A serious problem for Russian motorists is the long cold period in most parts of the country. In the central European part, this is seven months a year. And in Siberia and the northern regions of the cold can last eight or even nine months. Therefore, for sure, every driver faced the problem of opening a frozen car.
How to open a frozen car lock
First of all, in the cold season, door locks suffer. They are made of metal and have complex structure, hidden in the door structure. Water or moisture accumulates in these places constantly. When the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius, the moisture accumulated in the locks freezes.
In this case, it may be impossible not only to turn the lock mechanism, but also to insert the key into the keyhole. In such a situation, you can open the lock in several ways.
- The easiest way is to have a vial with a special defrosting liquid with you. Drivers call this tool "liquid key". It is necessary to remove the cap from the vial and insert the flattened end on the neck into the slot of the lock. After that, press the bubble towards the door lock. The liquid is injected inside and spreads over the mechanism. It takes some time to defrost ice. You should wait one or two minutes. Before inserting the key into the lock, it must be lubricated with the same liquid. Insert the key into the lock carefully, shaking it slightly at the same time. Thus, the ice crystals dissolve more easily in the defrosting liquid. After the key is fully inserted, it should be turned. It also needs to be done with caution. If it was not possible to insert or turn the key the first time, it is required to re-inject the “liquid key” into the lock.
- Experience shows that few drivers carry such a “defrost” with them in their pocket or purse. Usually it is stored in the car or in the garage. But you can freeze the castle somewhere on the road. In this case, you can resort to an improvised tool. Using an ordinary lighter, the metal part of the key is heated, after which it is inserted into the well. In this case, it is necessary to repeat the heating several times until the heat from the key melts the ice formed in the lock.
- If the cold snap is not strong, then there is a possibility that you can warm the castle with your own breath. In this case, it is advisable to use handy tool in the form of a tube. Even an ordinary cocktail tube will do. If you exhale the air vigorously, then there is a chance to warm the castle.
- As a heating agent, drivers also use a heating pad with hot water or a bag of hot sand, which is applied to the castle until it opens. As a heating pad, you can use an ordinary plastic bottle.
- Alcohol or alcohol-containing liquids can be used as a defrosting agent when opening the lock. An “anti-freeze” for a windshield is suitable, although its use does not give a 100% guarantee of success. At a low enough temperature, only harm can be done.
- Some experts recommend warming the door locks on a frozen car with exhaust fumes. But this requires another machine and a hose that can be put on the exhaust pipe and attached to the lock.
- I must say that first of all, you should check whether at least one of the locks on other doors can be opened. If you managed to open any door, you need to start the car and let the interior warm up for half an hour. In this case, the locks should warm up.
It is not recommended to apply great efforts if it is not possible to insert the key into the lock or turn it after the key has been inserted into the keyhole. You can break the key and then the problem of opening the door will become much more complicated.
Also, you should not heat the castle with an open fire. You can damage the paintwork so much that you need to repaint the entire door. And that's big money.
If you can’t open the lock, it’s much cheaper to call a tow truck and take the car to a warm box. There it will warm up and the lock can be opened without injury to the car.
In what cases the door in the car may be frozen:
In the cold season after washing the car. When driving on wet roads, when the temperature outside fluctuates from plus to minus during the day, in this case, when the door is opened, water accumulates between the seals and the metal case, and when it gets cold, ice forms.
When driving in heavy snow. With frequent use of the door, snow clogs behind the seals, melts, and then this water freezes.
Faced with a similar problem, you need to try one of several methods known to specialists to open a frozen door.
- If the driver's and front passenger's doors do not open, try opening the doors that were least used during the trip. There may not be water there. For owners of hatchbacks, crossovers and jeeps, it is possible to use the tailgate. After the driver gets into the cabin, the engine must be started and the car warmed up. Doors should be thawed.
- You can use a special defrosting liquid, which is used when opening locks. It is necessary to spray this spray into the gaps between the door and the body. In this case, it is necessary to make an attempt to open the door in two to three minutes.
