Camry door frame weatherstrips
Built_Well
weatherstrips of a 2006 Camry? I've used the product on the
dashboard and plastic pieces, but never on the weatherstripping,
which is that black rubber-looking stuff tracing the edges of
the doors so rain doesn't get in.
Is there a better, specialty product for the weatherstripping?
The maintenance guide for a 1987 Oldsmobile Delta 88 recommends
silicone grease (GM Part Number 1052863 or equivalent). I don't
recall reading anything in the Toyota manual about weather-
stripping maintenance. Will Armor All spray be sufficient?
badgolferman
Why do you want to polish the weather-stripping? Do you have too much
time on your hands?
C. E. White
"badgolferman" <REMOVETHISb...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:xn0gbuyls...@news.albasani.net...
Years ago I had an Audi and in the owners manual they recommended
using a silicone lubricant of a sort on the weatherstriping. I used it
seemed to help with wind noise. I assume it kept the rubber soft and
improved the door seal against the metal.
However, I wouldn't use Armor All on anything.
Ed
Tegger
$892e...@auth.newsreader.octanews.com:
Don't use Armor-All. Use nothing, or use silicone. Sil-Glyde is good. It
comes in a tube. You can get that at any auto parts place in the same
location they sell Permatex silicone sealants.
If I were you, I'd use nothing at all. The rubbers used these days are very
durable and stay pliable for ages. Besides, lubricants also make dust stick
to your weatherstripping, which makes them messy.
--
Tegger
matrixxx09
wrote:
> "badgolferman" <REMOVETHISbadgolfer...@gmail.com> wrote in message
I actually don't use Armor All on anything, but can you explain why I
shouldn't be?
And what DO you use in the car, if anything?
C. E. White
"matrixxx09" <matri...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:af566434-ad56-4ebe...@v2g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
> I actually don't use Armor All on anything, but can you explain why
> I
> shouldn't be?
It seems to be Armor All makes the plastic shinny for a while, but it
leaves some sort of greasy stuff that ends up on the windshield. I
figure this is at least as bad as the original out gassing from the
plastic. My parents never used anything on their dashes / seats and
those items in their cars seemed to hold up better than the same parts
in cars owned by people who constantly applied Amour All to these
parts. The last dash I had that cracked had been constantly Amour
All'd (but that was 30 years ago).
Here are some references you might find interesting:
http://www.f150online.com/forums/interior-care/20416-armor-all-bad.html
http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/7772-armor-all-bad.html
> And what DO you use in the car, if anything?
Mild soapy water when I have the time. For my truck, that might be
once a year. I think the dirt makes an exellent UV protectant :). The
car gets the dash and seats wiped down once a month or so with a damp
rag.
Ed
matrixxx09
wrote:
> "matrixxx09" <matrixx...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:af566434-ad56-4ebe...@v2g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
>
> > I actually don't use Armor All on anything, but can you explain why
> > I
> > shouldn't be?
>
> It seems to be Armor All makes the plastic shinny for a while, but it
> leaves some sort of greasy stuff that ends up on the windshield. I
> figure this is at least as bad as the original out gassing from the
> plastic. My parents never used anything on their dashes / seats and
> those items in their cars seemed to hold up better than the same parts
> in cars owned by people who constantly applied Amour All to these
> parts. The last dash I had that cracked had been constantly Amour
> All'd (but that was 30 years ago).
>
> Here are some references you might find interesting:
>
> http://www.f150online.com/forums/interior-care/20416-armor-all-bad.htmlhttp://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/7772-armor-all-bad.html
Thanks. I used it years ago and never had any problems, but I do
remember it wasn't good to splash onto the windshield. I also may not
have had the car long enough for the problem to present itself.
>
> > And what DO you use in the car, if anything?
>
> Mild soapy water when I have the time. For my truck, that might be
> once a year. I think the dirt makes an exellent UV protectant :). The
> car gets the dash and seats wiped down once a month or so with a damp
> rag.
>
> Ed
Do you see any problem with water with a bit of vinegar in it?
