[jamcar]

we all seem to learn about this product and its magical qualities fairly shortly after our initial involvment with the Eos. Having an Eos on order I seem to be doing the usual thing of shopping for all associated must haves, with krytox seeming to take a top priority place.
Have been looking into prices and sizes etc and as you are probably well aware it is rather eering on the steep side with a 2oz bottle costing a little short of £20, thats chanel no5 prices to me!
The distributor of Krytox in the UK is GBR technologies, I have emailed a few questions regarding prices and volumes etc. this company supply from the small 2oz applicator bottle thru to an industrial vat. obviously the larger volume purchased the more keen the price becomes.
An idea that I am toying with is to see if any forum members would be interested in pooling together buying a larger volume of Krytox then decanting it down, this way we would hopefully have a larger amount of Krytox for hopefully a lot more competitive price.
The sticking point to this could be distributing to all those interested as we are not concentrated in one area so alternative containers would need to be purchased then post and packaging would be another added cost. Really unsure as to the viability of this exercise but you do not know unless you look into it.
So the questions are, could this be of any interest to you? what sort of volume do you deem sensible to decant down to? can you see any obvious advantages/disadvantages?

 

[GOgg]

I already got mine from GBR and with their minimum order charges I ended up with two bottles, this will probably last me for about 4 years I estimate. An other suggestion for the group purchase theme is what about working in pairs so that only one is sold on to the other half of the pairing. this avoids the container issues and minimises someones time. Both will then benefit from the lower price.

Good idea if it floats

 

[Gavster]

Denny, great idea.

If you are going to organise a group purchase then surely they will agree a decent price for x number of smaller bottles with shipping to each individual?

 

[nail-z-gull]

I've just got 2 from GBR Tech as well. A little over £20 a bottle when taking into account P&P.

I get the impression they aren't all that geared up for private sales. If they could offer an online ordering service they could reduce their overheads and possibly reduce the price of the product. That said, it's still cheaper than VW Branded oil, despite being the same product.

 

[ddlweb]

Did no one else get a freebie from the dealer then? I think i've been a lucky boy - three free sachets of the stuff, which should lat for the first year anyway!!!

 

[JClem]

Why do we need to use this stuff?

I have noticed one or two references in previous threads to krytox. What is it? What does it do? I have not seen any reference to the use of this gear in the handbook, I ran a SLK for 3 years and it certainly was not dependant on some mysterious compound obviously imported by Luther whathisname to destroy Superman

 

[Scooby Doo]

Just been on GBR Tech's website to see what it said. So should I buy the oil rather than grease and I assume the bottle rather than spray version? Be patient with me I'm blonde!!

Anyone in the Wetherby area want to go halves with me?

Sue

 

[jamcar]

how far does one of those incy wincey teeney weeny lil bottles go then? you have to take into account my heavy handedness and poor aim, I thought id be doing really really well if I managed to do even one side of the roof.
Sue do you think it might be an idea to start our own section of the forum and give these poor people a break !!!!!!

 

[nail-z-gull]

If you drop an email via the GBR Contact page you get a VERY comprehensive email back from them, also referring to the VWVortex page about applying the stuff.

You need the oil, and each 30ml pot should be enough to fully lube your roof seals 4 or more times. You have to use is sparingly as it's a beast to get off your windows and paintwork, by all accounts.

Weather permitting I'll be undertaking this for the first time this weekend. Wish me luck...

 

[nail-z-gull]

Did no one else get a freebie from the dealer then? I think i've been a lucky boy - three free sachets of the stuff, which should lat for the first year anyway!!!

Sachets? Are you sure it's the Krytox oil they've given you?

 

[ddlweb]

I will take a photo and put details on over the weekend. Basically it was a freebie with all the VW badging and part numbers on it.

 

[EOSmage]

Just to clarify what is being said in the vwvortex about the lubrication of seals in the Eos...

Most of us agree that the Krytox 105 oil is the same stuff that VW brands their name onto and sells to us. The problem we are having is confirming 100% that the two products are identical because it is possible that VW does something to the product in order to customize it to the needs of Eos seals.

Many of the purists, myself included, bought Krytox in grease form (product #205) because we felt it might be easier to apply without drips, however, I found that the oil is a much better way to apply to seals-- it absorbs better where the grease just sits on the surface.

Now for the personal viewpoint:

I'm waiting for confirmation that the Krytox 105 oil is exactly (chemically) the same as the VW version. Then I'll be getting a tub-o-oil even with the recent VW price drop on their branded oil, it is still cheaper from Krytox.

As for how much is used... This is hard to answer because it seems that each application uses a different amount depending on the seal condition. In my case, when I first got the car, the seals were really dry and showing white areas. I used about 1/4 of the VW branded bottle to lube them up nice and soft using my fingers just as shown in the vortex thread.

Since then, I've applied two more times (every 3 months) and used about half as much of the bottle per application. This time, in order to not waste product and to not apply to thick-- my first application had lots of oil streaking down the windows when it rained-- I applied to a foam painter's brush and then gently rubbed into seals.

I've still got enough to apply four more times and probably even start on a fifth. The trick, as I see it, is to keep the seals soft and apply frequently enough to not allow them to get too hard. It takes less to maintain than it does to "treat" from dry. At least, in my experience.

