Do You Need to Lubricate Door Locks and Hinges?
There is one thing every locks and hinges have in common; they can wear out over time. One often wonders if lubricating their locks and hinges can help them to last longer or if they are designed to work for a very long time without maintenance. In some cases, you can be able to obtain this information from your hardware store, a locksmith or companies that deal on locks and hinges.
It is common to neglect the locks and hinges of a car. In fact, they are the most neglected parts on a vehicle. Ordinarily, most people don't think about lubricating their car locks and hinges until they start giving them problem. However, lubricating your car locks and hinges once in a while can go a long way to save you lots of car-locks related problem in the future.
What Type of Lubricant You Need To Use For Your Car Door and Hinges?
There many available lubricants you can get from a nearest hardware store for your car door and hinges. However, the type of the lubricant you will use will depend on the material.
Below are some of common lubricants you can use:
- Graphite Lubricant - This type of lubricant is good for car door and hinges. One advantage of using it is that it does not attract dust like oil would. Oil can damage the essential components of the lock; therefore using this type of lubricant saves you from such problem.
- Silicone Spray - This type of lubricant is best for nylon, plastic, and metal when you just need to apply small amount of lubricant. You can use white lithium grease which is a very popular choice for lubricating metal parts like hinges. This lubricant will help to repel water and even last for a long period of time in harsher conditions. Avoid using white lithium grease on plastic and other materials apart from metal since it is too harsh.
How To Lubricate Car Locks and Hinges
Lubricating car locks and hinges is pretty easy and you can do it yourself without needing services of a mechanic. If you are using graphite lubricant, it comes in a tube. To apply the lubricant, gently and carefully squirt a small amount into the door locks. Remember that you need to lubricate the lock of the trunks as well.
Another important part to lubricate is the gas tank cover except your vehicle has a coverless gas tank. A carefully application of squirt of WD-40 will save your hinges from rust. Graphite lubricant comes with a long, narrow straw which connects to the container. You simply need to press down on the top of the container to apply the lubricant on the car door and hinges.
Bear in mind that your car hood and trunk needs lubrication as well. The recommended lubricant for these areas is white lithium grease. Get white lithium grease and spray along the moving parts. You can then make use of WD-40 on the latch for the hood when you must clean the area with a clean cloth.
For the door hinges that have no metal parts, you will need to use WD-40 or a silicone spray on these areas. No need applying it too much, small squirt will be enough to keep them working properly.
You can do this two or three times every year, it does not demand much time. In fact, you can complete the lubrication of your vehicle hinges and locks within 5 minutes. The best way to ensure that you get it done is to ask a professional mechanic to do it as part of ongoing maintenance to your vehicle. Without a doubt, you can avoid many repair issues and complete damage of essential parts of your vehicle when you maintain it properly.