa cellphones, computers and TV in-aapply ko na din hehehe

[Chip]

i got so used to armor-all na even sa cellphones, computers and TV in-aapply ko na din hehehe

hehe now thats an armor-all fanatic hehehe

pero i dont like it sa dash kasi it makes the dash shiny which makes it hell to drive at noontime kasi kita mo reflection ng dash sa windshield.

[BlueBimmer]

meron Armor All Semi Gloss for milder shine..

the thread starter has a point, like the Gen1 CRV and Gen2, the Gen2's dash and shape look better but everything is plastic as in only the middle sidings are covered in leather. the Gen1's dash look older in design but has better rubber/leather like materials.

[aceshark]

diba yung crown is comparable to a lexus or similar upscale vehicle? i remember my mom's office had an '85 cressida - puro plastic and cloth din yun, but the seats were very very plush and comfortable...but then again mas upscale yata yun kaysa sa camry/corolla.

someone correct me if i'm wrong

i think the cressida is in the class between the camry and corolla. sa panahon ngayon, ito yata yung corona.

[aceshark]

i got so used to armor-all na even sa cellphones, computers and TV in-aapply ko na din hehehe

that is why they called it armor-all. ginagamit ko rin sa leather shoes ko and belts.

[ian_rex]

agree ako kay oldblue. ganun din yung EK ko. tama din si bluebimmer, meron akong ginagamit na semi-gloss na armor all. pero ngayon naka-bootleg ako nang "Something Better", parang shaving cream pero ok din. hehehe Off Topic.

anyways, kasama kasi sa pagtitipid nila(car manufacturers) yan,kaya ganyan ang mga materials...

[jg2003]

may iba bang product na pwedeng gamitin to protect my dash aside from armor-all? i'm using armor-all before on my previous car and i don't like the shiny effect. parang nagmumukhang luma and messy ung dash (for me). gusto ko kc i-preserve ung new look ng m3 dash ko. thanks!

[ian_rex]

may iba bang product na pwedeng gamitin to protect my dash aside from armor-all? i'm using armor-all before on my previous car and i don't like the shiny effect. parang nagmumukhang luma and messy ung dash (for me). gusto ko kc i-preserve ung new look ng m3 dash ko. thanks!

"Something Better", parang shaving cream. Try mo maghanap nun. or yung armor all na semi-gloss formula

[chain]

may iba bang product na pwedeng gamitin to protect my dash aside from armor-all? i'm using armor-all before on my previous car and i don't like the shiny effect. parang nagmumukhang luma and messy ung dash (for me). gusto ko kc i-preserve ung new look ng m3 dash ko. thanks!

don't just leave it there. try buffing it off for a nice matte finish.

or pwede din yung Megs Quik Interior Detailer.

[number001]

The practice of using armor-all for interior cleaning and detailing has been mainstay at least since the late eighties. The only bit I'm concerned with Armor-all is that it seem to leave a layer (which also include dust) on top of the dash. Therefore in the future, the entire dash and other surface used with Armor-all, might all have to be cleaned with some soap and brush.

I really like to have an off-the-shelf solution that really cleans surfaces without leaving an oily residue behind.

[chain]

and to add to that, AA is not meant to be used as a cleaner. its a dressing.

there are other products out in the market though that can offer the finish that you want for your dash. yun nga lang, it depends on your budget.

and as for cleaners, APC kasi gamit ko pag tough jobs. pag maintenance and simple touch-ups, i'm using Megs QID right now. works for me.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I like the 2-tone gray plastic of our 2006 Sonata. The dash is made of a "soft" plastic that remains matte even when using Armor All. It borders on the simplistic. But, I like its uncluttered look and the ergonomics are just about perfect.

The lighter gray-shaded bottom half is a bit more problematic because the dirt and mud shows off better

[aceshark]

may iba bang product na pwedeng gamitin to protect my dash aside from armor-all? i'm using armor-all before on my previous car and i don't like the shiny effect. parang nagmumukhang luma and messy ung dash (for me). gusto ko kc i-preserve ung new look ng m3 dash ko. thanks!

lagyan mo dashshield.