This bottle of bright pink liquid is Autobrite Pink Sheen, a silicone-based cleaner and dressing designed to provide protection to any plastic, vinyl, rubber and even metal for both the interior and exterior of your car. Impressive and bold claims from a single product.
Pink Sheen faces an uphill battle against the reputation silicone has garnered. Traditionally silicone dressings were too harsh for car interiors, drying out leather and leaving a sticky residue that looked too shiny and wasn’t pleasant to use. It was less gentle enchantment, more plastered on shine. Autobrite Pink Sheen uses refined silicones and is far nicer to use without sacrificing the cleaning or protecting ability. It’s a fantastic product to use and is one of the most versatile cleaning products currently on sale.
Verdict: Very effective for cleaning and dressing for pretty much any surface, both inside and out.
4.5/5
Autobrite Pink Sheen
Price: RRP £12 | VIEW OFFER
Pros:
• Time-saving interior cleaner and dresser
• Offers genuine protection
Cons:
• Don’t get it on your hands
Specifications
Volume 500ml
Finish Matt-satin
Scent Floral
Anti-static Yes
UV protection Yes (but it’s not explicit)
Materials Plastic, vinyl, rubber, metal
Extras Works on internal and external trim, cleans and protects
What’s good?
Sprayed directly onto a panel produces a slightly worrying pink sheen that is thankfully quickly removed when buffed with a microfibre towel. We tested the cleaning properties with a door card that was used every day and had a fair share of muck on it. The cleaning abilities appear to be on par with the Duel Autocare Satin, another interior cleaner and dressing. It made light work of the usual fingerprints and dirt you’d expect to find on an interior plastic. Where it massively outperformed Satin however, was with the protection it offered.
Buffing the product into the plastic felt similar to applying wax, there’s the feeling that there’s a genuine layer of protection being applied. It darkens the exterior plastic making it look refreshed while also providing a noticeable sheen. Autobrite claim anti-static protection and protection against damage to plastic that lasts for weeks, and our initial testing showed that it was excellent at keeping dust at bay.
This protection also extends to the exterior of the car. You’ll probably be aware that black plastic trim fades over time and can leave black plastic looking grey and dull. Dedicated trim restorers are available and the vast majority will temporarily bring back the black before fading away. As one of the few interior dressings that can be applied internally and externally, Autobrite Pink Sheen proved it could restore colour, even if the dressing won’t last much longer than a month.
The smell helps make the product pleasant to work with, reminiscent of the hand soap you’d find in your grandparents’ bathroom. The floral notes aren’t overpowering either, lingering in the car for a couple of hours before dissipating. The panels were never sticky to the touch either, even with the shiny, matte-satin finish.
What’s okay?
It’s a curious case for Autobrite, Pink Sheen is described as having protective qualities and it’ll prevent “cracking, fading and splitting,” but it doesn’t go as far as calling it UV-resistant. It’s not quite clear why, all of the issues it fights are caused by UV damage. It’s a strange omission but from our testing, I would conclude that it does offer some UV protection, the most important part of an interior dressing.
The finish is a personal preference and it’s worth noting that it’s certainly on the slicker, shinier end of the scale. If you get carried away with the spraying it is entirely possible to end up with plastic slicker looking than a used car salesman’s hair, so be warned. We tried both buffing and leaving the product to dry and couldn’t see that much difference, the finish was always relatively glossy.
Any negatives?
Autobrite Pink Sheen impressed us both as a cleaner and a dressing but nothing is perfect. Greasy streaks are a real possibility on flat plastic surfaces if not buffed adequately, leaving a potential eye sore. Autobrite is at least honest about this and recommend extra buffing to avoid what it calls ‘application marks’.
One noticeable downside to Pink Sheen is how it feels if any gets on your hands. The silicone produces a greasy feeling that also leaves fingerprints on other surfaces. I ended up with marks on the glass, my camera and mobile after using it. The bottle recommends you wear gloves and it’s best to follow that advice.
Other items to consider:
Gtechniq C6 Matt Dash, RRP £7.25
Angelwax Enigma Interno, RRP £19.95
EZ Car Care Sleek, RRP £9
How we tested it:
Autobrite Pink Sheen was applied according to the printed instructions, sprayed both directly and onto a microfibre towel and then used to clean a door card. It was then applied to a small piece of exterior plastic trim and monitored for durability. It was also applied to a sectioned-off portion of a dashboard to provide a direct comparison with other interior dressings.
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