Looking for suggestions for appropriate products for usage on the runway of cabrio
I'm looking for suggestions of products to be used to keep the inside of the cabin runners of the cabriolet, which are either rubber or rubberized plastic ,supple and resistant to becomming brittle over time.I am thinking that it is probably best to approach the issue now while the car is new as opposed to trying to deal with this issue later when wear and the elements have taken their toll.Is there any experience in this regard?Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Well,I'm not certain what the ACTUAL term for what I'm talking about is.If you allow the cabriolet soft top to open up,you will be able to see the track that it runs on from the inside of the cab of the car.What I am asking about is the rubberized area that will probably be in essence a seal from outside precipitation and such.I am hoping for a type of a protectant product to ward off the rubber from showing signs of aging.I DO hope that this is enough information to go on.
Your best bet is probably some type of weatherstripping lubricant. I've seen reference to Krytox in some GM and Corvette forums. Others swear by dielectric grease (non-silicone), still others swear by regular Vaseline petroleum jelly. More research is needed; since I have a cabrio, too, I'll let you know what I find out.
Last edited by Smart Enuf; 06-06-2009 at 10:38 PM.
Reason: misspelled "dielectric"
Back when I used to work in an automotive glass & aftermarket toy shop, we had what looked like an overgrown Chap-Stick made from silicone grease, that we used to protect and rejuvenate rubber weather seals on door glass & sunroofs. I'm sure they're still made, although I don't know what the brand name would be...
Silicone works a ton better than petroleum jelly, which will deteriorate the rubber over the long term.
Krytox would work okay, too. It's a perfluorinated polyether (PFPE), similar to Teflon[tm]. It's chemically inert, so it won't attack the seals.
Google "silicone grease stick," and I *think* you'll find something at your friendly neighborhood True Value hardware store. Just rub a little on the seals every six months or so (more often if they appear dried out or weather-checked), and you're good to go.
Last edited by The Rigger; 06-06-2009 at 10:06 PM.
You can find 100% silicone grease in the plumbing area of most hardware stores -- it comes in a small plastic container, not a tube. It's not usually in the "grease" area -- I wasted a bunch of time searching through three home improvement and hardware stores!
I certainly do appreciate your response.I am surprised that I couldn't dredge up the correct name as being the weather striping.I WILL search out the silicon grease product.Here is a question that I hope is not too stupid.Is this silicon grease going to be "greasy" and therefore introduce another problem by either staining the inside top of the cabrio "rag top" or being a prominent issue for future soiling of clothing that comes in contact with the weather strips.It may very possibly be that the amount that is used is so miniscule that what I'm asking about is a non-issue.Can you give any further insight.Again,thanks so much for the advise.
On the channels where the actual top mechanism runs while opening and closing the top, I've tried several different types of lubricants, including synthetic grease and plain old WD-40. As long as they aren't dry and you use some sort of lubricant on them, you should be fine. The factory lubricant appears to be traditional grease, most likely a common white lithium lube.
As for the rubber weather stripping, regular silicone spray will work well at keeping it preserved and also eliminating any squeaking. It also has the benefit of being clear and quite "clean", so your risks of staining anything are minimal, especially if you apply it by spraying on a rag first. I also use rubber/vinyl protectant (e.g., Armor All) on all the rubber seals every time I wash the car. This keeps them protected, pliable, and also serves as an additional lubricant.
Any lithium based grease will do for the running rails, I use the comma lithium based grease on my roof rails and after 5 years, they still slide nice and smoothly, and any silicone rubber lube spray for the rubber sections that dry out and squeek, don't spray the running rails with the silicone spray it dries out the rails and makes the roof stick even more.
Hope this helps.
Ellis
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