Mark V California Dressing VOC Compliant

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

What Is It?

Mark V California Dressing, a VOC Compliant, Solvent-Based tyre, rubber and
plastics dressing.

What Does It Bring to the Table?

California Dressing is a specialty solvent dressing for use in California which
currently regulates all rubber and vinyl protectants. By using a unique non-VOC
solvent, California Dressing meets the VOC standards.

This is a very slow drying solvent dressing. It will run and then soak into the
tyres to leave a natural, like new shine. It can be sprayed or wiped on tyres,
trim and undercarriages to give them a beautiful, non-greasy, long lasting
shine. After product is dry, simply buff with a micro fibre cloth to seal in the
shine and protection.

Advantages:

• Medium gloss finish.
• Runs and then soaks into tyres.
• Will not cause staining on flexible, painted cladding and bumpers.
• Can be wiped or sprayed onto surface.
• Dries to a non-greasy shine that does not attract dust.

What Am I Testing It On?

Various plastics and rubber mouldings on my Renault Laguna

What Do I Think Of It?

I have to say that I ran into difficulties almost instantly with this product. As
regular readers of my missives will know, I already have a favoured tyre
dressing, so it would not give this product a fair crack of the whip for me to
use it on those. Following an exchange of PMs with the distributor, I was able
to establish how to achieve the most favourable conditions prior to product
application. The instructions say: Clean area to be treated with the
appropriate Mk V. cleaning product. This is only meant to suggest that
the California Dressing should be applied to a clean surface and not one caked
in mud.

To begin with, this dressing is solvent rather than water based. My previous
experience with these is that they can leave a coating that tends to highlight
its presence, rather than blending with the surface it is applied to. However,
none of that was apparent with this dressing, which was a relief! The product
did take a little while to dry, but generally speaking the finish was clean and
unobtrusive.

3 different materials, side by side after treatment,
the seat frame is untreated for comparison...



Whilst it may seem that you need to pre-clean the surface, where it scored
very highly with me was in dealing with the green mossy residue that can be
found in the nooks and crannies of window rubbers. I've always found that
the very devil to remove, but this product dealt with it efficiently.

However, on modern cars, it seems that various plastic / vinyl materials are
used as the "black bits" of door trimming and this dressing did not get on with
at least one of them, to the point where the coating was very patchy indeed.

Two other materials, with the one on the right not responding well...


Testing on Tyres

The first part of this review was missing an essential part; testing on tyres.
This afternoon I went to visit a detailing friend and we gave this product
a quick go on a wheel of his Civic Type R. Until now, the only product used
on his tyres was one of those that's often best rated.

The tyre was brushed with an APC, rinsed off with a hose, and dried with an
MF cloth. The California Dressing was applied with a Serious Performance
blue foam applicator which had about 6 drops of liquid gently squeezed into
it. There was a small amount of foaming that took place at that point.

What was immediately apparent was that the solvents were removing stuff
from the tyre; whatever was being removed, the blue applicator turned black
very quickly! What was being left behind was nothing more than a super clean
tyre with a very natural finish to it. The way that the dressing gets absorbed
into the surface means that unlike some dressings, there won't be any sling.
The clean tyre does not announce "I'm wearing a dressing" either!

Unlike the rather finicky behaviour on other rubbers, vinyls and plastics on my
own car, the result from this dressing was very impressive! I've left the bottle
with the car's owner and he's now sent me some pictures to post here of the
other wheels as they got treated.

These pictures I think speak for themselves. Steve texted me to say that by
the time he'd done, his tyres were clean but his hands were black from what
was removed. We're both presuming it was remnants of his previous dressing
that he wasn't that happy with.

Pros

Easy to use
Does a bit of cleaning of its own
Doesn't dry too shiny
Economical in use - I used about 10mls to do all the car "rubbers", around doors
and the engine compartment

Cons

On some surfaces it just refuses to work leaving a very patchy result. This
isn't sticky or anything, but it does mean another dressing needs to be used
instead.

Conclusions - Updated

My first thought was that for a budget level dressing in a hugely competitive
market this product is at best average. That was before it was tested on a
tyre, which will probably be its main purpose. As mentioned, the problem with
modern cars is that there are so many types of black plastic, vinyl and rubber,
it's a job to tell precisely what any one part _is_ actually made of.

This product tends to highlight those differences like no other I've used! On
tyres, if you prefer a clean, natural finish, then this dressing could not make
the job easier!

Whilst I could introduce comparisons with other products, I really want to avoid
that and concentrate on discussing this product on its own merits. In view of
that, whilst the product is strong in certain areas, it is let down a little by its
apparent selectivity.

My view is still that for versatility this product is eclipsed by others on the
market. If you feel that one product in this category should do more than just
the tyres, then it may disappoint. If you prefer a subtly clean and natural look
on a tyre, with no bling then it is well worth considering and it is good value.

Where Do I Buy It?

Mark V California Dressing is available from from a British Distributor
A 500ml bottle costs £6.95, exc. delivery

Regards,
Steve