Cleaning door jambs/shuts

**connorb850** · 11-01-2008, 03:38 PM

The door jambs on my car are filthy (pics below) and really ruin the look of an otherwise clean car. I always wipe down the outer edges after a wash, but the inner part around the hinges will require more than that.

What should I use to thoroughly clean them? Should I be concerned about spraying chemicals/water on these areas?

**stiffdogg06** · 11-01-2008, 04:04 PM

Degreaser and then spray down with water. Scrub with brushes, Q-tips, & MF towels.

**Morris9982** · 11-01-2008, 04:06 PM

I only clean my own cars but for mine, I will clean them thorough once when I first get the car using an all purpose cleaner or something stronger if needed to get out the grease and any sealer the factor sprayed.

After cleaning, I`ll polish if needed and seal with the same material I use on the paint (right now that`s Zaino products).

After the first cleaning, wiping them down with a damp cloth after a wash keeps them clean. It should for you too unless you drive a lot on a gravel or dirt road.

In the winter when salt spray gets in there or after driving in the rain, it may take an little extra effort to clean them.

Only thing I`d be careful of would be not to clean all the lubricant off any thing that moves, like the lever in the first picture. I`d clean around it and then put just a little oil or whatever you like just where it pivots.

**Legacy** · 11-01-2008, 04:07 PM

ARO and use a light grease for the hinges.

**ZoomBoy** · 11-01-2008, 05:17 PM

This is why I`m glad I own a coupe. My door jambs look nothing like that, its all just one nice piece of metal with a few exposed hinges easily cleaned.

My girlfriends 4-door Hyundai looks like crap no matter how many times I clean the jambs out, the rear doors like you have pictured here look just like that. I gave up trying :lol

**ALAN81** · 11-01-2008, 06:14 PM

WD-40 that is what i use

**LNER** · 11-01-2008, 07:47 PM

Nuke the whole area with EagleOne NanoWax clear spray. It`s not greasy and turns all the plastic stuff dark/black. Wipe away any excess. Get it as clean as possible first. E1 A2Z wheel cleaner is a good quick cleaner. Remember to white grease the moving points after. Q-Tips are a good applicator. Pretty much once this area is clean, it stays clean with regular attention.

**buja** · 11-01-2008, 10:08 PM

is WD40 safe / suitable for lubricating the hinges after a good apc wash ?

thanks

**backwoods_lex** · 11-01-2008, 11:13 PM

You can use APC around 10:1 for the door jams, but you will likely need full strength for the rubber parts (especially the grease covered ones--I use a toothbrush on those).

Walmart sells a package of foam sticks for around $2 that are great for reaching those tight areas. Great for the lug areas on wheels too :2thumbs:.

**reparebrise** · 11-01-2008, 11:17 PM

All you need is steam, no chemicals, just super heated pure water.

**buja** · 11-02-2008, 02:15 AM

what do you all use to relubricate the hinges ? not good to leave it dry after apc wash

**KnuckleBuckett** · 11-02-2008, 05:18 AM

DO

NOT

use WD-40 for this.

It is hygroscopic and despite popular belief, will invite rust.

Further, spraying it on paint should be avoided.

I used to do technical work at the laboratory that created/tests it.

Used to be called the Ethyl corporation. It has since changed hands.

**buja** · 11-02-2008, 07:21 AM

so what`s suitable for lubricating the hinges ?

thanks

**Accumulator** · 11-02-2008, 11:24 AM

After I get these areas clean, I polish them (yeah, it`s a PIA that takes a *lot* of time and effort) and then I LSP them with something durable. The smooth surface (from the polishing), combined with the dirt-shedding of the LSP helps make them easy to keep clean using BHBs and shampoo mix. And dirt doesn`t build up as readily, and dirt holds moisture that can lead to problems.

I find that the hinges/latches/etc. really don`t need much lube, hardly any. I use white lithium grease on large areas and rather light oils (generally stuff made for firearms) on the hinges themselves. For those, I use a needle-style applicator and only lube areas that`ll benefit from it.

Even lubes I woulda thought too-light for this (e.g., SnakeOil and Break Free) seem to work fine; at least I`ve never had any problems with my hinges or latches and I`ve been doing them this way since forever.

**pwaug** · 11-02-2008, 11:49 AM

My wife`s 11 year old car had never really been properly cared for (never enough time when I was working) so the door jambs were a mess. I used ONR mixed to the normal concentration (1/2 oz per gallon H2O) and it worked great. With the ONR there was no need to shoot allot of water into those spaces and after drying with a MF they had a nice shine to them.