- You can use alcohol and any alcohol-containing liquid. For greater efficiency, it is desirable that the concentration of alcohol in it be more than 50 percent.
- It is considered effective to warm the doors with a hair dryer, household or building.
It is important to remember that opening a frozen door does not require too much effort. You can overdo it and break the door handle or tear the seals.
At the same time, experience suggests that it is possible to open a frozen door without improvised means. It takes the right effort. Before pulling the door towards you, it must be pressed against the machine body with sufficient force.
You need to repeat this procedure several times. In this case, the existing ice that has formed behind the seal should crumble, lose its monolithic structure, and the door should open.
When opening a frozen door, do not use pry bars, screwdrivers and other similar items. You can seriously damage the surface of the car and tear the seal.
How to open a frozen trunk
Drivers face the problem of a frozen trunk more often than a frozen side door. This is explained by the fact that the trunks, especially on sedans, have seals located almost horizontally and moisture accumulates there like in a bath. In addition, quite often not only locks, seals freeze, but also the hinges on which the tailgate is attached.
What to do if you need to open a frozen trunk:
- If there is access to the trunk lock, then it must be treated with a special defrosting liquid. The same agent must be sprayed into the gaps to the seals and into the locations of the hinges holding the tailgate. After three minutes, you can make an attempt to open the trunk.
- Experienced drivers spray alcohol into all available slots using an ordinary medical syringe. A thin needle allows you to penetrate the narrowest gaps. The result is 100%. The ice melts very quickly.
- You can try to apply multidirectional forces to the surface of the trunk lid in order to break the ice in the seals. But if the lock is frozen, it will not help.
- You can warm the trunk with a hair dryer. If only the trunk does not open, then it is advisable to drive to any repair shop with warm room and warm up the frozen trunk there.
- If there is glass heating on the trunk lid, then it is necessary to turn it on and after a while start moving the lid with force in both directions.
Prevention of freezing locks and doors in the car
In order to prevent cases of freezing of doors and freezing of locks on the car, the driver must prepare in advance for the onset of cold weather.
- Before the arrival of low temperatures, it is necessary to wipe all seals dry and blow out the locks. One of the cheapest ways to pre-treat seals is to lubricate all rubber surfaces with glycerin using a swab. For the winter, two bubbles of 50 grams are enough. Instead of glycerin, camphor can be used. It is also an inexpensive product. Both of these oils do not harm rubber products, and do not freeze in the cold and play a water-repellent role.
- Locks are lubricated with a "spindle" for metalworking machines. She does not freeze even for very severe frost. Marking "I-20", one liter of oil is enough. "Spindle" is applied with a medical syringe to the locks. Both the latch and the receiving part are processed. It will not be superfluous to process all the door hinges.
- If to folk remedies the driver is wary, then you need to use silicone grease. It is sold as a spray. This tool processes pre-dried seals and hinges with open parts of the locks.
- secure inner part the lock from freezing can be periodically blown with compressed air to prevent the accumulation of moisture there. Can also be pre-treated with a defrost spray. This is also good prevention.
One rule must be remembered. Preventive processing of doors and locks from freezing is required after each serious temperature difference.
There are rules for preventive maintenance of the machine in winter time after washing:
After the car is washed, it is required to wipe the seals dry and blow all the locks well. Locks are best treated immediately with defrosting liquid.
After leaving the car wash, stop the car, open all doors and leave the car in this position for at least thirty minutes. Then close and open the doors several times. The remaining water should freeze in the cold, and slamming doors is designed to destroy the structure of the ice.
For a Russian driver, the problem of frozen doors and locks on a car is not an invented problem. Everyone, at least once, encounters it. To avoid such unpleasant situations, it is necessary to carry out all the required preventive measures in advance.
Video: how to open a frozen car
What to do if the car doors are frozen after washing or heavy rain when water enters the seal or lock? How to open a car without damaging the rubber bands and consequences for the larva mechanism? Ten ways to defrost doors, locks, trunk.
