I have some rubber bumpers that go on the back of my hood that are very stiff. The shape is there but they need to give a little when I close the hood.
Is there a way to soften them up? They don’t make any repros so I need to use them. :rolleyes:

Anyone got any tricks on this??

Thanks in advance :beers:
Garry

Well Garry, I found this out by accident when I was trying to clean and save my original tie rod boot covers. There was so much dried on grease that I soaked the rubber boots in Simple Green over night. Well, not only did it remove the grease but it also softened up the rubber too! Might want to try that idea.

I had the same issue with the rubber plug for my gas tank vent in the trunk.
I soaked it in a mixture of 3 in 1 oil and silicone one day while at work, I took it out several times and worked it in, it didn't make it like new, but it put new life into a fairly hard rubber plug.


Rocky

Well Garry, I found this out by accident when I was trying to clean and save my original tie rod boot covers. There was so much dried on grease that I soaked the rubber boots in Simple Green over night. Well, not only did it remove the grease but it also softened up the rubber too! Might want to try that idea.

How did they fit after that and what do they look like now? Reason I'm asking is that I have noticed that some degreasers will make rubber soft just as you said, but it also makes it swell. I remember washing a whole car with degreaser after driving through a construction zone, getting tar spots everywhere... :mad: The wiper blades wrinkled up like prunes after just a few minutes contact with the degreaser. I waited a couple of days to see if they would shrink back to their original shape, but finally had to change them.

They may have swelled a little bit as you can spin them around on the threaded stud, but you could do that before also. I do know that they are softer and more pliable now though.