Rubber gasket rejuvenation

bluecoupe30!

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
2,136
Reaction score
1,283
Location
Delta, British Columbia, Canada
As noted in Projects, I serviced my driver door mounted mirror. Had become loose. With input from Forum members, Stevehose and Keshav, I saw what had to be done, and removed mirror and cleaned everything up, tightened setscrew, back to normal. But I do wonder about that gradually hardening gasket between mirror and the door. What do members do to bring these rubber parts back to their original suppleness. Google tells me to boil it, or soak in brake fluid or other such ideas. Does anyone here have a go-to method of bringing original rubber gaskets back to life ? Thanks for your ideas, Mike
 

JFENG

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,177
Reaction score
1,393
Location
Bahston (Boston)
Soak in Wintergreen oil and alcohol for a week. Worked wonders on some 60 year old, rock hard tail light gaskets for a 750 series Alfa.

Made the gaskets pliable and elastic. I may have even overdone my soak a bit, but better too soft than too hard. After two years the rubber is starting to feel denser but not turning hard again. This seems like. God send for NLA gaskets.

Google it for mix ratio. I bought the wintergreen oil from a horse supply company for a small fraction of the price at those herbal essences places.
 
Last edited:

bluecoupe30!

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
2,136
Reaction score
1,283
Location
Delta, British Columbia, Canada

Cornishman

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
705
Reaction score
163
Location
Essex, UK
I tried to heat one up to stretch it over the mirror frame, so put it into hot water. It most definitely got smaller. So bought a new one from BMW, don’t recall it being expensive.
 

bavbob

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,354
Reaction score
1,568
Location
Boston, Ma
I have used Gumme Fledge. It smells nice, suppose to be for rubber rejuvenation. I have had mixed results.
shopping.jpg
 
Top