In Russia, this situation happens all the time due to low temperatures - water enters the lock or between the doors themselves after washing, rain, snowfall. Incorrect actions lead to the fact that the sealing gum deteriorates and the lock fails.
It also fails quite often. central locking, the latch itself freezes, it is impossible to open the doors or trunk, but it is very necessary.
Method number 1: lock defroster
The most banal way is to buy a special lock defroster in a can. A lot of funds from Good Year, Liqui Moly, Felix, Russian Velv, Eltrans, Avtolider. Usually they are made on the basis of methanol or ethylene glycol, sometimes silicone or acetone is included in the composition.
It is enough to inject the agent into a frozen lock, spray along the contour of the door, trying to reach frozen ice. This should be done very carefully, have a napkin on hand, try not to get the composition (especially with acetone) on the paint.
Method number 2: alcohol
The most normal way, relatively safe. A bottle of ordinary alcohol, you can take a rubber pear (enema) for more convenient use. It is poured into the lock and door gaps (the seal can be lifted with a thin plate, for example, reverse side knife), wait a couple of minutes, the door opens.
Instead of alcohol, antifreeze fluid from the washer reservoir can be used. But pure alcohol is better - its excess evaporates without causing much harm to locks and elastic bands. The only disadvantage of this method is that it stinks of alcohol in the cabin, so traffic cops can find fault.
Method number 3: nail, plate and lighter
unfreeze separate sections a frozen door can be a thin long carnation, a plate and a lighter. Instead of a lighter, you can use a torch. But the lock itself can be rid of ice by heating the tip of the key on the lighter.
The plate is inserted into the gap between the doors, the free end is heated. By conduction, the ice begins to thaw. Or you can slightly heat the tip of the plate itself. It is important to do everything carefully so as not to spoil the paintwork and not melt the rubber bands.
Method #4: Warm WD-40
If the doors are frozen after washing, many drivers keep a warm can of WD-40 at home. Plentifully watering the place of icing with a “blade”, you can achieve fairly quick thawing.
In a cold state, WD-40 is almost useless, you can hold the bottle under your clothes to warm up properly.
Method number 5: warm water
The most stupid way, but for some reason very beloved by the owners. If you splash warm water on a lock or a door, the effect is almost instantaneous, but, as you can understand, the water instantly freezes again, exacerbating the situation.
And if the frost is over -40, then it is better to pour cold water right away, at least the paint will remain intact. By the way, if water gets on cold glass, it is highly likely to crack.
Method number 6: heating pad, rope, blanket, brick
A safe way, but rather perverse. A heating pad with hot water is tied with a rope to a brick (or two). A brick is placed on the roof, a heating pad is hung in the right place, near a frozen door or lock. All this is covered with a blanket, glued around the perimeter with masking tape.
10-15 minutes in such a "bath", and any door thaws. The main thing is to avoid heat leaks, choose a warmer blanket, take hot enough water.
Method number 7: hair dryer
The most normal and safe way, but you need an outlet. You can defrost doors with a regular hair dryer, a heat gun, a wind blower, any directional heater is also great.
Instead of an outlet, some use an uninterruptible power supply, or a converter from a car battery. True, it will not work for a long time if you use batteries. But even frozen latches, actuators (closers, crossbars) of central locks and so on can be thawed with a hairdryer.
Method number 8: exhaust gases
Another way to open a door frozen after a car wash is to bring another car in and direct the exhaust flow. The main thing is that the other car is well warmed up and adjusted.
The method cannot be used in closed areas, you need to remember that you can get burned from exhaust gases. Some put a piece of hose on the exhaust pipe to make it easier to direct the warm flow.
Method number 9: mechanical
Mechanically, you can quite successfully remove ice with rubber and seals if the doors are frozen tightly. To do this, you need a thin plate - from wipers, a metal ruler, a piece of cloth from a hacksaw (the teeth only need to be ground off), a probe for valves, a strip of tin, and so on. Sometimes cutlery helps.