Scott Dorsey
If your issue is reducing squeaking noises, either one will probably be
as good as the other. If your issue is making them look nice and shiny,
the Armor-All is probably more effective.
Neither one will really extend the life of the gasket, but neither one
will hurt it either.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
HLS
"Tegger" <inv...@invalid.inv> wrote in message
news:Xns9C364CE9...@208.90.168.18...
> If I were you, I'd use nothing at all. The rubbers used these days are
> very
> durable and stay pliable for ages. Besides, lubricants also make dust
> stick
> to your weatherstripping, which makes them messy.
>
> --
> Tegger
I tend to agree. If I were going to use something, I might use Ruglyde, or
a homemade
version of it. It is little more than a solution of castile soap (potassium
soap) in water,
and can clean and lubricate rubber.
Hachiroku ハチロク
Quite the discussion going on here...
I have used Armor-All almost since the day it hit the market. The gaskets
on my '85 Corolla GTS are still soft and pliable and look like new. I
don't really see a problem with it.
Silicone grease it what's usually recommended, but I've heard stories
about that, too. I used that on another old Toyota and the gaskets stayed
like new also.
Using nothing isn't recommended, unless you have a source for gaskets
cheap. I have two cars that nothing was used on the gaskets and the have
rips and stick to the doors and the trunk.
I have recently tried using Pledge, but mostly for the instrument cluster
and the dash and other plastic pieces. It shines as well and lasts as long
as Armor-All, but doesn't 'flash off' and fog the windshield.
Of course, as you can probably guess, I tend to keep my Toyotas a long
time. If you're going to trade the car in in a year or two, don't worry!
Sharx35
"C. E. White" <cewh...@removemindspring.com> wrote in message
news:4a44c683$1@kcnews01...
Cleans up the fart residue, eh?
Built_Well
> I have recently tried using Pledge, but mostly for the instrument cluster
> and the dash and other plastic pieces. It shines as well and lasts as long
> as Armor-All, but doesn't 'flash off' and fog the windshield.
==========
That's an interesting idea, using Pledge dust remover. Pledge and
Endust are pricey, though, aren't they. I usually buy the Walmart
version called Kleen Guard--one dollar a bottle. I'll have to
try that on the dashboard and center panel.
Built_Well
> ....I'd use nothing at all [on the weatherstrip]. The rubbers used these
> days are very durable and stay pliable for ages. Besides, lubricants
> also make dust stick to your weatherstripping, which makes them messy.
Thanks, I won't use anything on the weatherstrip since you
say the new kinds used today last a long time. I'll probably keep the
Camry for 10 or 20 years. Is it advisable to not use anything on
the weatherstrips for that long?
Hachiroku ハチロク
Don't use a lot or you'll get build-up, one of the reasons to use a good
product like Pledge or the other national brand.
Just a little on a lint-free duster or a microfiber cloth does the trick.
Hachiroku ハチロク
I wouldn't. Er, i wouldn't *NOT* use something.
In about 6-8 years the doors will start to stick, esp if there are any
trees around. After that, the gaskets may start to tear. A little
lubrication is cheap insurance.
Rear - Sport roof - Sport roof 86-92 $70.04 $56.03
Nate Nagel
Silcone grease is available at your FLAPS as Sil-Glyde, and there are
also silicone lubricant sprays available. Highly recommended, and will
also keep your weatherstrips from freezing in the winter. Also the
Sil-Glyde has zillions of uses, e.g. weatherproofing splices and
electrical connections, lubrication in high moisture areas, and (most
recently for me) as a lube for the crank arm to bottom bracket
connections on a bicycle, to name three. (I used it for the last
because the factory lube that I cleaned off appeared to be identical.)
NB: don't be sloppy with the silicone, as if you ever need to do any
body repair, you'll have to aggressively clean it off or your paint job
will make you cry.
nate
--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
Nate Nagel
For interior cleaning, I typically use a weak Murphy's Oil Soap
solution. Mostly because I had it laying around, tried it one day, and
was happy with the results.
