15 replies to this topic

[gbhrps]

This may be old hat to some but entirely new to others. You can keep your weatherstripping from freezing to the glass and body of the car very simply by spraying it with silicone lubricant. I buy the spray bomb and attach the 5 inch long spay tube to be able to put the silicone right where its needed, and then I massage it in with my fingers. The weatherstrip goes back to its rich black colour, develops a dull sheen and is extremely pliable, and will stay that way for months. It will even bring back hard, brittle weatherstripping to almost factory condition with enough lubricant and massaging. I bought a 71 Mustang convertible back in 1988 and on the way home with it I got caught in an absolute downpour. I watch the sheets of rain wash up the winshield and go right past the weatherstripping on the convertible top leading edge and onto my lap and the floors. Putting down the top revealed that the original weaterstripping was compressed and as hard as a rock. A half hour of repeated silicone spraying and massaging brought it back to almost new condition. Hard to believe, but true. Try it, and it will become a ritual that you'll do to all our your cars every fall.

[alias20035]

Originally posted by gbhrps
This may be old hat to some but entirely new to others. You can keep your weatherstripping from freezing to the glass and body of the car very simply by spraying it with silicone lubricant. I buy the spray bomb and attach the 5 inch long spay tube to be able to put the silicone right where its needed, and then I massage it in with my fingers. The weatherstrip goes back to its rich black colour, develops a dull sheen and is extremely pliable, and will stay that way for months. It will even bring back hard, brittle weatherstripping to almost factory condition with enough lubricant and massaging. I bought a 71 Mustang convertible back in 1988 and on the way home with it I got caught in an absolute downpour. I watch the sheets of rain wash up the winshield and go right past the weatherstripping on the convertible top leading edge and onto my lap and the floors. Putting down the top revealed that the original weaterstripping was compressed and as hard as a rock. A half hour of repeated silicone spraying and massaging brought it back to almost new condition. Hard to believe, but true. Try it, and it will become a ritual that you'll do to all our your cars every fall.

Spraying the weatherstripping with silicone is part of the regular maintainance schedule that everyone seems to ignore..... It is right up there with the requirement to change coolant every 2 years / 30,000 miles. I had a hard time convincing someone that coolant is green and should not be rust colored when I stopped to help with his blown rad hose.

I spray my weatherstripping about every second month (as part of a complete car wash). Doing it every oil change is a great idea....

[nickb21]

Wow, thanks, must have been reading my mind because I was about to ask the question to this answer! It's going to start dropping down below freezing at nights and once it starts freezing rain, I wasn't sure how I'd be able to open my door!

Any preference with which silicon, or just whatever walmart/hardware store has in a can?

Thanks again!

[alias20035]

Originally posted by nickb21
Wow, thanks, must have been reading my mind because I was about to ask the question to this answer! It's going to start dropping down below freezing at nights and once it starts freezing rain, I wasn't sure how I'd be able to open my door!

Any preference with which silicon, or just whatever walmart/hardware store has in a can?

Thanks again!

Silicone lubricant in a spray can (like WD40), not Silicone adhesive.....

Silicone is Silicone, any spray silicone lubricant will do.....

[forester2002s]

I use a solid silicone-lubricant stick. Lasts for years. I run the stick along the rubber seals, and then go over it with a piece of paper towel. Don't apply too much, or else the silicone smears the windows.

[alias20035]

Originally posted by forester2002s
I use a solid silicone-lubricant stick. Lasts for years. I run the stick along the rubber seals, and then go over it with a piece of paper towel. Don't apply too much, or else the silicone smears the windows.

I spray a paper towel with silicone lube and apply it. It does smear the windows if you don't hold the doors open to allow the silicone to seap into the rubber. I also coat the "under flap" area of the seal too. It will not last as long as the stick method, but I found that I could not get even coverage with the stick. I usually do this every 2 months or so when I do a very complete car wash, it only takes 10 minutes.

