Chombi1 

Earlier this year, I noticed that the hoods on the Weinmann Carrera 400 brakeset installed on my Peugeot PY10FC were starting to get stiff and showing signs of darkening , especially at the edges.
I heard in the past that Aerospace 303 spray on preservative supposedly have rejuvenating properties, when used on gum rubber hoods (Which I doubted very much.).....so I decided to give the hoods a good soaking.
This weekend, when I decided to clean and tune up the bike for a ride, I noticed that the hoods were looking remarkably good. I looked at them closer and holy cow! They actually look and feel brand new again. The darkening is all gone and the hoods feel nice and soft. I can't believe it, cause the 303 seems to have completely restored the hoods! I never thought that could be possible but the evidence is right in front of me. I suspect that there's a point where the dry rot cannot be reversed or stopped, but if you can catch it before it's too bad already, you can really extend your lever hood's life with this stuff.
Is it just me or have anyone else experienced this with 303??

Lascauxcaveman 

@Chombi1 - I've never heard of the stuff but I like what you're telling us. How does it feel when you put the hoods back in use?

I'm thinking along the lines of white hoods, specifically ones that have been cleaned, but always feel a bit sticky afterwards and get grungy again pretty fast.

juvela

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Me too!

AFAIK it is the only product of this type which is amine free.

Began using it back in the '80's.

Possible there may be others today which are amine free, just do not know of them...

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sdn40

Aerospace 303 is a well respected name in the automotive industry. Mostly known for their UV protection and fabric protection (ala Scotchgard)

canklecat

Sounds good. I've been using ammonia based cleansers -- including a pump spray oven/grill cleaners from Dollartree -- to clean my Ironman's white hoods. Works great, but does leave the hoods a bit tacky. Ammonia is a common solvent for some types of rubber and India ink, so it would probably eventually damage the hoods with excessive use. I try to use it only two or three times a year.

dedhed

Good to know. I have a botte I use on the kayak

TXsailor

The marine world uses it too. Their stuff really takes a beating being in the sun day after day.

Big Block

I thought you applied the Aerospace 303 in early 2018

tiger1964 

Of course, after doing the autumn detailing on both cars over the weekend, I think the bottle is near-empty, leaving none for the bikes. There are a lot of 303able surfaces on even a small car.

Good hint, though!

Chombi1 

Yes, maybe I forgot when I exactly applied it the first time....maybe I did a second application earlier this year, but did not look at the hoods closely....
The hoods were definitely starting to dry out before I put it on the first time.
Point is, it definitely works.

Chombi1 

I use it on all the gaskets and seals on the retractable hard top and all the black plastic and rubber trim on my 2019 Mazda MX-5 RF GTS.

bikemig 

Thanks for this post. I just bought a bottle.

So much cheaper than a post on a cool old bike that I start thinking about finding and buying.

tiger1964 

Lovely! ND > NC all day (Miata talk).

Blew through a lot on the Boxster and my wife's Honda S2000 yesterday.

But looking at my bike, not much plastic to treat... cable housing? Pump? Brake hoods, sure. I don't have any Delrin Simplex to try it on.

tashi

NBR but: Our new Atlas has a bunch of leatherette and soft plastics, is this stuff good for this? I've used ArmourAll in the past and never liked how glossy and sticky it makes things. I'd like something that makes cleaning easy and keeps things supple over time.

riverdrifter

I've used it for years on a royalex canoe. It's good stuff for sure!

noglider 

If you weren't a well respected regular here, I would think this is a troll post. But it must be amazing stuff to justify the high price. I see a spray bottle is $20. It must be darned good.

riva

Which one did you use.. seems like there is a dozen different protectants from them. I would like to try one of them too, I have cars and bikes that have to sit out in the sun.

Chombi1 

White trigger spray bottle. 10fl. Oz. The bottle label has the round 303 logo on it and says "Aerospace Protectant" and right below it, in smaller font, "Protector Aerospacial".
Quite expensive...... The price tag on the bottle says $9.75 from TAP Plastics.

Big Block

I know. I have promoted it
Care and feeding of Modolo 919 gum hoods?
Brake Hood Restoration-Any Products that Work?

sdn40

Armor All may have improved their formula over the years, but it's still the last spray I would reach for. The last 5 years or so has seen an explosion in auto detailing products. When in doubt, something from Mothers or Meguiars is always a safe dumb reach that's easy to find.