The main thing is not to damage the seal. At the same time, it is worth remembering that if the latch itself is frozen, then nothing can be done. A frozen lock larva can sometimes also be picked open with a thin knitting needle.
Method number 10: dark fabric
In spring and early autumn, if the car is in the sun, you can speed up the defrosting of the doors by hanging them with a dark cloth or black agrofibre.
Sometimes it helps even in winter. V field conditions villages, you can generally close the doors with felt or tarpaulin, and make a fire nearby. The heat from the fire can be directed towards the car by building a screen out of cardboard.
After using lock defrosters, WD-40, anti-freeze washer fluid and other products, the lock must be lubricated. Either with silicone grease or engine oil using a syringe with a needle.
In order not to freeze the seals, after washing it is better to wipe them once again with a napkin. You can also use small amounts of silicone lubricants or rubber care products.
By the way, if the car, then the rubber bands do not freeze due to the fact that ice does not stick to them.
As an option, so that the door does not freeze, it can be wrapped around the contour toilet paper. Even if the seal allows water from rain or melted snow to pass through, the paper will tear when opened, and the door can be easily opened.
To destroy the ice structure, the door must be pulled in two directions. At the same time, with sharp jerks - press against the body. Usually such a simple movement gives a good effect.
Sometimes, if the car doors are frozen after washing, nothing can be done, because the ice has frozen somewhere in a deep place that even warming up by an external source does not take - then all that remains is to wait for spring.
Surely, if you live in Russia, especially in the northern regions, you had an unpleasant situation in the harsh winter when you want to drive your favorite car on the next frosty morning, but the doors do not open.
The reason for this may be the freezing of doors. And opening the door in such a situation is not an easy task. In most cases, this happens at the most inopportune moment with a huge lack of time. Helpful Hints, described below, will help not only to easily and quickly solve this problem, but also to prevent the doors from freezing in the future.
In this article, you will learn what to do if your car doors are frozen and how to open a frozen car door as quickly as possible.
Why do car doors freeze?
Let's start with why doors freeze at all. Moisture that gets on the rubber seals in the door also becomes the reason. Most often, this is condensate, which appears during temperature changes, since it is warm in the cabin and cold outside.
Moisture may remain after a car wash if the car was not dry enough. If you close the car during snow, snow can also get on the seals and melt there, forming a freeze. Even water can get into the lock and prevent the opening. As you can see, there are enough reasons. Let's talk about problem solving.
How to quickly open frozen car doors?
The easiest, but not the surest way is to try to open the rest of the doors. Passenger doors are less in demand than the driver's. Perhaps at least one of the doors will be open, and this will make it possible to get inside the cabin to start the engine and turn on the stove.
Often it is not the keyhole that freezes, but the seal itself. Moisture accumulates between the door and the seal, which “glues” the door. When opening the door, do not try to open it abruptly, as such a force can break the seal. On the contrary, press on the door with all your might to break the ice. Thus, it will become much easier to open the door.
Advice!if you still decide to tear off the door, then it is better to do this not with the driver's door, but with the passenger door, which is used the least. Such an action can tear off the seal, which means that when driving at high speed, a powerful stream of wind will make its way into the car interior.
How to protect the car from freezing in winter?
If the case is not easy and the first two methods did not help, try using warm water. In no case do not use boiling water, this can deform the seal and paint the car. Pour water into the gaps between the door and the body until the ice melts and the door opens.
An analogue for water will be special anti-icing agents. You can easily find them in a household store. The process of applying such products is the same as in the case of water. Most importantly, do not forget it when leaving the car, otherwise the purchase will lose its meaning.
You can use to freeze doors warm air. You can use a regular hair dryer for this. It is advisable to use a hair dryer with several power modes, but you should not choose the most powerful mode, because this can damage the bodywork. Bring the hair dryer to the gap between the door and the body and start driving from the bottom up until the ice melts. A hose connected to the exhaust pipe of a neighboring car will also work. The method of application is the same.
The cold is coming, how to secure the car?
