Cleaning door jambs/shuts

C

connorb850

New member
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?





Picture002.jpg




Picture001.jpg
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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:.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I will spend some time on this soon. I'll probably try Klasse AIO/SG on the painted areas once they are clean.
 
connorb850 said:
I'll probably try Klasse AIO/SG on the painted areas once they are clean.
Click to expand...





That's what I used on the MPV (including the areas under discussion). I'd get a few layers of KSG on there while you're doing it so it won't need redone soon, and I'd still do a little polishing before the AIO. So many vehicles aren't even cleared in these areas, and even when they are the paint always has a lot of texture that could stand some smoothing out. Just don't go overboard, as the paint in question is also usually quite thin.
 
Accumulator - So it's okay to lightly polish the matte/textured areas? The paint on the door jambs seems smooth and glossy like the exterior of the car, but this is not the case with the trunk jambs and paint in the engine compartment. These areas have a fairly rough textured look and feel.
 
KnuckleBuckett said:
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.
Click to expand...



Seriously, hygroscopic? I thought WD40 was hydrophobic and that the "WD" stood for water displacement which certainly doesn't jive with hygroscopic as you state. I use it to protect various landscaping tools I use (shears, scissors, hedge trimmers) and it does a great job displacing water and preventing rust (and potentially leaving a little bit of lubricant behind).



I agree that lubricating hinges isn't the best use for WD40 as it isn't a particularly good lubricant and it attracts dirt. But I always thought WD40 was hydrophobic.



Also, your comment about Ethyl Corporation, I don't know of any relationship between WD40 and Ethyl Corporation which is a fuel additive company. WD40 started as Rocket Chemical Company and was renamed to its current name in 1969 and went public in 1973 and is currently listed on the NASDAQ.



Regards,



Rich
 
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