Any Rubber Protectant for New OEM Bushings? (1 Viewer)

[bicycleagent003]

Is anyone putting any type of rubber protectant on new OEM suspension bushings? I'm curious if we're better off putting something like 303 Protectant on them or just installing them dry.

Your thoughts/practices, and why?

 

[beatle_bayly]

A little 303 or rubber grease may help with installation but it's not going to do much if your aim is to reduce squeaks over the long term. Mechanical stresses are ultimately what degrades the bushes rather than a bit of UV exposure or oxidation. But, if you spray the bushes every month with some 303 you may get another couple of months out of them over the next 20 years or so....

 

[mudgudgeon]

A little 303 or rubber grease may help with installation but it's not going to do much if your aim is to reduce squeaks over the long term. Mechanical stresses are ultimately what degrades the bushes rather than a bit of UV exposure or oxidation. But, if you spray the bushes every month with some 303 you may get another couple of months out of them over the next 20 years or so....

Agree.
Its a long waiting game to see if you save a few $$$ on swapping out bushes. How much are you gonna spend to regularly apply a product over the next 10, 15, 20 years?

Best bet is still oem Toyota bushes IMO

 

[Squeegee]

I don’t think it’s worth the time on a consumable

 

[bicycleagent003]

Thanks, guys. I was of the same opinion. I have been spraying the CV boots on my wife's Highlander at each oil change, with 303. I'd really like to avoid replacing those during our ownership of the car.
Cheers.

 

[Kernal]

I often will smear dielectric grease (which is thick silicone grease) on new black rubber parts that are in a location that I won't be bumping into ie: you wouldn't want to use dielectric grease on the door seals/weather strips if it's going to get on your clothes. I'll use it on the valve cover gasket before installtion or the spark plug tube seals and PCV grommet, or maybe a new rubber hole plug. It seems to help in some areas but anything that's exposed to rain water is going to get washed off fairly quickly. There are a bunch of products for UV and Ozone protection that might help but as mentioned above no way to know how much or for how long.

 

[beatle_bayly]

Thanks, guys. I was of the same opinion. I have been spraying the CV boots on my wife's Highlander at each oil change, with 303. I'd really like to avoid replacing those during our ownership of the car.
Cheers.

If you are that pedantic I think there are other products that would be better than 303 in this situation. 303 is primarily a UV and Oxidation protectant (according to the OEM). Under vehicle suspension rubbers and CV boots don't see much UV. Again, rubber grease might be a better product on the CV boots, though the internal grease is likely doing more damage to natural rubber than anything from the outside. Personally, a routine wash with water is probably the most effective thing you do to prolong their life (and not turning to full lock)