Dixons of Pudsey gets to work on some particularly hard-to-budge parts and finds that a few sprays of WD-40’s Specialist Penetrant were enough to save a lot of hassle and money.
After being lucky enough to take part in the previous promotion for WD-40, we were pleased to be part of the extended promotion and trials this time around to really put the products through their paces.
Here at Dixons of Pudsey, we work on a wide variety of vehicles – from vintage bikes and cars, the occasional plant items through to new vehicles. We have found, presumably like many others, the uses for WD-40 are limitless.
After looking through the products we were sent, as we all do, we popped them on the shelf waiting for the ideal opportunity to grab that spray that was equipped for the job. When the opportunity arose to use the penetrant spray on a particularly awkward rusted jeep suspension job, the expectations were high. The promises on the can were that the spray “specifically targets corroded or rusted components and mechanisms. Its formula loosens stuck or seized parts quickly and easily…” – now was the opportunity to see whether it lives up to the hype or not.
We used it with and without the spray straw, using the straw to get into the harder-to-reach areas and gave the bolts and ball joint a thorough coating. We left it to work its magic and kept returning to try and spanner off the nuts. It did eventually work. One application wasn’t enough for this job and in the end, it took three coatings to get there, but get there we did – without the use of added heat. After leaving the penetrant to soak, we removed the nut and could see where it had done its job. The alternative in this situation would have been to use heat and possibly cut through the nuts. This would have been time consuming and costly.
The spray was also used on a rusty exhaust clamp, in a situation where we were unable to obtain a full exhaust in the same day and the customer only had the budget to replace the broken part. Soaking the area in the penetrant spray made this job so much easier in a situation where cutting the clamp and pipes was just not a viable option.
We also used the spray with straw to remove a rusted keyway on a classic Austin. This was a very successful job and we found that by using the products with the straws, we used less. This made it better value with less waste.
In conclusion, the main questions asked are “Would we recommend this product?” and “Is the product overall value for money to be an asset to the workshop?” The simple answer to both is, in our opinion, yes. When compared to other similar products on the market, some of which are more expensive, we would not hesitate in all honesty to recommend WD-40, especially when used with the straw. As for negatives, we have yet to find some. We are not saying there aren’t any, but to date it has been a positive experience with this spray, especially with the bonus that, according to the product description, it also acts as a rust and corrosion preventative.