For remedial cleaning of old, hard, dirty vinyl and leather, use
mechanic's hand cleaner with lanolin (but WITHOUT pumice) rubbed in with
a toothbrush or other small brush, then buffed off with a towel. You'll
be amazed.
Nate Nagel
I'll have to try that. I don't use it on a car, but I have found that
it is the greatest stuff out there for brushed stainless, as found on,
say, a fridge door. Well cleaned stainless shows handprints like you
wouldn't believe, but rub some Pledge on it and it looks clean but
doesn't show marks, and lasts for months.
Built_Well
> I wouldn't. Er, i wouldn't *NOT* use something.
>
> In about 6-8 years the doors will start to stick, esp if there are any
> trees around. After that, the gaskets may start to tear. A little
> lubrication is cheap insurance.
>
> Rear - Sport roof - Sport roof 86-92 $70.04 $56.03
========
I'm going to stop parking underneath trees. I guess a tree's shade
nicely protects the car's paint from the sun, but I'm learning the trees
do their own hatchet job on your car! Everything from harmful tree sap
to paint-marring bird droppings. I guess it's better just to let the
sun beat down on your car than park under a tree?
Built_Well
> NB: don't be sloppy with the silicone, as if you ever need to do any
> body repair, you'll have to aggressively clean it off or your paint job
> will make you cry.
>
> nate
========
If the silicone is that hard to clean off the car, I can definitely see
now how it protects the weatherstrips so well.
Nate Nagel
it's not that it's so hard to clean off, but even the slightest
remainder will make any paint fisheye. And it does not all wipe off
with a typical reducer or wax/grease remover wipedown either.
Hachiroku ハチロク
A garage or a carport is always good.
But then you have to find a place for the stuff in the garage!
Ashton Crusher
The reason you should not use armorall is because the chemicals in it
leach the softening agents out of the plastic and vinyl. A chemist
provided a detailed explanation a few years ago but I lost the info.
In any event, I've had two vehicles with perfectly good dashes that
developed lots of cracks within months of using armoral on them. Many
others have shared the same experience. Since banning armoral from my
garage I have never had a significant dash deterioration issue.
Currently I use either a Turtle wax product or some stuff the comes in
a green bottle called 2000 something or other. If you don't care
about it looking shiny, the best thing for dashes is just cleaning
them with soap and water. As to the weather stripping, I use the
Green bottle stuff.
Built_Well
=========
My apartment building offers a great, huge covered parking area that
provides excellent shading and hale protection, but the problem is
every so often, somebody's car will get vandalized by some
pycho who isn't "thinking with his dipstick, Jimmy."
A few months ago, this cute college girl (with huge
pretty breasts ;-) had her late-model Mitsubishi Eclipse vandalized
by somebody when the car took up 2 parking spots. She parked right
in the middle of the two spots--actually parking dead-center
on the white line separating the two spots. This lady
occasionally parks a little askance, for some reason. Of course,
I would never say anything about her bad parking--she's
too cute {chuckle}.
Anyway, the following morning as I was walking to my car, I
noticed that her awesome-looking Eclipse had a large, heavy 1-foot-long
rock resting on its engine hood! And the driver side door was riddled
with foot-long scratches and dents near the door handle. Also some nasty
scratches on the engine hood. There was a sheet of paper on her
windshield with the word "Jerk" written on it. I figured some jealous gal
she knew did a job on her car, but she said she had no idea who could have
done it. Her impression was that it was a random act based solely on her
having parked in two spots.
An old lady who lives here also has had some damage to her car over the
years, minor damage though, and several others (including myself) have
had unexplained minor scratches. So I usually don't park in the
covered parking lot anymore. I've tried to find a spot in the
street protected by sun-shading trees. But over time, I've
learned the trees will take a toll on your car worse than the
sun.
What are folks' opinions on this: Is it better to let the sun
beat down on your car's paint than to park underneath trees,
especially parking underneath trees overnight?
