Well, I picked up my 2004 Mazda 3 exactly a week ago and so far, so good. I actually was going to purchase a 2005 but got a better deal and wasn't too into my 2005 color choices, seems like all dealers in NJ have automatics only in the 5 door. My choices were winning blue (okay but maybe a bit bright), stratus blue (or strato, regardless, didn't dig the purple) and red (never liked red, JMO). But, they had a nice 2004 5 Door S with a 5 speed in silver. Had a moonroof, appearance package, wheel locks, 6 disc in dash cd and abs... Maybe a few other things? Anyway, paid well, well below dealer invoice.

But that brings me to a quick question about the interior. While I love the car so far, I'm wondering what people are using to clean the dash and such? I'm not even sure what kind of material it is. Any thoughts?

Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.

Best, JP

 

Use the wipes that come in those plastic cylinders. It's like ... Arm and Hammer, or something, I can't remember.

The wipes work really good. It should say on it that it's for interior and it will say dash or something close to that on it. Go to Autozone or Checker, if you have those there, and just ask for the cleaning wipes for interior of the car in the plastic cylinder. They have them for glass, leather, plastic (dash) and other junk. The only thing that will really hurt your dash is the sun, no worries. Keep your baby covered w/ window shades.

Sketch

 

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to mangle anything by using that type of product. Thanks again.

Best, JP

 

they are armor all wipes in a purple and black container. They do work very well. The interior is a pain to clean.
Congratulations and good luck with the car

 

I use the armor all wipes and I also use Black Magic products.

 

I dont like armor all for interior parts...its a fine product if you use it ALL the time and works well on tires, but if you slack off it can actually do more harm than good...it almost acts as a magnifying glass. I used to work at an upholstery/auto customization shop and saw more cars interiors that were destroyed by the sun from people using armor all when it was new, then slowly but surely slacked off creating faded, cracked dashboards, plastic trim, and seats. It also is a dust magnet!! The trick to keeping it looking like new is to keep it clean...any good vinyl or interior cleaner(not protectant, cuz not all are created equal!!) used with a soft cloth once a week will keep your dash and plastic trim looking like new. I had a 93 honda accord that spent every day of its life sitting outside in the mojave desert...never used armorall on it once and the interior looked almost as good as the day it rolled off the showroom floor when i sold it last year. Armor Alls cleaning products work well...i just dont like their protectants!

 

JP, you were smart to go with the 2004. It is the same car and if the price is better, that's all that matters. I had the same problem trying to find a manual trans 5-door with the packages I wanted, but I actually like winning blue and yellow. I'm very glad now that I got yellow because they stopped making it.

Anyway, I'll agree with Jeffro that you have to be careful with protectants. The same thing applies to carpet cleaners. It may clean off the initial stain, but it can attract more dirt afterwards. I've just been vaccuming my seats and carpets.

I've been cleaning my dash and panels with a damp black t-shirt. It's a soft cloth and won't leave behind white lint. It's a brand new car and I don't spill sodas and coffee inside, so I don't feel the need to use chemical cleaners. The dust and haze from the air all gets lifted with water. Eventually, I'm going to used compressed air as well to get the dust out of seems that I can't reach.

 

The armor all wipes are just a cleaner, they are not the same as the protectent made by armor all which can damage your dash, according to the mazda.

 

I just use a little soap and water for the dash and whatnot. I'm not quite sure what I'll use on the leather yet.