Is silicone grease like Napa Sil-Glyde a bad choice for lubricating plastic door detent rods? Specifically, will it just end up gunking up or attracting dirt and causing wear long term? A while back I noticed my detent rods were a little dirty, and I figured that cleaning and lubing them would help. I used sil-glyde because I have some around. Yesterday (months later) I noticed one of my doors (the one that gets the least use, by far) was harder than normal to open. Wiping the detent rod off and then wiping on a small amount of grease fixed that issue, but now I'm wondering if the sil-glyde is actually going to make this worse instead of better.
Sil-Glyde for plastic door detent rods?
- Thread starter rationull
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Its a silicone based grease so it will not damage plastic or rubber. I think hinges and door check get lubricated with heavy oil rather than grease as per owners manual. But I would give it a try.
JHZR2
Staff member
I was under the impression that plastic door checks/detent rods were self-lubricating, and adding lubricity could effect their ability to hold in position.
Keeping stuff clean is certainly an issue.
MB recommends an NLGI 00/000 grease for these things, so practically an oil.
Keeping stuff clean is certainly an issue.
MB recommends an NLGI 00/000 grease for these things, so practically an oil.
SylGlyde is mostly a castor oil product, but it's good for door hinges/plastic products. Maybe the only downside being that it's expensive and it's cold weather performance isn't that great (seems very thick in the tube in the winter here.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I was under the impression that plastic door checks/detent rods were self-lubricating, and adding lubricity could effect their ability to hold in position.
Keeping stuff clean is certainly an issue.
MB recommends an NLGI 00/000 grease for these things, so practically an oil.
Hmm, it may be that the internal rollers are sealed or self lubricated somehow and the plastic surface doesn't need lube. I'm certainly not having any issue holding the doors in position though.
Maybe I'll just try to clean the grease off and just clean them in the future rather than re-greasing.
Originally Posted By: bepperb
SylGlyde is mostly a castor oil product, but it's good for door hinges/plastic products. Maybe the only downside being that it's expensive and it's cold weather performance isn't that great (seems very thick in the tube in the winter here.
It may be expensive but I ended up getting a big tube at some point just because I needed it for some sway bar bushings. I think I might now have a lifetime supply
I was under the impression that plastic door checks/detent rods were self-lubricating, and adding lubricity could effect their ability to hold in position.
Keeping stuff clean is certainly an issue.
MB recommends an NLGI 00/000 grease for these things, so practically an oil.
Hmm, it may be that the internal rollers are sealed or self lubricated somehow and the plastic surface doesn't need lube. I'm certainly not having any issue holding the doors in position though.
Maybe I'll just try to clean the grease off and just clean them in the future rather than re-greasing.
Originally Posted By: bepperb
SylGlyde is mostly a castor oil product, but it's good for door hinges/plastic products. Maybe the only downside being that it's expensive and it's cold weather performance isn't that great (seems very thick in the tube in the winter here.
It may be expensive but I ended up getting a big tube at some point just because I needed it for some sway bar bushings. I think I might now have a lifetime supply
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: rationull
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I was under the impression that plastic door checks/detent rods were self-lubricating, and adding lubricity could effect their ability to hold in position.
Keeping stuff clean is certainly an issue.
MB recommends an NLGI 00/000 grease for these things, so practically an oil.
Hmm, it may be that the internal rollers are sealed or self lubricated somehow and the plastic surface doesn't need lube. I'm certainly not having any issue holding the doors in position though.
Maybe I'll just try to clean the grease off and just clean them in the future rather than re-greasing.
Perhaps. Without removing the door card and actually pulling out the whole thing, can you even get the sil-glyde to the rollers?
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I was under the impression that plastic door checks/detent rods were self-lubricating, and adding lubricity could effect their ability to hold in position.
Keeping stuff clean is certainly an issue.
MB recommends an NLGI 00/000 grease for these things, so practically an oil.
Hmm, it may be that the internal rollers are sealed or self lubricated somehow and the plastic surface doesn't need lube. I'm certainly not having any issue holding the doors in position though.
Maybe I'll just try to clean the grease off and just clean them in the future rather than re-greasing.
Perhaps. Without removing the door card and actually pulling out the whole thing, can you even get the sil-glyde to the rollers?
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Hmm, it may be that the internal rollers are sealed or self lubricated somehow and the plastic surface doesn't need lube. I'm certainly not having any issue holding the doors in position though.
Maybe I'll just try to clean the grease off and just clean them in the future rather than re-greasing.
Perhaps. Without removing the door card and actually pulling out the whole thing, can you even get the sil-glyde to the rollers? [/quote]
No, definitely not. I'm not going to do anything to the rollers. I meant that I'll clean off the plastic rods.
Hmm, it may be that the internal rollers are sealed or self lubricated somehow and the plastic surface doesn't need lube. I'm certainly not having any issue holding the doors in position though.
Maybe I'll just try to clean the grease off and just clean them in the future rather than re-greasing.
Perhaps. Without removing the door card and actually pulling out the whole thing, can you even get the sil-glyde to the rollers? [/quote]
No, definitely not. I'm not going to do anything to the rollers. I meant that I'll clean off the plastic rods.
Rollers should be lubricated INTERNALLY.
You want them to roll, not slide with external greases.
You want them to roll, not slide with external greases.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Its a silicone based grease so it will not damage plastic or rubber. I think hinges and door check get lubricated with heavy oil rather than grease as per owners manual. But I would give it a try.
Hi! So will the mineral oil greases damage the plastic and rubber ?
Its a silicone based grease so it will not damage plastic or rubber. I think hinges and door check get lubricated with heavy oil rather than grease as per owners manual. But I would give it a try.
Hi! So will the mineral oil greases damage the plastic and rubber ?
I used bicycle-chain lube/wax and it is PERFECT for those rods...the door will slide shut effortlessly.
Kestas
Staff member
One of my cars has plastic detent rods for the doors. The manual specifically says NOT to lubricate it.
Chain wax-lube product description....
"DuPont's metal bonding Krytox lubricating film, M2 molybdenum and specialized waxes make it even slicker, quieter and longer lasting."
"DuPont's metal bonding Krytox lubricating film, M2 molybdenum and specialized waxes make it even slicker, quieter and longer lasting."
Originally Posted By: Kestas
One of my cars has plastic detent rods for the doors. The manual specifically says NOT to lubricate it.
Probably is actually Teflon piece not plastic.
I'd follow the manufacturer's advice. If you do anything use dishwashing liquid and water to clean dirt and debris off the slider. DO NOT USE PETROLEUM based solvents or lubes.
One of my cars has plastic detent rods for the doors. The manual specifically says NOT to lubricate it.
Probably is actually Teflon piece not plastic.
I'd follow the manufacturer's advice. If you do anything use dishwashing liquid and water to clean dirt and debris off the slider. DO NOT USE PETROLEUM based solvents or lubes.
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