Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

[crazygrrrl]

I'm not even sure if this is the right place to put this thread...

I just used up my last jar of dielectric silicone grease on my doors but didn't have enough to coat the weatherstrip in the rear hatch.

A new jar of silicone grease will cost about $10 and a trip to an auto parts store, but I'm feeling lazy and cheap. I also want to try using something that isn't toxic. Dielectric silicone grease is a skin irritant, so I have to wear gloves to apply the grease to the weatherstrip.

Has anyone ever tried to put petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on weatherstrip? Does it work, or does it thin-out and get all watery in hot weather?

I just want to keep the weatherstrips from drying out. I don't care much about rattles and squeaks.

Thanks.

[Mogobs30th]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

Vaseline CAN work, although Im not sure if it will get watery in heat. But the best thing you can use is silicone spray. You can get a can of it for no more than $5 from NAPA or most places. I think I paid $3 for the can I have.

And when you spray it on, it will dry, but its not made to be goopy all over the weatherstripping. All its made to do is keep the rubber from dry rotting.

But if you're THAT lazy, yes, Vaseline or any petroleum jelly will work.

[ssms5411]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

I just use armorol and wipe down everything when its washed.

[savagecamaro96]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

self promotion ftw
http://forum.camarov6.com/showthread...light=vaseline
its so weird to read things i typed 2 years ago

either way, yes vaseline works pretty good, it hasn't done anything bad to my car in the 2 years since ive done it

[crazygrrrl]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

Thanks guys! I'll give Vaseline a try next week. I've got the stuff in the house and it's a lot cheaper and safer than silicone grease. It'll be interesting to see how it works on the weatherstrip of the rear hatch. If it doesn't work out I can always switch back to silicone grease.

By the way, I used to use Armor All on tires, but it turned the rubber brownish after a few years. I don't know if they changed the formula from 10 years ago, but that was about the last time that I used it.

[Mighty Thor]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

Huh, this interesting. Like to know myself.

[steddy]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

As far as what I've heard, silicone forms a seal on the weatherstrip, causing it to age prematurely, whereas, the vaseline will "feed" the rubber, keeping it from drying out over time. Personally, I think it's just preference.

[crazygrrrl]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

I put the Vaseline on the hatch weatherstrip today, and it went on pretty easy. I saw lots of tiny cracks in the rubber, so I guess the weatherstrip treatment was long overdue. My bad.

The Vaseline seems to soak right in. It was kind of weird. When I used silicone grease on the weatherstrip it stays on the surface, but the Vaseline will appear to soak into the weatherstrip after sitting in the sun for a while, and the weatherstrip seemed to be more flexible after applying the Vaseline.

I guess I'll have to reapply the Vaseline to the weatherstrip every 6 months or so to keep the rubber from drying out.

I also applied the Vaseline to the rubber window trim on both doors, and it turned them nice and glossy.

[borispeed]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

I read some book sometime ago that vegetal oil will work perfect. I thought it was Hanes, but I check and recomends silicone. Maybe it was driver's manual, not sure. I would say do the treatment at least once every three months. Anyone know the price to get new weatherstrip for doors and hatchback?

[Derek3.4]

Re: Will petroleum jelly work on weatherstrips?

2 things a man needs in life, an F-Body and some lube.