Rubber rub-down
April 9, 2008 7:57 AM Subscribe
Car window & sun-roof seals - how do you remove lichen and treat the rubber?
What's the best way to remove lichen from the rubber seals around the windows and sun-roof on my (12 year old) car? And is there a good treatment - preferably 'natural', easily available and low cost - to put on those very same seals to help keep the rubber supple? I'm not in the market for stuff like this (£28 for 200ml - on yer bike, son)
I recently read about the benefits of using peanut/groundnut oil to clean and restore fading black plastic trim around the bumpers - is the same stuff beneficial for the window seals? (I should probably throw in an additional question - is using peanut oil on the trim actually a good idea?)
And any other general cleaning/detailing hints at all - especially any ideas on not spending silly money on questionable chemicals - would be very welcome. I've got a whole Saturday afternoon free plus the use of a friend's garage/workshop and I'd like to do as good a job on the car as possible, inside and out, since it's pretty rare that this car gets any TLC.
What's the best way to remove lichen from the rubber seals around the windows and sun-roof on my (12 year old) car? And is there a good treatment - preferably 'natural', easily available and low cost - to put on those very same seals to help keep the rubber supple? I'm not in the market for stuff like this (£28 for 200ml - on yer bike, son)
I recently read about the benefits of using peanut/groundnut oil to clean and restore fading black plastic trim around the bumpers - is the same stuff beneficial for the window seals? (I should probably throw in an additional question - is using peanut oil on the trim actually a good idea?)
And any other general cleaning/detailing hints at all - especially any ideas on not spending silly money on questionable chemicals - would be very welcome. I've got a whole Saturday afternoon free plus the use of a friend's garage/workshop and I'd like to do as good a job on the car as possible, inside and out, since it's pretty rare that this car gets any TLC.
Repairing the damage I can't help with. Is the rubber actually physically damaged, like crumbly or hard? Replace it. If not, maybe a good scrubbing will bring it back to life?
As for maintaining your new/cleaned rubber, I don't recommend natural oils, or any kind of solvent oil (like wd40 or motor oil). They gum up and/or dissolve the rubber. For these things, I have a can of spray silicone lubricant. I spray it into a rag and rub it onto the rubber, and then buff it off with another towel. Seems to work for me.
posted by gjc at 8:24 AM on April 9, 2008
As for maintaining your new/cleaned rubber, I don't recommend natural oils, or any kind of solvent oil (like wd40 or motor oil). They gum up and/or dissolve the rubber. For these things, I have a can of spray silicone lubricant. I spray it into a rag and rub it onto the rubber, and then buff it off with another towel. Seems to work for me.
posted by gjc at 8:24 AM on April 9, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jquinby at 8:02 AM on April 9, 2008