Our old van got us over and back 4 mountain passes but boy was she dirty when we got home.

My husband and I recently took a little instate mini vacation. We drove to the east side of the state in hopes of finding some snow. Three mountain passes later we were rewarded with a 14” snowfall on our first night.

We were able to make the journey in our ancient 4-wheel drive van with the help of some very ugly, but very safe, winter tires. When we bought them last year we wanted to save a little money, so we bought ones that had black rims. They look terrible, but we’re more concerned with safety rather than looks, so they work for us.

Cleaning Up After a Road Trip

See my entire shop via photos on Google Plus

See my entire shop via photos on Google Plus

After taking yet another mountain pass home, I couldn’t help but notice how dirty our van was and how terrible those tires looked.

While the hubby was on duty today, I headed out to AutoZone to pick up my dad’s favorite tire cleaning product, Armor All®. Granted, my dad’s been gone since the early 80’s and back then they only had tire cleaning spray, but he swore by this product. He used to use it on his dashboard as well and swore it kept it new looking by preventing it from drying out and cracking from the direct sunlight.

When I married I wasn’t surprised to see my husband was a fan as well. He keeps a plethora of cleaners in our garage and many of them are Armor All® brand.  He’s used them on our cars over the years and they all look great, even though the newest car we own is a 2000. Taking care of them is a priority.

Armor All website - hints, tips and more

Armor All website – hints, tips and more

I could have used the spray my husband had on hand, but I checked the Armor All site and knew they had some new formulas and I wanted to give one a try. While I was browsing the site, I found out that their products actually help to prevent ozone degradation which can cause your tires to dry, crack, and fade – I love that! And it turns out my dad was right about the cracking. By the way there’s an entire Armor All® Owner Center full of hints and tips available on their site.

I was rewarded at AutoZone with all the products I’d found online and I used the shine gauge on the back of the Armor All® box to pick the right product and because I needed the ultimate shine, I went with the Armor All® Extreme Tire Shine Gel. I happened to notice that it came with its own applicator and that was a plus in my book as well.

Armor All® Extreme Tire Shine Gel #cbias #socialfabric

Armor All® Extreme Tire Shine Gel

Shopping For Auto Supplies

While I was at AutoZone I couldn’t help but notice the car accessories they had available and I picked up a much needed universal cellphone mount. I often use my iPhone’s GPS for driving directions and I get tired of holding on to my phone. I need it close to me so I can hear the GPS speak the directions. My next purchase will be a Bluetooth speaker for it – I wasn’t able to find one that fit my needs at AutoZone today because it’s just after the holidays and their choices were scarcer than normal because a lot of people got some great stocking stuffers last week. I’ll remember to shop here next year for the boys.

Our Autozone store is clean and organized and the staff is friendly and helpful. #CBIAS

Our Autozone store is clean and organized and the staff is friendly and helpful.

I should have picked up some new windshield wipers while I was at AutoZone as well, but even though the staff was extremely helpful and would likely have been able to tell me exactly what size I needed for my old van, I didn’t want to purchase them and not be able to install them. So I’ll leave that job up to the hubby when he has a free day. He’s not a fan of me buying things that make work for him.

I did get a free scratch off holiday AutoZone MoneyZone giveaway card with my purchase and I entered the contest before I even left the parking lot. I used my iPhone to register and while my card was not an instant winner, I am entered in the AutoZone weekly giveaway.

Autozone MoneyZone Giveaway – I didn’t win instantly, but I’m entered in the weekly giveaway.

Cleaning My Tires

I took my purchases home and immediately set to cleaning the wheels. I first used a garage towel to clean the wheels. I’m sure everyone has garage towels; they’re the towels the hubby ruined by getting bleach on them. My husband isn’t the only one, right?!?  Next I followed the easy directions on the box – shake, open, wipe, enjoy! OK, so I did spill a bit and had a little trouble keeping the gel in the groove, but luckily it is idiot proof and the tires looked great anyway.

The improvement in the appearance of the tires is much more obvious in person. Each tire took me less than five minutes. I suppose I should go back and do the lettered area again – it’s heavily grooved so it needs a little more attention.

I also popped out a bit later and they did continue to get shinier as they dried, but by then it was raining much harder so I didn’t take another photo.

My tires before cleaning, during, and after. As they dried they got even shinier.

My tires before cleaning, during, and after. As they dried they got even more shinier.

On my next trip out, I’m going to run the van through a green car wash we have here in town; I’m not up for washing this beast in the cold. All I have left to do is clean the windows and it’ll be all ready for another journey. Car cleaning in the winter isn’t as easy as summer, but the feeling of satisfaction when you’re done is the same!

What your favorite the Armor All® product?

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I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ #CBias #SocialFabric – all opinions are my own.