How to clean Factory Running Board

[justlooking309]

I hate the factory running boards they are to keep clean. I have to keep Armor All on them all the time to make them look good.Got any suggest. I thought about having them painted.

 

[bad63lac]

I just wash mine with my truck about once or twice a month. Look great to me and I've never felt they're hard to keep clean.

I highly suggest you stop putting Armor All on them and I would not paint them.

 

[LVYUKYUK]

x2 on the Armour All. That stuff is garbage and will do more harm than good in the long run. I learned the hard way when I got my first car. Kept those tires Armour Alled all up, right up until they cracked and had to be replaced. I wash mine with soap and water, still looking new! Look for possibly a Meguiars product that reconditions plastic. I'd say the plastic may have dried out from the AA. Don't paint them though, recipe for disaster in my mind. Good luck!

 

[HGS-Dro]

Armor All just attracts dirt and thats probably why they get dirty quickly....but i thought that AA was to protect against UV rays so why would your tires crack???

 

[Nnaboy]

I use the stuff I use on my tires on the running boards!
Those running boards fade and start looking white and crapy a bit!
I DO NOT use Armor-All on them though, only tire polishers/blackeners.
No problems till date, real greasy though!

 

[KMeloney]

Want to know what really works?

Lemon Pledge. (Yes, the wood polish.)

It's the only thing I've found to work. It's the only thing that has touched the black plastic racks, window trim, and tube steps on my '02. It's also the only thing that has touched my '97 Wrangler's flares. All of those surfaces still look great.

Unfortunately, if you've already used Armor-all and/or any of that black-to-black junk, Pledge won't do much to help.

Try it. You'll never use anything else.

 

[07SuburbanLTZ]

I can never keep my power boards clean, there the pits.

 

[Rebound]

Doesn't AA and Pledge make the RB's slippery when wet?

 

[HGS-Dro]

yeah it does but then again it all depends on how u apply it....just dont over do it... i use applicator pads to apply AA....I've never had any problem with the stuff.....

 

[MDTAHOE1]

The reason armor all cause you tires to crack is because it has silicone in it. When the silicone mixes with exhaust gases that are in the air at tail pipe level it cause rubber to deteroate. If you use a product with out silicone you will be ok . A product called jet wet (I think thats the name) works great. As far as painting the running boards they will still get dirty  and you will have to worry about the finish geting scratched

 

[melroy]

I hate the factory running boards they are to keep clean. I have to keep Armor All on them all the time to make them look good.Got any suggest. I thought about having them painted.

try back to black by either mothers or meguiars ( i forget which one) works great. cleans and gives a good shine, but not to much where it takes away from from the rest of the ride. Works good when u accidentally hit those black plastic pieces with wax.

 

[RIZZ]

I use regular tire gloss on my plastic... When washing i use some strong liquid.... Like an armor all that you will use for rims.. Then spray off wit power washer.... Then put gloss or some times just wipe real good when drying the car

 

[turboedmsp]

http://www.vinylexprotectant.com/

this stuff works great

 

[nc6600]

x3 DO NOT USE AA. I have found that it attracts dirt after about a day and looks worse than before i cleaned it. On my mom's 08' 'Burb and my 02' hoe i just wash them with Meguiars car wash and warm water just like the rest of the truck.

 

[mary900]

x10 on the AA. I wash mine with car soap and take the time to dry them.

 

[Nnaboy]

I don't know why yall hate the ArmorAll so much but I use Sidewall Polish like Tire Wet to keep the running boards Black in color and not faded looking like they always turn out looking.
Plus if you use tire sidewall polish it doesn't attract much dirt at all and keep them looking good!

 

[HGS-Dro]

I've tried black magic Tire spray for the running boards anybody knows if its just as bad as AA?

 

[freyguy]

Poorboy's Trim Restore here. I apply it to all the black plastic with the cheap foam brushes. A little goes a long way. It's also water based, so it doesn't stain anything, and it's not slippery. I love the stuff.

 

[07Hynali]

Soap and water here.

 

[KMeloney]

I don't know why yall hate the ArmorAll so much

Because it turns plastics to a milky gray/white color.

Look at any Jeep Wrangler on the road with faded fender flares. I'll bet you anything that they used Armor-All on them.

AA is terrible, terrible stuff.