Following a few years of periodic exposure to UV rays, a car's interior trim can look pretty tired. Generally speaking, interior dressings help fight the degradation UV causes on car interior trim, keeping plastics, rubber and vinyl looking fresh. It's like car interior sunscreen, car wax being car exterior sunscreen.
As Samsung is with smartphones, Autoglym is synonymous with car cleaning in the UK. The brand has several products for interior car cleaning, but Vinyl & Rubber Care is its key interior protectant. In addition to vinyl and rubber, this spray is also suitable for plastic trim.
Throughout our testing, Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care proved to be a capable interior dressing. It's a relatively no-nonsense product and doesn't have some extras that competition do. Though, it's great value and very effective at reviving worn trim and protecting it.
Verdict: Excellent value and an effective, basic trim protectant.
Score: 4/5
Pros:
Offers good protection
Affordable
**Cons:
**Slightly greasy finish on rubber
Specs:
Volume 500ml
Finish High or low gloss
Scent Lemon
Anti-static Yes
UV protection Yes
Materials Plastic, vinyl, rubber
Extras Prevents door shuts from freezing
What’s good?
You'll notice the scent first of all, but in a good way. Many imitation citrus scents are as fake as cheese whizz and are very counterproductive. Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care's scent is subtle and fresh, although it only lasts an hour or two.
To apply Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care, you can spray it directly onto a surface, or spray it onto a cloth first. The latter is useful in hard-to-reach areas. If you want a higher sheen or gloss, apply more of the product and give it a light buff. But if you want a lower sheen, apply less and remove any excess with a cloth.
In fairness there isn't a big difference in sheen between the two methods. However, Rubber & Vinyl Care does restore trim nicely and can even act as a mild cleaner too. Its cleaning ability may not be as strong as the option from Autobrite, but for small marks and stains, it is a competent option for keeping everything neat and tidy.
Something that's easily overlooked with many car cleaning sprays are the trigger ergonomics and bottle shape. Autoglym's square-edged bottle and trigger are both comfortable and functional. The bottle is easy to store and sits neatly on a shelf; the trigger is easy to grip and not too flimsy.
What's okay?
As an interior trim restorer and protectant, Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care is great. It shields against UV damage; is anti-static to make it harder for dust to settle; and is even a mild cleaner.
However, competitors such as Gtechniq C6 Matt Dash and Angelwax Enigma Interno possess antibacterial (C6) or water-repellent (Interno) properties too. Features like these make interior dressings even more effective. The longevity of Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care's UV protection is bested by Gtechniq C6 Matt Dash too.
Any negatives?
At a fundamental level, you can't fault Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care. It's an effective interior trim protectant and is great value.
To nit-pick, we often wonder if there is a way to address the consumption of bottles with car care. Sure, they're recyclable but it'd be much better if the process of buying and discarding of bottles could be stopped. Some household cleaning brands such as NeatClean produce aluminium spray bottles and small, glass containers of cleaning concentrate. You buy the concentrate and mix it with water in the spray bottle. It negates the need for repeatedly buying spray bottles and just as effective at cleaning. We wonder if something similar could be achieved with car cleaningg sprays.
Other items to consider
How we tested it:
Autoglym Rubber and Vinyl Care was applied according to the printed instructions and sprayed onto the centre console directly and via a microfibre applicator pad. Both the high sheen and low sheen finish instructions were followed too. It was also applied to a sectioned-off portion of a dashboard to provide a direct comparison with other interior dressings.