You can see no fresh grease on the door hinges, check `straps` after a service? If its there its seen as diligence and care in the service isn`t it? Something visible and as such, if grease is there surely the unseen things are done too?
But is it a Con? Because I`ve just replaced a worn out door check strap, well greased of course, but looking at the new one before fitting its bushed and `tight`, no way would an external coat of grease do anything.
Presumably that`s why the old one wore out. The new one needed `working` with spray 3 in one oil, on a bench, for a few minutes before the oil penetrated and it eased.
The same with door hinges I suspect too, I`m now back to using motor oil not grease on them.
So the Main dealer trade must surely know this too? But are perhaps forced to slap grease on as oil would not really be visible to the customer.
`Cosmetic` grease then. But who started it?
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The ancient Greeks oilrag. Used to smear themselves with the stuff (although they called it 'oil') and had special instruments for scraping it off.
:o}
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And drifting sideways, Boris Johnson on knife crime according to today's Eye:
'If people learned Latin and Greek they wouldn't attack people with knives the way Julius Caesar was... er... Cripes!'
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Obviously cars vary, but "Read the Manual" comes to mind. VAG are fairly specific in the case of my Skoda. The door check mechanism requires grease - it's the type where the end of a folded torsion spring revolves cams with detents and obviously benefits from grease lubrication. It works silently and smoothly with a positive detent action. (The Superb is a lwb car and has very heavy doors with high moment of inertia).
The door hinges are different. These are very closely fitting pin type hinges, so tightly fitting that I use a drop of sewing machine oil on each one so that it is drawn into the hinge by capillary action. Oil is the recommended lubricant at this location.
Inevitably, although the car was supplied with a recent dealer service stamp there was not a trace of lubricant of any kind on the hinges or checkstrap.
The Mercedes I learnt to drive on had grease nipples (concave type) on each door hinge. It was satisfying to grease them and see the lubricant emerge from each end of the relevant hinge pin.
MB cars were worth having in those days. I've just been looking at a 10 year old SLK and the rust is truly unbelievable.
659.
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Usually white waterproof grease is used, which acts as a sort of dynamic seal. Also, the lubricant oil in the grease will leach out into the tiny gaps in the hinge over months. I think it does work.
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It wouldn't be difficult or expensive to have a smear of grease on the pin when the hinge is assembled.
Been ferrying ex renters to compound today and tomorrow, these cars are 07 and 57 plate, and some of them i've had a job to open the door, look at the hinge and rust powder is being forced out, i have an irrational urge to carry a tin of plus gas with me and give 'em a shot, i hate seeing this sort of neglect.
I use a aerosol tin of liquid grease/chain lube on mine, it sets sort of like waxoyl on the hinge and also creeps inside.
Hah....Oilrag...if you'd waxoyled the car, it would have lubricated all moving parts like that anyway....(slipped that one in)..:)
slides out the backdoor....
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I've never known any other dealer do this, and it stands out as the car in question is Black, but when my daughter's Seat Ibiza has been serviced, everthing relevant has been liberally (and I mean liberally!) sprayed with what looks like White grease out of an aerosol. It just looks ridiculous.
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"Usually white waterproof grease is used, which acts as a sort of dynamic seal. Also, the lubricant oil in the grease will leach out into the tiny gaps in the hinge over months. I think it does work. "
Audi dealers are good at this. How do you get it off trim and upholstery, please?
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"it sets sort of like waxoyl"
In your dreams GB,;) Well allegedly ;);)
Edited by oilrag on 13/06/2008 at 09:26
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I`ve just replaced a worn out door check strap well greased of course but looking at the new one before fitting its bushed and `tight` no way would an external coat of grease do anything.
Grease is "oil", but with a "filler" and possibly other addatives to make it a substance that you can dob onto things. When you need "faster" lubrication, oil is used in the runny form (except old things, Burman gearboxes, for instance). The coat of grease you mention would be something of a physical barrier to water, as well as releasing lubricant (albeit at a slow-ish rate), to do the actual "oiling".
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I think white grease was invented for the car service trade as a visual cue that your car has been fully serviced. But i am a cymical old sceptic! How come it's not on new cars?
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