Modern Vespa

I switched the lock out of one seat and put it in my new seat. On the old seat there is some kind of slipper gunk. Grease or some type of petrolium jelly???

Anyway-do I need to buy some to put it in the new seat? How careful do I have to be about cleaning it out of the old seat? I want to keep the old seat in usable condition so I can go back and forth.

Grease the seat-lock - it should be part of PDI and every service.

What is PDI? What kind of grease is that? Can you buy it at Auto store? Hardwardware store?

PDI = Pre Delivery Inspection
+ what jim said

What is the name of that grease? I'm going to the hardware store and auto zone tonight. (Whoopy it's Saturday night) and will pick some up. Should I store the old seat with grease to keep it from rusting? Or should I clean out the grease?

It's not to prevent rust. It's to prevent wear and 'sticky' locks. A light smear of any general purpose grease is fine, 'by finger', but if neglected will lead to a post here of 'my seat won't unlock' - oh, there have been a few...

i use plain, old Vaseline

Thanks JohnNail. I was thinking the same thing but wasn't sure.

I have to ask, why isn't your dealer doing it?

Jim, I don't know if you're asking 33 or me, but it's 40 miles to my dealer, and I do the small stuff myself.

Understood, but the PDI smearing should last for a year if you don't do 6000 miles in that time, and I hope you do get a dealer service for warranty's sake. My chosen dealer for service is 35 miles away, it's no big deal. Many of his customers come from over 150 miles away, and that's in this little Island where nowhere is less than 70 miles from the sea.

Hi Mate, Being a locksmith i get asked this question daily.

Whilst there is great advise above. There are two options i would use. (1) White lithium grease it's multi purpose and works great. The trick is to smear thin and even.

My recommendation is (2) Tri-Flow.

Tri-Flow lubricant, is teflon based and a can be purchased at any hardware store. Comes in a can and a wee nozzle to use that fits great into all locks. A wee squirt once a year will keep your locks working great mate, trust me

Cheers

+1

Best advice.

I am switching the lock out of my old seat and into my new seat. It is pretty easy to do so I didn't think I needed the dealer. There is a substance simular to petrolium jelly on the outside cylinder when I pulled the lock out. It is gouped on, not a thin flim. I was going to clean it out of the hole that holds the lock on the old seat but think I better leave some in there. I will buy some of the product recommended for the lock which is now installed on the new seat.

Thanks for the help. I didn't know the lock cylinder would be packed in grease.

Thanks JimC 8)

Yes mate your lock will be full of factory grease. Which is great for when these lock are made then stored. However, too much we attract nasty road grim and other matter that will find it's way into your lock housing and may lead to lock malfunction at some point.

Zadi/Giobert, who make these locks must encourage their employees to bring some cooking lard from home

Again, Tri-Flow is great.

Cheers

Thanks jimh. I clean out the gunk and use the right product. What if anything should I do with the opening (hole) for the lock cylinder on the old seat. I still want to be able to use that seat in the future.

If you are storing your old seat and removing the lock cylinder (Plug) only, then i would suggest using blue painters tape to cover the cylinder hole.

Store your old seat in a dry location, maybe throw a trash bag around it to keep out moisture and wee bugs. Your done

Cheers