Caring for Honda Element in Phoenix

[jforsmo]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and wanted some advice. I just purchased a new Honda Element two days ago. The Honda Element is a bit unusual in that it has quite a few scratch-resistant plastic panels along with regular painted metal surfaces.

I live in Phoenix (furnace) Arizona and I want to protect the finish on my car as best I can. I went down to AutoZone and bought Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner, and some Gold Class Clear Coat Paste Car Wax. I figured this would be a good start for the painted areas.

My question is regarding the Element's plastic cladding. I want to provide a bit of UV protection, add a bit of sheen and reduce the appearance of light scuffs and scratches. I bought a bottle of Meguiar's Natural Shine Vinyl and Rubber Protectant. I figured this would be okay to use on the interior surfaces (there's lots of vinyl and other plastics in there). But can I use that product on the exterior plastic panels? The back of the bottle states I can maintain that rich "like new" look on dashboards, trim, tires and hundreds of other surfaces. However, further down is says to wipe off any excess to avoid splatter on painted or non-painted plastic panels.

Now I'm confused. Can anyone give me any advice? Thanks in advance:)

[Mike Phillips]

Hi jforsmo,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online! :welcome

I'll check on the specifics of the painted and non-painted plastic panels.

Mike

[jforsmo]

Mike,

Thanks for such a speedy reply. You are truly "on the ball!"

While I wait for your reply on my car question I got to thinking....

What if you implemented a car-model-specific product package recommendation.

Meguiar's does an in-depth analysis of every new car that comes out and provides a recommeded package of products specific to that model.

Vehicles with lots of plastic like my Element and the Avalanche get these products... <product here> Mini Coopers with leather seats get these <product here>

After buying a new car, I would be more than happy to buy the recommended range of products if I only knew what they were.

I'm sure all your products are great, but my only critisism is that there seem to be a huge overlap in the products intended applications without enough differentiation between them.

That's the point of my original post. I don't know if what I bought is the right product and I don't really know what I really should buy if I was wrong about my original decision.

From the consumer's perspective, a little clarification would be great!

Thank you.