[johnjb]

Has anyone used AT-205 Reseal for rejuvenating the rubber on boots and bushings? I've got a 2002 Dakota and want to keep all the rubber flexible and prevent it from cracking. Any other suggestions for maintaining these parts?

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[radioactive]

I've never used the product, but really the only way to keep seals and other rubber parts flexible is to use them, exercise them, don't let them sit for an extended period of time. They take a set that is unforgiving once they sit and can leak or deform, crack, etc.

That said, the seals and rubber on your truck -- and mine -- are all approaching 20 years old and can be expected to fail. Never tested nor spec'd to live past 7 years or 150,000 miles. In fact in most cases, the manufacturers are perfectly happy just to have them outlive the warranty.

 

[johnjb]

I've never used the product, but really the only way to keep seals and other rubber parts flexible is to use them, exercise them, don't let them sit for an extended period of time. They take a set that is unforgiving once they sit and can leak or deform, crack, etc.

That said, the seals and rubber on your truck -- and mine -- are all approaching 20 years old and can be expected to fail. Never tested nor spec'd to live past 7 years or 150,000 miles. In fact in most cases, the manufacturers are perfectly happy just to have them outlive the warranty.

Have you ever used silicone spray on boots/bushings? No more greasable fittings anymore. So, how is one to preserve our older vehicles?

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[radioactive]

There is NO magic formula that prevents rubber degeneration. Period. You replace worn out parts.

 

[johnjb]

There is NO magic formula that prevents rubber degeneration. Period. You replace worn out parts.

So, nothing in terms of preventative maintenance?

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[radioactive]

Are you really looking for a 3rd NO?

 

[johnjb]

Are you really looking for a 3rd NO?

No

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[Julius Seizure]

Are you really looking for a 3rd NO?

Man I sure am glad I don’t own a dodge/use this forum because you guys kinda sound like huge a**holes lol. You guys are so confident about your wrong answers 😂🤣

This product helps preserve rubber and make it withstand regular wear and tear better. No miracles performed, it won’t bring worn out rubber completely back to life, but if you put this stuff on one CV boot and ignored a separate boot- the treated CV boot will HANDS DOWN outlive the untreated boot. Y’all make OP sound like they’re asking a dumb question when it’s pretty much on par with the purpose/intention of this product (and a lot of UV protective sprays too)🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[radioactive]

Yeah sorry my response was harsh. But AT-205 reseal is not a surface treatment, it's a fluid additive, not for boots and bushings. And the OP was wanting to use it off-label. It's also not a UV protectant.

And it remains true that nothing fixes cracked or worn out exposed under chassis rubber parts.

And it's also true that those parts are not exposed to UV.

Many so-called rubber treatments are nothing more than mild acids (think Armor All) that put a nice clean shine on the surface but actually do nothing to protect the material.

Rubber and plastics all degrade over time and there is little that you can do to prevent it. There is a lot of snake oil out there with little benefit. Some products will make the surfaces look better but do not penetrate the material to any beneficial effect.

Show me a long term study that proves there is a beneficial effect, and I'll be the first to retract my words.

 

[TLAC]

so stop being **hole.