Hachiroku ハチロク
> An old lady who lives here also has had some damage to her car over the
> years, minor damage though, and several others (including myself) have
> had unexplained minor scratches. So I usually don't park in the
> covered parking lot anymore. I've tried to find a spot in the
> street protected by sun-shading trees. But over time, I've
> learned the trees will take a toll on your car worse than the
> sun.
>
> What are folks' opinions on this: Is it better to let the sun
> beat down on your car's paint than to park underneath trees,
> especially parking underneath trees overnight?
I parked my Corolla GTS (aka "Hachiroku") in the sun for all of it's life.
There are no cracks in the dash, the paint only started to fade three
years ago, basically because it does not get washed every three weeks or
polished every thrid washing. Until then it still glowed in the dark...
If you put a little attention into keeping your car clean and polish 3-4
times a year with a good wax, I don't think you'll have an issue.
Of course, is it you that lives in Sunny Southern California? The good
thing is, it's dry. The bad thing is the sun beats on it 345 days a year...
HLS
"Hachiroku ハチロク" <Tru...@e86.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2009.06.28....@e86.GTS...
> I parked my Corolla GTS (aka "Hachiroku") in the sun for all of it's life.
> There are no cracks in the dash, the paint only started to fade three
> years ago, basically because it does not get washed every three weeks or
> polished every thrid washing. Until then it still glowed in the dark...
Here in Texas the heat of the sun can damage paint and interior plastics
rather quickly. It is takes a toll on the clearcoat. It also cooks the
plasticizer
out of the interior plastics, which often shows us as a film on the inside
of the windows.
A shady place to park can be a real prize here.
Built_Well
>
> Built_Well wrote:
>
>> What are folks' opinions on this: Is it better to let the sun beat
>> down on your car's paint than to park underneath trees, especially
>> parking underneath trees overnight?
>
> I parked my Corolla GTS (aka "Hachiroku") in the sun for all of it's
> life. There are no cracks in the dash, the paint only started to fade
> three years ago, basically because it does not get washed every three
> weeks or polished every thrid washing. Until then it still glowed in the
> dark...
>
> If you put a little attention into keeping your car clean and polish 3-4
> times a year with a good wax, I don't think you'll have an issue.
>
> Of course, is it you that lives in Sunny Southern California? The good
> thing is, it's dry. The bad thing is the sun beats on it 345 days a year...
No, I live in the Midwest: Columbia, Missouri. I've never lived in
Southern California, but even here at 43 degrees latitude or so, the sun
can be fierce during the summer. Columbia, Missouri (near St. Louis) is
half-way between the northern U.S. border and the southern border--right
in the middle of the country. I guess Massachusetts, your state, is
further north, latitude wise. I think if I employ a sun shield on the
windscreen, that'll protect the interior really well, but I am still
wondering about the exterior paint job with clear coat. Wouldn't the
clear coat protect the paint pretty well even in the blazing heat? My
car's outside thermometer measured 100 degrees yesterday.
HLS
"Built_Well" <Built_We...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4a47ded4$0$28145 Wouldn't the
> clear coat protect the paint pretty well even in the blazing heat? My
> car's outside thermometer measured 100 degrees yesterday.
The clearcoat is there to make the paint job shine. Modern painting
procedures
are drab as hell unless you spray clearcoat. And, those clearcoat shots are
not
usually very thick.
The sun will make the clearcoat deteriorate with time. It starts sheeting
off
like skin after a bad sunburn.
Hachiroku ハチロク
Just clean it and wax it regularly and it should last the life of the car.
I guess you have 'winters' there, with snow and ice; see if you can find
someone to 'oil' the car, if you plan on keeping it as long as you say.
The used to charge $50, but that was before hydraulic oil went up.
Some states don't allow it; VT is one that does so I take it to a wrecking
yard up there where they do it. You can get a 5 gallon pail and a sprayer
at the local hardware store and do it yourself; put pans under the
openeings in the body to catch the dribbles.
