I bought this can to quiet a squeaky pair of wiper blades on my Model X. It half worked, and the half that worked was not the half I paid for. It shares a shelf with CRC Heavy Duty Silicone, DuPont/Teflon Silicone Lubricant, B'laster Industrial Silicone and 3-IN-ONE's garage-door sprays, and most of those cans make the same claims. WD-40's difference is a published wear test with numbers on it.
By Mendy·Bought at retail
Published: Aug 31, 2026Listing re-checked: Aug 31, 2026Updated: Sep 30, 2026
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The verdict
Direct answer: Buy it for anything where metal meets rubber, vinyl or plastic: wiper blades, window and door tracks, weatherstripping, hinges. It dries in seconds to a clear film that does not hold grit, it is rated -100°F to 500°F, and WD-40's own 4-ball wear test shows a 0.60 mm scar against 1.10 mm for Liquid Wrench and 2.75 mm for CRC. Shake it hard: the silicone separates from the carrier fast, and the Tom's Tek Stop tester found a lazy shake sprays mostly solvent. On my wipers: quieter for a few weeks, rain beading off the glass for a good few months. I bought a wiper lubricant and got a windshield coating.
Bought at retail
WD-40 Specialist Silicone Lubricant
For: Anything that squeaks or sticks where metal meets rubber, vinyl or plastic: wiper blades, car and house window tracks, sliding and garage doors, weatherstripping, hinges, treadmill decks, bike parts.
Skip if: You need a lubricant for high-load metal-to-metal contact; use a lithium or moly grease. You need a food-contact-safe lube; H2 is not H1. You plan to paint the surface later; silicone contamination causes paint fish-eyes.
What I spray it on. My windshield. Specifically, my windshield wipers. They were making an awful lot of noise rubbing against the windshield on my Tesla Model X. It's an older vehicle, and I thought the rubbers were old, so I switched them out, but they were still making some noise, so I got some silicone spray to lubricate them.
The surprise: rain. Turns out they do an awesome job to coat the windshield for rain. I didn't have to use Rain-X or any other product. It was an unintentional benefit. Now when I drive at around 55 mph and above, raindrops virtually jump off of the windshield.
How long it lasts. The noise is quieter but still there with the windshield wipers, but it's definitely a cheap way to coat my windscreen, since it rains a lot where I live in South Florida. It does wear off after a few weeks as far as the squeaking is concerned, but the rain protection lasted surprisingly long. A good few months at least.
Key specs
Spec
Value
Effective temperature range
-100°F to 500°F
Safe surfaces
Most metals, rubber, vinyl, and plastic (manufacturer advises spot-testing first)
Finish
Dries in seconds to a clear, non-staining dry film that doesn't attract dirt
0.60 mm scar vs 1.10 mm (Liquid Wrench) and 2.75 mm (CRC) - manufacturer TDS
Can size
13.3 oz aerosol ('New Bigger Can'; classic 11 oz Smart Straw two-way-spray variant also exists)
Carrier / propellant
>80% volatile petroleum solvent carrier with propane/n-butane propellant - extremely flammable until dry
Water behavior
Insoluble in water; film waterproofs and resists wear and corrosion
What the data sheet and other testers found
My test was one windshield in South Florida rain. These are the sources behind everything else on the page.
WD-40 Specialist Silicone Technical Data Sheet (PDF) — Documents the -100°F to 500°F range, the NSF H2 registration and the VOC compliance. It holds the 4-ball wear result: 0.60 mm scar vs 1.10 mm Liquid Wrench and 2.75 mm CRC. It also discloses more than 80% volatile content, a petroleum odor, and extreme flammability until the film dries.
WD-40 official product page — The maker's claims: lubricates at extreme temperatures, leaves a clear water-resistant film with no sticky residue, and is safe on most metals, plastics, rubbers and vinyl. It also claims 'at least 50% greater wear protection than the competition', based on 2023-2024 testing.
Tom's Tek Stop hands-on review — A long-term home tester who used it on baseboard heaters, treadmills, hinges, bike chains, shed doors and flood-rusted tools. Scored it 91/100 for heat tolerance and quick drying. Flagged a very strong odor and fast silicone/propellant separation that demands vigorous shaking.
Odyclub (Honda Odyssey forum) - silicone vs white lithium thread — A member posted WD-40 customer care's written answer: Specialist Silicone over Specialist White Lithium for mixed plastic/metal sliding-door tracks. The reasons given were the wider temperature range, the dry-to-the-touch finish and the water resistance. Lithium grease attracts dirt and is for heavy metal-to-metal contact.
Pros and cons
What works
It beads rain. On my windshield, raindrops jump off at 55 mph and up, with no Rain-X. I did not buy it for that, and it is the part that lasted.
It comes with real comparative numbers. WD-40's published 4-ball wear test shows a 0.60 mm wear scar against 1.10 mm for Liquid Wrench silicone and 2.75 mm for CRC.
One can covers a lot. The -100°F to 500°F rating and the rubber, vinyl and plastic safety mean the same can handles window tracks, garage door rollers, weatherstripping, hinges and treadmill decks.
It dries in seconds to a clear film, so it does not hold dust and grit in door tracks the way white lithium grease does. WD-40's own support team recommends it over their lithium spray for mixed-material tracks.
NSF H2 registration and 50-state VOC compliance mean it can go in commercial shops and around (not on) food equipment where a random silicone spray cannot.
What doesn't
The silicone separates from the carrier fast. The Tom's Tek Stop tester found that without a hard shake you spray mostly solvent, and the petroleum smell is strong, especially on hot surfaces. By the data sheet, more than 80% of the can is carrier and propellant. Shake it like you mean it, or the silicone stays home.
It is not a permanent fix for a squeak. On my wipers the noise got quieter, not gone, and it came back in a few weeks. The rain beading outlasted the quiet by months.
Can sizes and listings shift. The 11 oz Smart Straw single and the 13.3 oz can are the same formula, so buy whichever is sold as a single can rather than a multipack. It is extremely flammable until the film dries.
Silicone spray or white lithium grease for garage and sliding doors?
Silicone for anything with plastic or nylon rollers, rubber seals, or mixed materials. White lithium for pure metal-to-metal, high-pressure contact. WD-40's own customer care team put this in writing on a Honda Odyssey forum: Specialist Silicone for sliding-door tracks, because lithium grease attracts dirt and can harm non-metal parts.
Is WD-40 Specialist Silicone safe on rubber and plastic?
Yes. The maker rates it safe for most metals, rubbers, vinyls and plastics when used as directed, and says to test a small area first. That is its main edge over petroleum lubricants, which can swell or degrade rubber.
Does silicone spray attract dirt like WD-40 or grease?
No. It dries in seconds to a clear, dry, non-staining film, so dust and grit do not stick the way they do to grease or oily sprays. That dry finish is why it is the standard recommendation for window and door tracks.
Does silicone spray stop squeaky windshield wipers?
On mine, partly. New blades on my Model X still squeaked, the spray made them quieter but not silent, and the squeak came back after a few weeks. The side effect was better: it coated the windshield and rain beaded off at 55 mph and above for a good few months.