First off lets try to remember that name calling and being arrogant solves nothing.
Just because one hasn't ever heard of a product being used out of it's written uses doesn't mean it can't be and doesn't make one wrong or an A-hole!
There have been thousands of products developed over the years for one purpose or another and found to be effective for other applications not thought of during development and testing.
A perfect example although off topic would be these house hold drain cleaner gels you can pick up at almost any store. It's recommended uses are for stubborn drain clogs in your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
They list the solvents to be affective on things like hair, soap scum and grease in your typical drains!
Well interesting enough I'm an a/c contractor and I've never heard of anyone using it for a/c drainline problems. I've heard of guys using everything from coil cleaners to bleach to vinegar etc.
There's even a drain pan algae pad and algae tabs to help with these problems. But at the end of the day these are not solves all end all solutions and are band aids or for maintenance practices
Now, the algae growth in an a/c drainline is a completely different strain/breed of algae and contaminant than those found in household drains.
You can blow the a/c line out with compressed air, nitrogen and use a shopvac which will temporarily solve the problem but doesn't remove the source of the contaminant because it's stuck or has attached itself to the inner walls of the pipe.
So I block off the exit of the drain with a cap after removing enough water for the solution to be added so that the entire drain is full and let it set for 15 mins.
In turn, the solution literally eats the stubborn stuff still stuck to the walls fully clearing the drain line and eliminating the source of the problem. fully rinse with clean fresh water and your good to go for many yrs to come, WITH regular maintenance IE vinegar drain pads or tabs etc..
I KNOW long and drawn out but the principal of this is we shouldn't be closed minded to new ideas for uses of existing products and one shouldn't insult or demeaner another just because they've never heard of such a thing being done.
"If you make it through an entire day and didn't learn something, you simply weren't paying attention to anything."

 

[radioactive]

Let's just bear in mind that rubber, most plastics, silicones, and other similar compounds are by nature non-porous. That's exactly why they are used for seals, O-rings, boots, and gaskets, etc, anywhere you don't want fluids (including gaseous fluids like air or vapors) to leak out.

The failure mode for many of these materials is that with time, heat, cold, UV exposure, ozone exposure, mechanical stress, combustion byproducts and chemical exposure, vibration, friction, and the like, the materials breakdown, outgass, and lose some of their embedded plasticizers and elasticizers, the very compounds that make them so good at what they do -- stay flexible and seal things up.

Once the material is compromised, there is no restoring the original compounds that are gone. Now there are some products that can seep into the spaces vacated by those compounds -- and they work by softening the surface and causing the rubber to swell and temporarily re-seal the shaft or whatever the function was. But those are not permanent fixes and the material continues to degrade, and some of the additives (because they are acidic in PH) actually accelerate that process. The product itself eventually gets displaced by the same process as the original degradation. Eventually the material is too compromised to help by any means.

We've all seen brittle, cracked seals and boots and failed O-rings and gaskets. Would a product have forestalled the failure? -- maybe -- but not for long. If there was an effective additive that really "fixed" rubber, don't you think it would already be in every fluid that contacts a seal?

'Nuff said.

 

[TLAC]

If there was an effective additive that really "fixed" rubber, don't you think it would already be in every fluid that contacts a seal?

Oh if it was that easy
Excellent point
Can I interest you in a complimentary can of flex seal mate? LOL
It really does make old worn out rubbers of all conditions better than new.
Ripped boot, not a problem paint on our new patented rip stop product and presto it fixed
The rubber makers are not going to want to hear this .LOL
My apologies I couldn't help myself

 

[DRBDakota]

I would suggest moving to urethane options where available. Like another poster mentioned, almost all the GenIII Dakotas are hitting 20 years. Nothing lasts forever, even Mercedes Benz products of this vintage have to have soft parts replaced.

 

[ghen4761]

I've never used the product, but really the only way to keep seals and other rubber parts flexible is to use them, exercise them, don't let them sit for an extended period of time. They take a set that is unforgiving once they sit and can leak or deform, crack, etc.

That said, the seals and rubber on your truck -- and mine -- are all approaching 20 years old and can be expected to fail. Never tested nor spec'd to live past 7 years or 150,000 miles. In fact in most cases, the manufacturers are perfectly happy just to have them outlive the warranty.

Sorry but t your statement is not true. The company can show you trials and if you simply look into a little chemistry you will see AT-205 for boots, bushings is not a cure it's prevention. Big difference. Even with the internal engine it is a semi-cure. It swells the rubber to a very slight degree but does not compromise it. Prevention vs cure is the point. If you sprayed the boots on a car all over they would last much long then not doing it. Surface conditioners are fantastic. But everyone is going to have an opinion when enough knowledge is lacking.