Tire dressing is a must-have detailing product in your car detailing kit if you want to protect and keep the brand new look of your tires. There are many tire dressing products in the market, and here we are going to review three products that you should avoid because they contain chemicals that can be harmful to your tires, affect your health, and damage the environment.
All tire dressing products can be divided into two categories, solvent-based and water-based. Water-based products are environmental friendly and will give the tires a satin finish. Solvent-based products, on the other hand, are mostly made of petroleum distillates which have been proven to harm not only the tires, but also components such as the paint and brakes if the product is over sprayed. They are also water-resistant which can become a problem when you want to wash off the old layer. Over time, solvent-based products will turn the tires brown. They can also dry the rubber leading to premature cracking. In contrast, water-based tire dressing contains naturally occurring oils that will nourish the rubber.
In addition to the negative effects these products have on tires, they can cause both acute and chronic health conditions. Also because these are bad for the environment, the material safety data sheet (MSDS) specifically mentions that solvent-based tire dressing products with petroleum distillates should not be allowed to contaminate storm drains, waterways, rivers, etc.
The attraction of solvent-based tired dressing products is that they give a glossy finish as opposed to the satin finish of water-based tire shine, but are glossy tires worth the hazards mentioned above?
Avoid These Tire Dressing Products
1. Blue Magic Black Jack Tire Shine
This tire dressing product is a solvent-based solution that contains petroleum distillates. Exposure to this product can cause skin irritation and aggravate pre-exisitng medical conditions of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. Additionally it also contains Polydimethylsiloxane (a silicone compound) which is non-biodegradable. This also belongs to the category of flammable liquids as it contains petroleum distillates.
2. Black Magic Tire Wet
Black Magic Tire Wet is also a combination of petroleum distillates and additives. It is a highly combustible liquid that should be handled with extreme caution. The chemical vapors can cause lethargy and dizziness and continuous inhalation of the vapors can cause death. Also, repeated contact with skin can cause dryness and cracking. This product is also not environmental friendly as it is toxic to aquatic life, so it should be prevented from entering drains and rivers.
3. Armor All Extreme Tire Shine
Armor All Extreme Tire Shine contains 70 – 75% petroleum distillates. It will give your tires a glossy black shine but with the negative effects of petroleum distillates mentioned above.
Tire dressing is a very useful detailing product, but only the right type of products will give you the benefits that you expect. If you no longer trust commercial products, why not make your own tire dressing? The process is simple, inexpensive and you can have an all-natural tire dressing in no time. Here’s a video on how to do it:
DetailXPerts has been offering professional tire detailing services for years, so contact us to get more information in case you need our services.
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