How to use WD-40? Spray the solution on the surface that needs cleaning, wait for 15 minutes and wipe clean with a dry paper towel or cloth. For more serious rust removal, keep it in the WD-40 solution for a few hours or leave it overnight.
WD-40 has 2 main properties, it is a water dispersant (WD stands for water displacement) and it can loosen up rust particles and is great for loosening rusty nuts and bolts. It is partially a lubricant, but not a true lubricant like WD-40 silicone spray.
DON’T use WD-40 for:
Fan belts: don’t spray it on noisy and squeaky fan belts, they are designed to run dry. If they are noisy, they might be worn out and need replacing or they need to be tightened up, because they are too lose. Some newer cars have an automatic tensioner. When the automatic tensioner fails the tension of the belt will be faulty. The tensioner must be replaced.
Tire tread: Don’t spray them on your tires tread, WD-40 is not made to polish tires. WD-40 is a lubricant, and you don’t want to lubricate your tires. Tires need the friction to drive and stay on the road, lubricating it makes the tires slippery and unsafe to drive.
Car paint: don’t spray WD-40 on your car’s paint to shine it. It will make it shine initially, but when it starts to fade it permanently fades the car, and in the end, you will probably need to repaint your car.
Uses for WD-40:
Squeaky or rusty parts underneath the car: if you see any rusty parts underneath your car, you can apply WD-40 to prevent rust build up.
Engine dirt: if you want to clean the engine WD-40 is a must. Spray it on the entire engine and remove all the grease and grime from the engine to make it look new again. Use a brush for those hard-to-reach places for a thorough clean.
Shocks: spray squeaky shocks or strut mounts to eliminate unwanted noises.
Sticky or stuck keyholes: you can spray your car door keyhole or even your car ignition keyhole. During very cold winters the keyhole might freeze and get stuck. Apply WD-40 to loosen it again and keeping it from freezing again.
Electronics: WD-40 does not harm the car’s electronics and wiring and can be used as a water dispersal on wet wiring and electronics if the car doesn’t want to start. If you unintentionally or intentionally drove through a deep puddle of water and the car stops running. Switch the engine off and spray WD-40 into the carburetor, if the carburetor was flooded the car should start now after applying Wd-40. The carburetor is responsible for applying the right amounts of air and fuel to form a air/fuel mixture for combustion within the engine.
Door hinges: use it on rusty squeaky door hinges and car hood latches, spray it and let it soak in for a while, then wipe any access WD-40 off. Then use wd-40 water resistant silicone spray afterwards, because the wd-40 silicone spray is a true lubricant.
Spark plugs: over time dirt and grime builds up around the spark plugs and will prevent them from performing at a 100 percent. Using WD-40 on spark plugs will remove dirt from it and disperse any moist from the plugs and wiring preventing corrosion of the parts.
Dirt on car paint: if you struggle to get old bird droppings or grease and grime from your car paint, you can apply WD-40 to it. Spray it, wait for 15 minutes and wipe it off with a dry paper towel or cloth. If you do a lot of long-distance driving, you can apply WD-40 to your windscreen and grill so that the bugs don’t get stuck and just slides off. You can even use it to get rid of old sticker remains on the car. Tree sap is no match for WD-40, apply it wait for a while and let WD-40 do its magic. Then wipe it down, no more tree sap on the car.
Some other uses for WD-40 on your car:
- clean car exhaust or any stainless-steel parts
- use it to clean steel/alloy wheel rims
- remove dead bugs and grime from number plates
- dirt build- up on steering wheel
- spray on dirty battery terminals
- spray on tire sidewalls to protect from the elements
- clean car mirrors and mirror hinges
- clean headlight covers
- use it on wiper blades to clean and protect them
- getting rid of dirt and grime on inside car door panels
Conclusion:
WD-40 is a great product to use on your car and is safe to use around car electronics. The product is designed to disperse water and moisture. It has so many uses that you can uses it on about everything car related. You can use it on your car engine, electronics, underneath your car for cleaning rusty parts and preventing them from rust build up. You can use WD-40 outside the car like keeping your mirrors clean or wheel rims and even inside your car like door panels or steering wheel, the uses are almost endless.
There are a few places that is not suitable for WD-40 like your tire tread, fan belts and to use it to get your shine back in your paint. In this case it will make your paint shine like a new car, but after a month or two it will fade and leave it permanently faded.
