KING

iTrader: (1)

I left my car with a local auto detailer all day over the weekend. I asked him to treat the exterior rubber pieces with extreme detail and to revive them back again.

What I mean by the rubber pieces;

• Starting by going under the hood, ALL the rubber pieces that make contact with the hood. Such as the half square rubber that goes around the engine, rubber trim of headlights, along the side of the fenders. etc.
• And of course on the sides, all the door jams, in between they have rubber trim that is barely noticeable since it's hidden when you have the door half open. All the rubber trim pieces around the doors.
• Going to the trunk and ALL and every piece of rubber there too, all around the luggage area that's protruding.
• Up to the roof and the moulding around the glass.

You get it. I just meant to make this longer JK, not really but just to give you a basic idea why it's a 6 hour job. Of course I had him replace some pieces and some plasti-dip pre damage so it took a lot of time.

He began by cleaning the rubber pieces first. And then applied a reviving coating that he uses, which is then just buffed off. And on top of that a little layer of Aerospace 303 Protectant.
This was his "own" way of doing it. I just used to massage it with a tiny bit of Honda grease from time to time.

But he asked to me to try this out and I didn't mind, since it doesn't make a difference and that isn't my point here.

My point is, I arrived to pick up my car, found it kindly washed and detailed. Got inside and drove home which was like a 45 minute drive on a highway. Right when I entered the highway, dear LORD, THE SILENCE! THIS FEELS LIKE A TOMB! It was so quiet I could almost hear my heart beats in the distance.

My car felt incredibly smooth going through the crosswinds while maneuvering on the road. It felt like a luxury car back again. Like a brand new Cadillac would drive, you know?

I am not exaggerating this not even %0.01 percent. The difference this maintenance service did to my vehicle.. I can feel that if the car ever had a heart, that heart would smile. It would just love you back for taking care of this aspect of it. I very well enjoyed having my car feel like new again, maybe I just never take good care of my car so the difference is dramatic



Anyways, I just wanted to share. It is something that a lot of people forget to maintain, and end up loosing on the chance to do so when these rubber pieces start to crack everywhere, and you would get road noise, all that hassle etc. and it would cost a fortune to replace all and every price there to guarantee everything is as should be.

Sorry for the long post. Just got done with finals, had nothing better to do, and this seemed something that might be of benefit to others.

Cheers .

lextout

interesting to know, i gotta give this a try.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I use Shin Etsu

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...oor-seals.html

Boomer01

I also use the Shin Etsu from time to time, but hate the greasy marks it leaves.

mrboca

Personally I would not use any silicon based lubricant /grease / spray in the engine compartment. It is bad for the MAF, O2 sensors and cats. 303 is not silicon based, but many other products contain silicon. Also some products are great for your car's rubber and plastics but not so great for your health (carcinogen)

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I can't imagine treating the rubber seals at the hood would affect any sensors. I just use it on the rubber and it does help make it more supple preventing deterioration from the elements.

notwealthy

Same here. My car came from Palm Springs so the weather stripping was pretty dry. After cleaning it and applying shin etsu, it got rid of a ton of squeaks and wind noise.

mrboca

This is what I use. At least I know what it has inside, not some mystery component. I know it is expensive, however many people had very good results with glycerin from the pharmacy. You can use it for your hands too )))))

BradTank

I use Shin Etsu but you have to careful as it will leave nasty greasy marks on your clothes if you come into contact with it.

RRocket

This works very well. And the applicator is great!

http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-...are-stick.html

campisi

"My car felt incredibly smooth going through the crosswinds while maneuvering on the road. It felt like a luxury car back again. Like a brand new Cadillac would drive, you know?"

Does the horn honk louder now, too?

notwealthy

+5 whp, man.

mrboca

Or the wife's nagging

MattyG

Well there's nothing wrong with a detail job. I do my own and it seems like the car looks better to me when I do it on my GS. It's still noisy but then it's no LS.

But just to add my .02 bits. Your car's "rubber" seals are not made of real tree rubber and haven't been for decades.

All of your car's seals are an extruded form of EPDM, the stuff they use to waterproof and seal the roof on you house. It's chemical rubber. Use the best/cheapest product that will work on that. As long as you're not using some sort of heavy solvent to clean the seals, you should be ok.

jainla

I actually had a Lexus dealer recommend this to me years ago because car wash soap tends to dry these bits out.

I've been using Sonus Total Eclipse for years on both my door seals and other external rubber because it has sunscreen. The rubber bits that surround the windows still look good after 15 years. I've used the Sonus tire gel as well as it's a bit heavier and seems to stay on longer.

Don't forget the rubber pieces behind the corners of the windows; I've had the ones on the rear door squeak intermittently (it's odd but my mom's old Camry did the same thing). Also the seals on the top as well as the bottom of the door; also I do the plastic on the scuff plates for good measure.