I also spray the door seals liberally with silcone, no problem with smearing there. While I am at it I usually regrease the door hinges too.

I also apply silicone to the edge of the door sail (mirror attachment point), as it is rubber and a sealing point (and also a major area for windnoise problems).

[1 Lucky Texan]

WD-40 is almost all Stoddard solvent (de-oderized kerosene) with a tiny amount of 'proprietary' substance that is commonly believed to be silicone. I don't think it would be the best stuff for the rubber seal application here. If you do use it, shake the can before spraying.

Um - guys, when you use the silicone, would you use it normally before or after any car waxing?

[Setright]

Before waxing....it helps clean off the silicone spilt on the paintwork!

[MilesFox]

i have used wd-40 on my trim, rubber, and interior. i say it does wondes and i love it. i like how it refreshes the interior, but it will dry off and not leave a residue like armorall. i cant tell you about prolonged use, but it wirks real good for ruber seals and trim.

i use it to maintain my spraypaint, acts like a wax, but is spraypaint friendly. but it will dissolve cheap dollar can silver paint. i used krylon and rustoleum blue metallic flake, clearcoated, and wd40 is the best for it

[nickb21]

I also apply silicone to the edge of the door sail (mirror attachment point), as it is rubber and a sealing point (and also a major area for windnoise problems).

Hmm, maybe this is where my windnoise is coming from, it's got a different pitch/noise and happens at different speeds than the roof rack wind noise.

I'll have a go at it, thanks for the great info.

[EOppegaard]

Originally posted by MilesFox
i have used wd-40 on my trim, rubber, and interior. i say it does wondes and i love it. i like how it refreshes the interior,

Yeah, if you like being high while driving down the road

[Commuter]

The silicone spray products are good. Definitely better than doing nothing. But I have also read a number of times that they slowly deteriorate the rubber as well. It's a bit of a catch 22. (Sorry, I don't recall what the issue is.)

Based on a recommendation from this board, I started using 303 Aerospace Proctectant. It looks and even smells (somewhat) like ArmorAll, but it is water based, not petroleum based. It's biggest selling point seems to be its "sunscreen" factor.

I find it great on interior vinyl. It's not as greasy and you don't seem to get that "off gasing" of the vinyl that clouds the windows as ArmorAll does. I've been using it on the weather stripping as well (about twice a year). Seems to be working well. 1997 car with no wind noises so far (knock wood). It is also suppose to prevent ozone attack that deteriorates rubber. Safe for your tire sidewalls too.

Just something else that people might want to consider. Girots (sp?) Garage has a similar product (perhaps it's just rebranded, I'm not sure) that others have recommended.

A google search will turn up the websites.

Commuter

[cookie]

horror if you are going to paint the car.
Silicon leaves bubbles in fresh paint where is encountered.
Best if you get as little as possible on any surface you plan to paint in the future.
You can get a silicon remover to apply before painting and if you spray it on all your rubber you will need this.

[kesslergk]

This can be purchased from any BMW dealer. About $8 for a tube. Not only will it not deteriorate the seals, it will also remove any squeaking between the seals and any other parts. This is almost required maintenance for my convertible. I am sure it will do the trick here.

Gordon

[Pillowsplat]

I started using it on my Dry top laytex gaskets for Kayaking. It seems to prolong the life. I have used it on my gaskets around the openings in cars for years. No problems so far.

[p3pppx]

I recently started using the 303 Protectant also.

I find it's great on the dash and tire's. It doesn't have that cheap looking shine like armorall. According to their write-up it provides UV protection and restores built in protection in tires. I even used on my fading black moutain bike shoes and they haven't look that good in 2 years. I'll try it on the weather seals now.

For those interested I came across a good site on car care (i.e. washing, etc) that's where I came across the 303 stuff:

www.detailcity.com

These guys are into cleaning their cars as much as we subaru owners are into subarus