by Tammy Neal
VehicleMD Staff Writer
Originally published in Summer 2010 Issue

For a moment picture a bunglesome vehicle that has seen its share of miles. Maybe it’s a circa-1960 VW bug, a Pontiac sedan from the 1980s, or in my case, a 1970-something Ford farm truck. Now, put yourself in the driver’s seat of this vehicle—open the door, get in, roll down the window and start the ignition. If your experience is anything like mine, you had a heck of a time getting the door open, and the window squealed and squeaked as you rolled it down. Plus, when you went to start the ignition, there was nothing—so you popped the hood, which might as well have been rusted shut.

Now, zap yourself into your current vehicle. It’s time for a lubrication checkup. Sure, you’re diligent about changing your oil because you know your engine needs lubrication, but what about the other parts of your vehicle—parts on the outside of your vehicle.

Believe it or not, parts such as your hood latch, door hinges, door locks and trunk latch need lubrication, too.

If you’re planning on keeping your vehicle for many years to come, don’t you want to be able to open the door and pop the hood without much difficulty? It’s for this reason that it’s important to lubricate the latches, locks and hinges on your vehicle.

The good news is that most automotive service centers perform a multi-point inspection when changing your oil and during the inspection technicians usually lubricate your door hinges and the other moving parts on the outside of your vehicle. But it never hurts to double check. Plus, if there’s an annoying little squeak somewhere, mention it to your technician; he might know the magic trick to help it go away.

Jim Davis, technical service manager for Sea Foam Sales, said in his days as a mechanic he replaced countless door hinges because the pins wore out due to lack of lubrication. There are bushings and pins inside door hinges (which are what the door actually rotates on). These are the parts that crucially need lubrication. If they don’t have it, they’re simply metal grinding against metal each time you open or close your door. Davis said if the wear gets too bad, the hinge assembly may need to be replaced, and that’s a pricy problem that could have been prevented. Plus, door latches and door locks can actually get rusty and freeze up. Lubrication will take care of that problem, as well.

Remember the squeaky window? Well, a little lubrication can fix that, too.

“You can spray a penetrating oil right in the window run strip and lubricate it, so the window will glide up and down easier,” Davis said. “Especially in rural areas where people drive on dirt roads a lot, dirt can get into these mechanisms and cause the windows to not operate smoothly.”

Davis offered another great tip, especially going into winter. If you’re in an area that sees freezing rain or sleet, you’re probably no stranger to a door that is frozen shut—or worse yet, its latch is frozen and it won’t shut. Take comfort in knowing you don’t have to be the person who’s driving with one hand and holding the door shut with the other. Because some penetrating oils also remove moisture, they can be helpful to de-ice that frozen door. By simply spraying the penetrating oil around the frozen latch, it removes the moisture and thaws the latch, enabling your door to operate smoothly once again, Davis said.

Each time you get your oil changed, remember the other parts of your vehicle—from the hood to the doors to the trunk—that need lubrication, too. Doing so will help your vehicle last longer and keep you rolling down the road smoothly and squeak-free.