This means that my $79 (Canadian) bottle of VW oil (which is now reduced to $50) will last me about one and a half years.

If I had a big tub (1.1 lb bottle) of the Krytox oil, there are many other uses that I would find for it. I know the grease tube I bought is already a 1/3 lighter from regular household usage. None of the doors in my house squeak when opening now, the sliding doors and sliding windows all move effortlessly now, and the wheels on the lawnmower never bind up anymore.

Good luck all...

 

[SoCalMan]

You have to use is sparingly as it's a beast to get off your windows and paintwork, by all accounts.

If you lube properly, it will get on your windows...no avoiding that especially when they roll up and down. Atleast, that is my experience. I found it does this for about a week or so.
Still, I also find it cleans off quite easily.

 

[nail-z-gull]

This is the response I got from GBR Technologies when I first enquired:-

Thank you for your enquiry - we have been contacted by, and supplied, many Eos owners during the last couple of months.
We are the official UK Distributor for DuPont Krytox lubricants.

Overview

The main function of Krytox for the coupe/cabrio application is to act as a semi-permanent lubricant film to eliminate creaks originating from elastomer/panel interfaces for the roof sections, and roof mechanism linkages/location points.
In the case of the VW Eos, the majority of owners are also reporting water leaks, and our initial thought was that Krytox is not intended to address this directly.
However, having seen the entries on the various Owners Forums, and spoken with several owners, we have a better understanding of the issues.

It seems that as the vehicle is supplied, there is a possibility for 'dry' seals to become distorted when roof is closed, and these distortions may be sufficient to allow water ingress.
It is considered that treatment of the seal sections with Krytox will provide a very low friction surface, allowing panels to offer up to the seals more readily, reducing the scope for distortion.

The Industry Standard Krytox grade for anti-squeak and rattle is GPL 105 - this is the PFPE material in oil form.
The most convenient pack size is 30ml applicator bottle with fabric wick cap..
The material is also available in grease form as GPL 205 - the GPL 105 oil is thickened with microfine PTFE to provide a pure white paste.
I also attach the TDS for your information.

We would suggest that the oil is the most appropriate version for treating the relative large surface area of elastomer seal, and perhaps consider the grease for treating the roof linkages.

Key considerations

- seal material needs to be squeaky clean before application of Krytox - free of body wax, silicone etc. I use IMS as a solvent for achieving this.
- application amounts need to be minimal - avoid temptation to overapply. Be cautious of contamination onto unwanted areas such as glass and paint (very difficult to remove!!)
- the applicator bottle is quite convenient, although I find fingers the best method to apply the product. Can work well into the seals, and get into the nooks and crannies which are guaranteed to be the source of noise. Krytox is a very safe and inert material (both to operator and substrate) - does not cause seal swell or cracking.

I attach a relevant link from VWVortex below - as a US entry referring to application of Krytox to the EOS roof system.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3087297

This shows the person applying via the nozzle of the bottle, rather than the applicator cap - and to my mind, the application looks a bit heavy, but it gives a good indication of the areas for treating.

Durability

Krytox is not considered to be a 'temporary' fix.
It does not suffer water-washout, does not oxidise, and does not migrate. DuPont have carried out fluorine flame testing on treated door seal sections 4 years after application, and found comparable levels to those at time of application.


Pricing

Krytox GPL 105 applicator bottle, 30ml £16.50/30ml bottle
Krytox GPL 205 grease, 2 oz £16.70/2oz tube

Both are ex stock, and prices are ex VAT, ex works.

We accept Credit Card payment (excepting Amex and Diners), our minimum order quantity is £30.00, so we would suggest you take either x2 of the bottle, or perhaps one of each bottle + grease.
We can ship these amounts in a Jiffy bag in the post - allow £3.50 for Post and Packing.

 

[shorenuf]

"Krytox is not considered to be a 'temporary' fix.
It does not suffer water-washout, does not oxidise, and does not migrate. DuPont have carried out fluorine flame testing on treated door seal sections 4 years after application, and found comparable levels to those at time of application."

hmmmmmmm.

 

[Fliernoel]

Hi Scooby
I'm in Wetherby from time to time and will happily go halves with you on the krytox oil. Good idea!

Thanks
Noel

 

[jamcar]

Well thanks for all your replies and suggestions, it would seem that most people are covered on the krytox front, so I think the avenue to explore is Gavins idea of seeing if GBR will negotiate a more competitive price with buying a quantity of smaller 2 0z applicator bottles.
At least fliernoel and scooby seem to have come up with a solution between the pair of them as they are local to one another.
ddblweb did you manage to confirm that the free sachets you recieved from VW were infact krytox?
jclem think the name you were searching for was lex (luther) lol
will keep you posted

 

[ddlweb]

jamcar, it would appear that they are seal cleaning wipes - Gavster thankfully spotted that when I met him yesterday!!

He also saved my sunnies from a fate worse than death to - cheers for that fella.

 

[Gavster]

Glad to be of service chap!

 

[schoolhousefred]

Gavin,
It's two days now, and I'm surpised you have made no mention of applying Krytox to your new baby! I thought you would even put in in the "craclke" in your speaker?
Cheers,