Camry door frame weatherstrips

Is it okay to use the general Armor All spray on the door frame weatherstrips of a 2006 Camry? I've used the product on the dashboard and plastic pieces, but never on the weatherstripping, which is that black rubber-looking stuff tracing the edges of the doors so rain doesn't get in.

Is there a better, specialty product for the weatherstripping? The maintenance guide for a 1987 Oldsmobile Delta 88 recommends silicone grease (GM Part Number 1052863 or equivalent). I don't recall reading anything in the Toyota manual about weather- stripping maintenance. Will Armor All spray be sufficient?

Reply to
Built_Well
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Why do you want to polish the weather-stripping? Do you have too much time on your hands?

Reply to
badgolferman

Years ago I had an Audi and in the owners manual they recommended using a silicone lubricant of a sort on the weatherstriping. I used it seemed to help with wind noise. I assume it kept the rubber soft and improved the door seal against the metal.

However, I wouldn't use Armor All on anything.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Built_Well wrote in news:4a446d4f$0$35399 $ snipped-for-privacy@auth.newsreader.octanews.com:

Don't use Armor-All. Use nothing, or use silicone. Sil-Glyde is good. It comes in a tube. You can get that at any auto parts place in the same location they sell Permatex silicone sealants.

If I were you, I'd use nothing at all. The rubbers used these days are very durable and stay pliable for ages. Besides, lubricants also make dust stick to your weatherstripping, which makes them messy.

Reply to
Tegger

I actually don't use Armor All on anything, but can you explain why I shouldn't be?

And what DO you use in the car, if anything?

Reply to
matrixxx09

It seems to be Armor All makes the plastic shinny for a while, but it leaves some sort of greasy stuff that ends up on the windshield. I figure this is at least as bad as the original out gassing from the plastic. My parents never used anything on their dashes / seats and those items in their cars seemed to hold up better than the same parts in cars owned by people who constantly applied Amour All to these parts. The last dash I had that cracked had been constantly Amour All'd (but that was 30 years ago).

Here are some references you might find interesting:

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Mild soapy water when I have the time. For my truck, that might be once a year. I think the dirt makes an exellent UV protectant :). The car gets the dash and seats wiped down once a month or so with a damp rag.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Thanks. I used it years ago and never had any problems, but I do remember it wasn't good to splash onto the windshield. I also may not have had the car long enough for the problem to present itself.

Do you see any problem with water with a bit of vinegar in it?

Reply to
matrixxx09

If your issue is reducing squeaking noises, either one will probably be as good as the other. If your issue is making them look nice and shiny, the Armor-All is probably more effective.

Neither one will really extend the life of the gasket, but neither one will hurt it either.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

I tend to agree. If I were going to use something, I might use Ruglyde, or a homemade version of it. It is little more than a solution of castile soap (potassium soap) in water, and can clean and lubricate rubber.

Reply to
HLS

Cleans up the fart residue, eh?

Reply to
Sharx35

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That's an interesting idea, using Pledge dust remover. Pledge and Endust are pricey, though, aren't they. I usually buy the Walmart version called Kleen Guard--one dollar a bottle. I'll have to try that on the dashboard and center panel.

Reply to
Built_Well

Thanks, I won't use anything on the weatherstrip since you say the new kinds used today last a long time. I'll probably keep the Camry for 10 or 20 years. Is it advisable to not use anything on the weatherstrips for that long?

Reply to
Built_Well

Don't use a lot or you'll get build-up, one of the reasons to use a good product like Pledge or the other national brand.

Just a little on a lint-free duster or a microfiber cloth does the trick.

Reply to
Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B

I wouldn't. Er, i wouldn't *NOT* use something.

In about 6-8 years the doors will start to stick, esp if there are any trees around. After that, the gaskets may start to tear. A little lubrication is cheap insurance.

Rear - Sport roof - Sport roof 86-92 $70.04 $56.03

Reply to
Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B

Silcone grease is available at your FLAPS as Sil-Glyde, and there are also silicone lubricant sprays available. Highly recommended, and will also keep your weatherstrips from freezing in the winter. Also the Sil-Glyde has zillions of uses, e.g. weatherproofing splices and electrical connections, lubrication in high moisture areas, and (most recently for me) as a lube for the crank arm to bottom bracket connections on a bicycle, to name three. (I used it for the last because the factory lube that I cleaned off appeared to be identical.)

NB: don't be sloppy with the silicone, as if you ever need to do any body repair, you'll have to aggressively clean it off or your paint job will make you cry.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

For interior cleaning, I typically use a weak Murphy's Oil Soap solution. Mostly because I had it laying around, tried it one day, and was happy with the results.

For remedial cleaning of old, hard, dirty vinyl and leather, use mechanic's hand cleaner with lanolin (but WITHOUT pumice) rubbed in with a toothbrush or other small brush, then buffed off with a towel. You'll be amazed.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

I'll have to try that. I don't use it on a car, but I have found that it is the greatest stuff out there for brushed stainless, as found on, say, a fridge door. Well cleaned stainless shows handprints like you wouldn't believe, but rub some Pledge on it and it looks clean but doesn't show marks, and lasts for months.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

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I'm going to stop parking underneath trees. I guess a tree's shade nicely protects the car's paint from the sun, but I'm learning the trees do their own hatchet job on your car! Everything from harmful tree sap to paint-marring bird droppings. I guess it's better just to let the sun beat down on your car than park under a tree?

Reply to
Built_Well

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If the silicone is that hard to clean off the car, I can definitely see now how it protects the weatherstrips so well.

Reply to
Built_Well

it's not that it's so hard to clean off, but even the slightest remainder will make any paint fisheye. And it does not all wipe off with a typical reducer or wax/grease remover wipedown either.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

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