I was taught this old-school mechanic trick when working on my old honda civic that had very slow power windows. The motor sounded like it was fighting the window the whole way up, and I was perplexed on what to do. Sometimes I was actually helping the window up with my hands, and it was embarrassing to say the least.
This was before I knew much about working on cars, and especially about any old school tricks. I brought it to my friend, who I later apprenticed with who was a factory trained Honda mechanic. We were working on the brakes of my Honda and I mentioned the power windows barely going up and being super slow.
He told me a quick remedy to help slow and sticky power windows for cheap is to lubricate where the window slides with what Honda dealership technicians used called Shin-Etsu Silicone Grease
. I am not sure what is so magic about this stuff, but it works PERFECTLY for lubricating the inside of the rubber slides where windows roll up and down. And it LASTS, unlike silicone sprays and other lubricants that tend to dry up over time or wash away.
The reason you need to use a silicone grease is that many of the window seals use rubber and petroleum-based greases will actually cause the rubber to swell and crack over time. DO NOT use a petroleum-based grease to lubricate any rubber parts. Also, many silicone greases that are cheap will actually sometimes contain petroleum or other petroleum distillates and cause damage to rubber parts.
If you’re dealing with sticky power windows, grab a tube of Shin-Etsu Grease on Amazon and lubricate the sliding points of the window (inside the door frame). A little bit of this grease goes a long way, and work the window up and down to get the grease spread evenly.
Other uses for Shin-Etsu Grease:
- Anywhere rubber surfaces are mating or sliding. It keeps rubber pliable and able to seal properly.
- Weatherstripping Greasing
- O-rings
- Anything Rubber
- Some people report it works great for rejuvenating black plastic trim that has faded. Feel free to try it out and let me know your results.
of the stuff for yourself.It isn’t the right grease for caliper slide pins, even though it won’t hurt the caliper pin boots or shoes you should use a grease made to withstand high-temperatures like this brake caliper specific grease.
Conclusions:
Sometimes having the right grease in your toolbox means you unlock special skills. Sure, other companies make a full silicone grease, but it doesn’t come in nearly as cool of a bottle.
Also, what brand have you found that has a cooler name than Shen-Etsu grease?
Plus, I promise you when a Honda mechanic finds Shin-Etsu grease in your toolbox they will be sure to ask where you heard about it. Maybe it is becoming more mainstream in 2019, but back 5-10 years ago I never saw it in any auto parts store in town (except the Honda dealership).
Spend the $20, and just have a tube of this stuff on hand
. You won’t be disappointed.
To Continue With The Old School Mechanic Trick Series Check Out Previous Posts:
Or check out my list of the top ten cool automotive tools here— I spent a ton of time asking a huge group of professional mechanics what they thought. Am I missing any cool tools?
