So unfortunately WD-40 as a product has become actually several different products with different properties, so it’s possible that yours is actually a lubricant. But if you have to reapply it often then no, it’s normal WD-40. What it does is it unblocks and cleans the gaps between moving parts, and it does have a slight lubricant effect but that doesn’t last long, so after a while you have moving parts, where WD-40 has removed any remnant of lubricant, rubbing against each other directly.
If it’s cleaning the metal parts, then it’s actually removing the oil or grease that would lubricate the mechanism. WD-40 displaces and repels water, which can make it a good choice for coating metal you need to store, and it strips oils, which makes it useful for removing old, dirty, lubricants, but it doesn’t really take their place. It can be good for loosening surfaces than have bound together, but that’s its cleaning function, rather than lubrication.
You’d be better off getting some proper lubricating grease for your garage door, but don’t use too much, or it’ll tend to trap dirt, and you’ll need that WD-40 to clean it off before reapplying it!
ELI5 : why does it feel like it lubricates my garage door and other metalic-y things that rub together?
So unfortunately WD-40 as a product has become actually several different products with different properties, so it’s possible that yours is actually a lubricant. But if you have to reapply it often then no, it’s normal WD-40. What it does is it unblocks and cleans the gaps between moving parts, and it does have a slight lubricant effect but that doesn’t last long, so after a while you have moving parts, where WD-40 has removed any remnant of lubricant, rubbing against each other directly.
I see. The one I usually use doesn’t explicitly say it lubricates but that it can “loosen” metals and clean them.
If it’s cleaning the metal parts, then it’s actually removing the oil or grease that would lubricate the mechanism. WD-40 displaces and repels water, which can make it a good choice for coating metal you need to store, and it strips oils, which makes it useful for removing old, dirty, lubricants, but it doesn’t really take their place. It can be good for loosening surfaces than have bound together, but that’s its cleaning function, rather than lubrication.
You’d be better off getting some proper lubricating grease for your garage door, but don’t use too much, or it’ll tend to trap dirt, and you’ll need that WD-40 to clean it off before reapplying it!
Depending on what you are unblocking, grease or simple oil can be a longer term solution