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HandOverFist
Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2025
Posts: 7
Location: FL
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 Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2025 8:57 pm Post subject: Door hinge lubrication |
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| What would be the most effective way and substance to lubricate door hinges? |
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pastellgreen
Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2012
Posts: 1228
Location: Germany
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| Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2025 1:08 am Post subject: Re: Door hinge lubrication |
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at least for sedans:
oil, applied to a cleaned oil "slot", as described in manual.
Only oil has the possibility to crawl into the hinge. Don't use stuff with low viscosity unless you have installed f.e grease nipples, where it could be forced into the hinge.
This is, what VW designed and yes, it is not ideal as the hinges always don't have a nice and clean appearence on their backside, where rusty oil will leak out and cries to be taken by a cleaning cloth.
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=759951 |
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Cusser
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006
Posts: 33466
Location: Hot Arizona
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| Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2025 10:52 am Post subject: Re: Door hinge lubrication |
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| HandOverFist wrote: |
| What would be the most effective way and substance to lubricate door hinges? |
You didn't state if there is an issue, or you just want to do preventative maintenance.
In 1972, I bought my 1970 sedan. The wife of the owner had never ridden in the Beetle, so the passenger door hadn't been opened in all that time. Due to the high $1100 price for this (with dealer-installed AC), I thought I'd checked out EVERYTHING. But when I took it for a test drive, I only spoke to the wife through the rolled-down window. Anyway, it turned out that the passenger door creaked way more than Herman Munster's front door. It took me a couple of months of oiling the hinges (SAE 30) and opening/closing the door a zillion times to get it quiet and normal.
P.S. I also didn't notice when I tested the radio, that only the five pushbuttons worked, the tuner knob didn't change anything. Later I found that the internal"string" was broken and remember getting a replacement "string" and fixing it. Unfortunately I removed that radio a few years later and installed an in-dash cassette stereo, and sold the Sapphire radio.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297 |
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zerotofifty
Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2003
Posts: 4233
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| Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2025 5:04 pm Post subject: Re: Door hinge lubrication |
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Motor oil is what I have been using for the last half century on the Bug hinges
A bit on the latch mechanism too, ( owners book specifies how to do this ) then dry graphite in the keep hole. Also graphite in ignition switch key hole.
Oil on the hood hinges, front and rear and on the hoods latch too
A drop on the wiper arm shaft too. Lube these and they will last nearly forever
Do this at each engine oil change as part of regular maintenance
Oh, the accelerator pedal moving bits too, and the carb linkage bits also
If it moves, oil it.
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