MisterRisky

Oh, and silicone spray is nice for rubber bits. I have been using silicone spray to clean black rubber on my car and I wipe down my Targa seals so they don't squeak. I love the stuff as it really keeps black plastic and rubber in good shape.

When I last did my Targa seals I got some on my black targa roll bar thing (what's the proper name for that?) It made the bar look really black and nice. I figured it would wear right off, but that's been a week and you can still see that the part with silicone on it looks better than the rest. Is there a compelling reason not to wipe the whole black bar thing down with silicone? It does not pick up dust and has held up under rain. Anything you all would be concerned about?

Here's the spray I use:



I bought it at Amazon.com.

tbennett017

Props for the Sir Mix-a-Lot reference.

jimq

dont get it near your 02 sensor

elbeee964

or anything you ever have plans for painting or gluing, too.

(a decidedly double-razor-edged sword, that silly-cone.)
-Lonnie

MisterRisky

You know I have been listening to Johathan Coulton lately and I think he got it in my head with his folk acoustic cover of Baby Got Back. Oh yeah, click the link, baby.

MisterRisky

Yeah, that's a good point.

And good point on the 02 sensor too.

I probably also want to keep it away from the steering wheel.

merrick

It all depends who you talk to... I say no, but Griott's Garage would say yes, but Meguiars would say no. As long as you like the look and feel and the paint/trim doesn't deteriorate after applying... who is to say it's bad.

Just my 2 cents.

tbennett017

Banjos and Bit Butts.. who'da thunk.

I need to go home now and drink more than I had anticipated after this revelation.

MisterRisky

Yeah the "no harm no foul" was where my mind was. I'll wipe the whole targa bar this weekend and we'll see how it goes.

Computamedic

I wouldn't get carried away with the warnings about getting it near the O2 sensor!! If you recall the fiasco last year with supermarket fuels in the UK, it was finally put down to a contamination of excess SILICON. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the use or function of SILICONE which is primarily used for lubricating and polishing. See the Wikipedia description here for more details.

Regards

Dave

MisterRisky

That little e makes all the difference. Silicon != silicone

Very good point Dave. I didn't know where the concern over the 02 sensor came from, but I wasn't too worried as the 02 sensor is quite well attached to the car, from what I hear. Its not like it will jump out and dunk itself into stuff on accident. But now I am not even worried about that improbability.

wsybert

FYI.
Silicone doesn't have to be near your O2 sensor. If it is used in the engine bay area, it can be pulled into the intake and pushed right past the sensor vie the exhaust. It really doesn't take much to kill a sensor.
Silicone sprays and even the outgassing of curing silicone sealant (the non-sensor safe stuff, used as a gasket sealer) can kill a sensor. The issue is with the sensor tip.

38D

I would get a real rubber product that has UV protection. Silicone based products dissolve the protectants that manufactures put in to prevent UV damage, so actually speed up the aging process. This is a reason the concours guys don't go near Armor All...

MisterRisky

That seems like good advice. Thanks. I'll go over to the concours section and ask around. I bet someone has a Targa bar question. Silicone seems to make sense, however, for the rubber seals as they don't get much UV exposure.

elbeee964

Those concourse boys are gonna say, "Aerospace 303" spray-on for your rubber. (ok -- I hear someone snickering out there!)
Great, but quite temporary, water soluble. *Perfect* for concourse -- a plastic-part-just-out-of-the-bag-look. No luster at all, but clean. Neat stuff. I use is on all my interior surfaces.

I've grown used to the Ultima line for exterior black finishes, in particular, their tire & wheel finish. (Yeah -- that price is an eye-popper.)
First saw it demonstrated at one of the San Diego club's tech sessions. Goodly stuff. Still on my first bottle.
Unlike the other tire treatments this one dries (so it won't 'sling'), water proof, is good for both rubber and painted wheel, and lasts for a good month, or so. Also, the surface glean can be somewhat controlled by the number of coats. One light coat is matte, two a little shiny, etc. Works for me, ymmv.

-Lonnie

ps, don't do it, Risk -- shiny cars is a mighty slippery slope... Tease: that whole melted-finish outcome is quite doable in your garage.