Also, go to the dollar store and get DuPont 'Teflon' wax. They sell it for
about $3. Wax the car with a good wax like Meguire's, and then recoat with
the teflon. It will keep stuff from sticking to the paint. Redo the
Meguire's twice a year and the teflon stuff 3-4 times a year and your car
should look good for a long time.
Silver, gold, and other metallics usually outlast flat colors like red or
white, so if you have a red car wash it frequently! Red is one of the most
expensive paints, and also the one to dull the fastest!
Hachiroku ハチロク
>
> "Built_Well" <Built_We...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:4a47ded4$0$28145 Wouldn't the
>> clear coat protect the paint pretty well even in the blazing heat? My
>> car's outside thermometer measured 100 degrees yesterday.
>
> The clearcoat is there to make the paint job shine. Modern painting
> procedures
> are drab as hell unless you spray clearcoat. And, those clearcoat shots are
> not
> usually very thick.
Last time I did a BC/CC finish, (we won't go into when THAT was...) the BC
was somewhat glossy when I sprayed it, and the CC really made it glow. My
guitar player just did an Olds for someone using R-M Diamont, and when he
finished the base coat I was shocked at how dull it was! It looked like
it had been sanded with 800 grit paper!
THEN he hit it with the clear coat. He was working in a barn, so had some
nibbing and sanding to do, but when he got done you could shave in the
finish...
Nate Nagel
Ain't that the truth. And VW didn't clearcoat red cars back in the day
for some reason... (had two of 'em, they'd oxidize if you looked at
them funny.)
Hachiroku ハチロク
>> Silver, gold, and other metallics usually outlast flat colors like red or
>> white, so if you have a red car wash it frequently! Red is one of the most
>> expensive paints, and also the one to dull the fastest!
>>
>
> Ain't that the truth. And VW didn't clearcoat red cars back in the day
> for some reason... (had two of 'em, they'd oxidize if you looked at
> them funny.)
>
> nate
It took my beloved Hachiroku about 3 years to oxidize.
But, I have a fresh gallon of Limco 3 "International Red", custom blended
by Yours Truly, with a quart of Bright Red, half a quart of White Pearl,
1/10th Red Pearl and just a hint of Blue Pearl, ready to spray...
If I ever get the body work done...
Check the prices, and bear in mind what I said about red pain...
http://www.sarbco.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=s&Category_Code=limco3
Ray O
<snipped>
>
> What are folks' opinions on this: Is it better to let the sun
> beat down on your car's paint than to park underneath trees,
> especially parking underneath trees overnight?
>
Park in a covered space to avoid the problems that HLS described.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)
Sharx35
"Hachiroku ハチロク" <Tru...@e86.GTS> wrote in message
White reflects more light than any of the others so WHY should white be
among the first to become dull?
Hachiroku ハチロク
It's because of the difference in the way the paint is made. Solid colors
usually chalk up easier than metallic colors, red is the worst, white and
black are probably the best.
Built_Well
Built_Well wrote:
>
>> Is it okay to use the general Armor All spray on the door frame
>> weatherstrips of a 2006 Camry? I've used the product on the dashboard
>> and plastic pieces, but never on the weatherstripping, which is that
>> black rubber-looking stuff tracing the edges of the doors so rain
>> doesn't get in.
>>
>> Is there a better, specialty product for the weatherstripping? The
>> maintenance guide for a 1987 Oldsmobile Delta 88 recommends silicone
>> grease (GM Part Number 1052863 or equivalent). I don't recall reading
>> anything in the Toyota manual about weather- stripping maintenance.
>> Will Armor All spray be sufficient?
>> ========
>
> Quite the discussion going on here...
>
> I have used Armor-All almost since the day it hit the market. The gaskets
> on my '85 Corolla GTS are still soft and pliable and look like new. I
> don't really see a problem with it.
>
> Silicone grease it what's usually recommended, but I've heard stories
> about that, too. I used that on another old Toyota and the gaskets stayed
> like new also.
>
> Using nothing isn't recommended, unless you have a source for gaskets
> cheap. I have two cars that nothing was used on the gaskets and the have
> rips and stick to the doors and the trunk.
