Sun/moon roof cleaning
 

The weather was beautiful today so I took the opportunity to clean and detail the truck, and the sun/moon roof is something that can be neglected...

Remember to open the roof and clean the track and drain port of dirt and debris
Apply a coating of wax to the painted area that the seal contacts
Apply a light coating of silicone to the rubber seal, both the sealing portion and the exposed area on the roof....

Very good advice but I'd stay away from the rubber treatments that contain silicone. GM has a product that the dealers sell that doesn't contain silicone. It's expensive and there are some similar products in the aftermarket.

Aerospace 303 is one of the cleaners out there that is silicone free. Use it where you might use an Armorall type product.

Here's Dupont's Krytox: http://www2.dupont.com/Lubricants/en...t%20lubricants

And it is expensive.

Anyone find out how to get the bugs, etc off the top side of the shade? Since it is retracted by the glass, I haven't found a way to close it while the sunroof is open. Granted the only time you can see the debris on it is when you're outside w/ the sunroof closed and look thru it.

3M states its for rubber to metal applications and specifically states "weatherstripping"
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...glKCHRWSP3R3bl

I use Krytox at work, I'll have to see if I can score a sample tube and try it out..

The shade is lipped the entire length at the rear... I would suggest a crevice tool for your vacuum and or compressed air...

You will of course look like a prairie dog poking your head up through the sun roof opening getting to eye level at the gap opening....:D

From my owners manual...so the silicone is good for conditioning and the Krytox for squeak control....

Weatherstrip Conditioning

Weatherstrip Lubricant
(GM Part No. U.S. 3634770,
in Canada 10953518) or
Dielectric Silicone Grease
(GM Part No. U.S. 12345579,
in Canada 992887).

Weatherstrip Squeaks

Synthetic Grease with
Teflon, Superlube
(GM Part No. U.S. 12371287,
in Canada 10953437).

Good ideas. Will have to try.

BTW silicone on the W/S will help prevent doors from freezing shut. Don't ask me how I know. Oh well, yes I had to pry the rear hatch on the IROC open and crawl thru to push on the door from the inside. Tough w/ the rear seat backs up. If the car had had real door handles instead of the "flipper" kind, I could've probably opened from the outside but was afraid of breaking them since they were diecast.

Bumping this post up as its that time of year to have the top open and a good time to consider cleaning out the sun roof gutters... :cool:

Also good time to make sure the sunroof gutter drains are clear and open.

Most of the rubber elements in the sunroof are EPDM rubber. EPDM rubber swells in any petroleum-based fluids, so don't use any petroleum-based cleaners or solvents. Silicone-based stuff should be fine.

The sunroof manufacturers use Krytox as their OEM grease. It's a perfluorinated grease that resists water, solvents, etc. It does not wash away, including if it's on your skin, so be careful with the stuff. It's not dangerous, it just doesn't wash off.

I sell the above-mentioned rubber elements, and I'm also a 3M distributor. My largest customer is one of the sunroof companies.