# Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox?



## ashbinder (Nov 27, 2006)

Hey everyone,
I thought I'd try to do some research before I brought this up, due to the extensive efforts many in this forum have made to promote the use of Krytox for maintaining the seals.
When I picked up my vehicle, I brought up the whole issue of Krytox, and to my surprise, the service manager was aware of it AND had read Michael's post on the Vortex about it. However, according to him, he followed up with this matter and he was told that the Eos that Michael was dealing with was a extreme situation and that Krytox, from their dealership's POV, would be used to restore seals, not maintain them. He was assured that Wurth Rubber Care would be sufficient for day-to-day maintenance of seals.
Here's a link to the product:
http://www.wurthusa.com/projec...0.jpg
The dealer indicated he used this on all VW's in the shop for all seals. On the plus side, it does look like it doesn't contain silicone (which is a big no no in the manual) and of course, it costs a lot less. On the downside, the manual doesn't state this as a direct alternative.
Any thoughts? I've personally tried it on my seals and it seems to do a good job...of course, I've only had the Eos for a month though, so long-term effects aren't proven.
Anyways, off to the Eos GTG in Edmonton today!


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## WolfsburgerMitFries (Jul 4, 2005)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (ashbinder)*

You're seriously entertaining the idea that the opinion of your individual dealer can supersede the recommendation from Volkswagen? What about my dealer who recommends Vaseline? That must be right too, right?
I don't invoke this term a lot, and and I'm doing it to make an indelible point....but the fact of the matter is that your dealer is full of shït and it would be overwhelmingly wise of you to completely ignore it.
Do you remember all the discussion about how extremely non-reactive Krytox is? Do you remember the discussion about how Krytox does not evaporate quickly and leave a film behind that attracts dirt and grit? Do you remember the discussion about how Krytox products GPL-105 and GPL-205 are the auto industry standard products for weatherstrip lubrication applications such as this? Did you read my recent advice in a recent Krytox related thread about how the best way to make sure your car is maintained correctly is to do it yourself. 
Krytox only! We don't have to keep revisiting this issue.


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## EosEnthusiastNB (Aug 9, 2006)

Hmm,
Well, if VW says it will work, not the dealership... I would then entertain using something other than the liquid that I bought from the dealer. I am only using the liquid sold by VW in VW packaging until I hear otherwise. I am not even using gpl-105 or 205, even if the MSDS sheet says they are the same. That being said, if I were to use anything other than the VW branded liquid I would probably choose the Krytox formulas.


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## ashbinder (Nov 27, 2006)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (WolfsburgerMitFries)*

WolfsburgerMitFries - chill man, don't patronize me. I was just putting out there what my dealer told me. However stupid you think that dealers are, mine was able to point out Michael's thread, indicate he followed up on it, and offer an alternative that is logical, BEFORE I even mentioned the thread myself. It's not like he randomly told me to put vaseline on the seals - he demonstrated knowledge of Krytox and seal maintenance. In addition, they do put Krytox on the seals initially for PDI. Whether or not he's full of crap is another issue - one that I put out here for debate.
As for what's wise, in my opinion, that's keeping my ears open and receptive to new ideas, and not necessarily shooting them down without listening to the explanation. As for what I personally will do - I haven't decided, as my seals are still supple and the car only delivered a month ago.
Your point is made and your opinion known, but I disagree with the way you present it.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (ashbinder)*

Hi Mike:
Wurth has a very good reputation in Germany for producing high quality products. That notwithstanding, though, I don't think I would want to take any chances using *any *product other than the DuPont Krytox lubricant that VW specifies for the roof. This is not because I lack any confidence in Wurth - on the contrary, I use lots of Wurth products - but because of the complexity of the roof design and components.
VW is well aware that the DuPont lubricant is expensive, and in North America, they have done everything they can to get the price of the stuff as low as possible to encourage everyone to use it. I am certain that if an alternative lubricant was acceptable, they would have published alternatives. It is very rare for VW to specify a 'sole source' product for use in their vehicles - normally, VW publishes a standard (often an ISO or DIN standard) for consumables, and then they allow all the vendors to compete in order to get the lowest possible prices - and offer choice.
I know that VW of A is now selling this DuPont Krytox at cost - VW themselves are not making any money on it - and for them to do this, there must be a reason why they believe this particular chemical is so important.
I think it's one of these situations where the risk/reward equation doesn't look attractive. The risk from using the wrong stuff is not proportionate to the reward from the small cost savings.
BTW - I just bought a bottle of the DuPont Krytox for various uses on my Phaeton. I think it will last longer than the silicone based products I have been using for pliability and general squeak and rattle control.
Michael


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## archiea (Nov 29, 2006)

I was planning on using the power of prayer as an alternate to krytox.... ;P


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## ashbinder (Nov 27, 2006)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (PanEuropean)*

Michael,
I too had heard of Wurth before this seal issue came up, which is why I thought my dealer's explanation could have some legitimacy to it. He specified a plausible alternative, with legitimate background on the situation at hand.
However, I do agree that nothing can be considered official unless it is released by VW itself. As for the price of the lubricant, it is not huge when you consider the cost of the vehicle - although my dealer wasn't aware of the price change for the Krytox. 
Thanks for the clarification and the insight.