>
> I have recently tried using Pledge, but mostly for the instrument cluster
> and the dash and other plastic pieces. It shines as well and lasts as long
> as Armor-All, but doesn't 'flash off' and fog the windshield.
>
> Of course, as you can probably guess, I tend to keep my Toyotas a long
> time. If you're going to trade the car in in a year or two, don't worry!
========
Armor All seems quite controversial; some people love it, others hate it.
Like you, I've used Armor All spray on the dashboard and interior
plastics for a while--2 or 3 years, and haven't had any problems with it
so far, but I only use it once every few months. Don't know if that makes
a diff. Also the Armor All I've been using is the original formula. It
looks a lot like milk as you spray it out of the bottle. It's not the
clear stuff. Maybe the original formula of Armor All is less problematic?
Machens Toyota sells Armor All in the lobby, along with a product they
recently started carrying called Vinylex. The lady really recommended
this Vinylex stuff for dashboard and plastics. She said the dealership
started carrying it when one of their customers praised the product a
whole bunch. What do you guys think? Anyone ever used Vinylex?
Hachiroku ハチロク
Looks like something to look into...
It's a Lexol product, so it's probably OK...
dsi1
Thanks for the link. That is one unpleasant, greasy-looking Corvette.
That steering wheel and shifter looks dangerous! I wonder if they
greased up the brake pedal pad too? My brother used to Armor-all the
seats of his Plymouth Valiant - more fun than Coney Island. :-)
Sharx35
"dsi1" <ds...@spamnet.com> wrote in message
news:Ztr2m.28534$ox3....@newsfe17.iad...
That would make it easier for the farts to escape.
Hachiroku ハチロク
ROFL! I did the steering wheel, shifter, gas brake and clutch ONCE! That
was enough.
If you do use Armor-Allon the steering wheel and shifter, buff it with a
soft cloth like a diaper or microfiber. It'll shine just fine and not be
slippery.
However, for the pedals...
HLS
> I'm going to stop parking underneath trees. I guess a tree's shade
> nicely protects the car's paint from the sun, but I'm learning the trees
> do their own hatchet job on your car! Everything from harmful tree sap
> to paint-marring bird droppings. I guess it's better just to let the
> sun beat down on your car than park under a tree?
Your clearcoat will probably last ten years or so even if you park in the
sun.
It will start hazing a couple of years before it starts flaking off,
usually.
Keep the car clean and waxed and you may delay the deterioration somewhat.
Or just trade the thing in every 4-5 years and let somebody else take the
hickey.
You CAN put a car cover on the auto every time you park it, but that is a
pain to do. If I had a classic Ferrari, I would be a lot more careful than
if I
drove a Hyundai.
dsi1
I like the idea of treating the weatherstripping but greasy interior
plastics lack appeal for me. The good news is that cars these days don't
seem to suffer from cracked dashboards like the ones I had in the
seventies and eighties. Every VW and Fiat I've ever owned had this
problem. That was some ugly stuff.
HLS
>
> I like the idea of treating the weatherstripping but greasy interior
> plastics lack appeal for me. The good news is that cars these days don't
> seem to suffer from cracked dashboards like the ones I had in the
> seventies and eighties. Every VW and Fiat I've ever owned had this
> problem. That was some ugly stuff.
I think that in those days the plasticizers were not as well developed
for the polymeric parts as they are today. The dialkylphthalates would
literally cook out of the plastics, and you would find the windshield
smoky with that stuff.. Heaven only knows what it did to our health.
Some of the cars made in the Eastern Bloc had steering wheels that
would often shatter in your hands at winter temperatures. (Some of
these strikingly resembles Fiats, by the way ;>)
The company I worked for had a business unit that made boats out of
polyethylene.
We went through some of the same teething problems. The dyes faded, the
plastic degraded, etc. But those items became very much improved as better
technology was developed.
So I think the quality of some plastic items is generally better today than
in the past.
So much plastic is used that some of the parts inevitably fail, upsetting
curmudgeons like me. (and those parts are not cheap to buy, just cheap
to make).
Scott Dorsey
>
>I think that in those days the plasticizers were not as well developed
>for the polymeric parts as they are today. The dialkylphthalates would
>literally cook out of the plastics, and you would find the windshield
>smoky with that stuff.. Heaven only knows what it did to our health.
It caused males to develop female secondary sex characteristics, because
many of the standard pthalate compounds used as vinyl plasticizers tended
to act like estrogens in the body. Very weird.
>Some of the cars made in the Eastern Bloc had steering wheels that
>would often shatter in your hands at winter temperatures. (Some of
>these strikingly resembles Fiats, by the way ;>)
They should have just stuck with nice reliable wood steering wheels like
the British did.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
HLS
"Scott Dorsey" <klu...@panix.com> wrote in message
news:h2g83p$r9c$1...@panix2.panix.com...
>
> It caused males to develop female secondary sex characteristics, because
> many of the standard pthalate compounds used as vinyl plasticizers tended
> to act like estrogens in the body. Very weird.
>
There are a lot of compounds that we still use with little restriction in
the USA
that have this false hormone mimicking property. Nonylphenol based
materials
in particular have been mentioned, and BFA (bisphenol A) is considered to be
a bad actor.
I suppose you have heard about the situation that was studied in Britain
when
it was noticed that the sperm count in men of certain areas was declining.
In
those same areas, the rivers saw mutations and die-off of frogs and similar
animals. The suspected source of that contamination will make you think!!!
dsi1
>
> "dsi1" <ds...@spamnet.com> wrote in message
> news:bQM2m.1865$R73....@newsfe12.iad...
>
>>
>> I like the idea of treating the weatherstripping but greasy interior
>> plastics lack appeal for me. The good news is that cars these days
>> don't seem to suffer from cracked dashboards like the ones I had in
>> the seventies and eighties. Every VW and Fiat I've ever owned had this
>> problem. That was some ugly stuff.
>
> I think that in those days the plasticizers were not as well developed
> for the polymeric parts as they are today. The dialkylphthalates would
> literally cook out of the plastics, and you would find the windshield
> smoky with that stuff.. Heaven only knows what it did to our health.
My guess is that the stuff reacted badly to UV as most plastics will.
OTOH, I used to have a piano that had plastic (styrene?) connectors that
someone told me, would continue to cure and harden and become brittle
and spontaneously shatter. I had a baggie of the pieces and replace them
as they broke - all 88 keys.
>
> Some of the cars made in the Eastern Bloc had steering wheels that
> would often shatter in your hands at winter temperatures. (Some of
> these strikingly resembles Fiats, by the way ;>)
Probably Fiat 128 clones - they're just like the real thing except not
as high quality. :-)
>
> The company I worked for had a business unit that made boats out of
> polyethylene.
> We went through some of the same teething problems. The dyes faded, the
> plastic degraded, etc. But those items became very much improved as
> better
> technology was developed.
>
> So I think the quality of some plastic items is generally better today
> than in the past.
> So much plastic is used that some of the parts inevitably fail, upsetting
> curmudgeons like me. (and those parts are not cheap to buy, just cheap
> to make).
You're right I think but there's probably not a lot of plastics that
could stand up to long exposure to the sun. That would be great -
plastic unaffected by UV.
HLS
"dsi1" <ds...@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message
news:NYO2m.280$Xs4...@newsfe11.iad...
> You're right I think but there's probably not a lot of plastics that could
> stand up to long exposure to the sun. That would be great - plastic
> unaffected by UV.
There are no market valued plastics that I know of that can withstand
long exposure to UV and heat. You can go to special polymers and
they will do a lot better than the crap that is commonly used.
We used to make, sell, and analyze a "plastic" that is used in the heat
shield resins for spacecraft. To make some analyses, we had to saw
off a chunk, put it in a muffle furnace at a couple thousand degrees in
a stream of OXYGEN (not air) for a couple of days until it was totally
oxidized.
In science, a lot of things are possible if you are willing to pay the
price.