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## wndctyboy (Mar 27, 2006)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (WolfsburgerMitFries)*

I don't even remember how many times I ignored your tread and others regarding this issue with leaks on the roof and here I am 3 weeks to own eos and first storm shower here in Chicago and the roof is leaking, by the right side pillar and roof, it's not just a leak, it's puring







. It don't really care I know it can be fixed, considering the complexity of this roof I wonder why it's not licking everywhere.
























_Quote, originally posted by *WolfsburgerMitFries* »_You're seriously entertaining the idea that the opinion of your individual dealer can supersede the recommendation from Volkswagen? What about my dealer who recommends Vaseline? That must be right too, right?
I don't invoke this term a lot, and and I'm doing it to make an indelible point....but the fact of the matter is that your dealer is full of shït and it would be overwhelmingly wise of you to completely ignore it.
Do you remember all the discussion about how extremely non-reactive Krytox is? Do you remember the discussion about how Krytox does not evaporate quickly and leave a film behind that attracts dirt and grit? Do you remember the discussion about how Krytox products GPL-105 and GPL-205 are the auto industry standard products for weatherstrip lubrication applications such as this? Did you read my recent advice in a recent Krytox related thread about how the best way to make sure your car is maintained correctly is to do it yourself. 
Krytox only! We don't have to keep revisiting this issue.



_Modified by wndctyboy at 10:58 PM 6-17-2007_


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (wndctyboy)*

The Wurth product contains petroleum distilates. I'm not saying it isn't a possible alternative to Krytox, but until we know more about the seal material on the Eos, I would be leary about using this product.
Petroleum distilates are not specifically warned against in the owners manual (silicone and acids are) but I would be cautious using any product that contains them (at least until they are confirmed by VW to be safe)
The special VW lubricant (Krytox) is known to be inert, and is recommended in the owners manual. My suggestion is to stay with the VW recommended product.
Kevin










_Modified by just4fun at 6:23 AM 6-18-2007_


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## davidg (Aug 2, 2006)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (just4fun)*

I have used swissvax [swissol ] waxes and other products for a few years now and use this seal feed on the eos http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
http://www.swissvax.co.uk/prod...s.asp


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Wurth Rubber Care - alternative to Krytox? (davidg)*

David:
Honestly, I would not recommend that you use any product on the roof seals other than the exact Dupont Krytox lubricant that is specified in the Eos owner manual.
Surfaces such as paint, seats, interior plastic and so forth are pretty conventional surfaces, and for that reason, you won't cause any harm by using any appropriate (and reputable) product on them. The roof seals, though, are a totally different matter: They are a very specialized and very unique form of rubber, and in order to get optimum performance (life, water sealing, wind noise sealing, etc.) from them, VW has specified one particular lubricant.
VW is an engineering driven company. They don't go out of their way to specify any one particular product unless they have to. To the best of my knowledge, they don't care what you use as wax, leather cleaner, or tire cleaner. They do care what kind of motor oil you use, but for that they publish a performance specification, and they give you a list of about 50 different vendors who make a motor oil that meets that performance specification - you can then choose the product you like from that list of 50 vendors.
For the roof seals, they have specified one exact product. I believe we should trust VW on this matter, and respect their specification. Naturally, you are free to use whatever you want (for example, you could use bear fat if you wish), but be aware that if later on the roof seals do not peform to your satisfaction, you are on your own so far as solving the problem is concerned.
Michael


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## Rmon (Mar 6, 2001)

*Alternative to Krytox?*

The Corvette uses a similar product from Dupont (I think Dupont) that is Krytox. It sells for half te price of what a VW dealer will charge you.







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: Alternative to Krytox? (Rmon)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Rmon* »_The Corvette uses a similar product from Dupont (I think Dupont) that is Krytox. It sells for half te price of what a VW dealer will charge you.







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

Not anymore. I used the GM stuff on my first lube back in March. I got it online at http://www.gmpartsdirect.com I think it was around $42 shipped and at that time it was half price. I see they now charge $10 more for "handling" so they are around $60 now, more expensive then VW. They do list it as $37 without shipping/handing but I don't know if you can get that same price at a local GM dealer? 
I found the GM bottle design difficult to use on the Eos because it has a large felt applicator pad that was impossible to get into the places that I needed to get to. After VW dropped their price I got a bottle of their stuff as seen in many posts here. VW bottle design is much better suited for the Eos application. It was $52.12 at my dealer.


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## Rmon (Mar 6, 2001)

*Re: Alternative to Krytox? (solarflare)*

I will have to call around here in Colorado. But from my experience, we normally pay more for parts here in Colorado than others do. 
I guess they are charging by foot of elevation!


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