If the lock mechanism itself is frozen, heat the key, for example, with a lighter, then try to insert it into the lock and open the door. In no case don't try to warm up the castle itself. Firstly, this method is less likely, and secondly, you simply damage the bodywork.
Important!if the key does not turn, in no case use force, this may simply break the key or damage the keyhole.
Also, when the lock freezes, you can use pure ethyl alcohol, but in no case kerosene or gasoline. A glass washer fluid containing ethyl alcohol is also suitable.
There is a special mini device, which will help to cope with the frozen door without much effort. It's called a defroster keychain. This device is a thin probe that is inserted into the lock hole. The probe heats up to 150-200 degrees, which allows you to easily defrost and open the door. You can buy such a device in specialized automotive stores.
How to protect your car doors from freezing?
Since the cause of door freezing is always water, it must be eliminated, but better prevented. In order to protect yourself and your car from such troubles, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- At low temperatures, it is not recommended to wash the car yourself, but if necessary, use the services of a professional car wash, which includes drying the car.
- It would be nice to have a warm garage or underground parking, where the air temperature is not as low as on the street, because regular opening of doors in the cold can wear out the lock mechanism;
- Make sure that moisture does not get on the rubber seal, but if it does happen, wipe it dry with a rag.
- Use silicone spray "WD-40" or equivalent. Silicone will repel moisture and prevent it from getting to “sore” points. The method of application is simple: spray on the rubber seals and the door itself. The product must be applied carefully so that it does not get on the seat and clothes. Spray "WD-40" will "hold the defense" for at least a month, or even a whole season. A replacement for such a spray can be technical petroleum jelly, but its application requires more than once per season;
- Frozen doors happen due to condensation. In order to prevent this, when entering the car during the cold winter season, it is recommended to leave the door open until the temperature in the passenger compartment is approximately equal to the temperature outside. After such a simple operation, freezing of the doors is no longer a threat;
- To protect the lock, you can buy a special protective lubricant that will prevent problems with opening the lock.
As you can see, there is only one reason for freezing doors - water, but there are so many ways to solve it. We strongly recommend that you take note of all the above tips and wish you never get into such situations!
Surely every motorist experienced a lot of discomfort when the doors froze in his car in winter.
The reason for this is the moisture that gets on the surface of the seals - it can be deposited on them in the form of condensate or flow inside. As a result, these rubber bands connect the door to the body, which causes such an unpleasant access restriction.
Knowing the best way to lubricate the seals if the doors in the car freeze, you can survive the next winter season without such troubles.
Option number 1
So that the rubber bands of the seals do not become the reason for the inability to get inside the car, you need to lubricate them with a special hydrocarbon composition, which is designed to preserve individual machine components. The best option of those presented on the Russian market is a polymer silicone lubricant that tolerates low temperatures well even during the most severe winter. However, if it is not available within reach, car doors can also be treated with technical petroleum jelly, although the duration of the effect in this case will be slightly shorter.
The best option is a lubricant packaged in - it allows you to perform all the necessary procedures in a matter of seconds. Liqui Moly, XADO, Forsters and other manufacturers offer their options for quickly saving a car from freezing. However, a paste-like composition, which is sold in small tubes, can also be applied to the rubber bands of the seals - most often Russian-made PMS-200 grease is packaged this way.
The main advantage that silicone grease has is the ability to work in the temperature range of -50 ... + 250 degrees. In addition, it forms a fairly stable polymer film on the surface of door seals, which retains its properties for 2–3 weeks, which allows you to get rid of the freezing problem for a long time. Applying it is very simple - especially when it comes to a specialized lubricant for cars, which comes in the form of a spray. However, before using it, it is better to wipe the rubber bands dry to prevent the formation of small drops that, when frozen, can damage the seals.
Dangerous but effective
If there was no hydrocarbon lubricant at hand, in winter you can protect the doors from freezing with the help of a well-known compound called WD-40. Experts recommend always carrying it in your car in order to be able to defrost certain moving joints, as well as to clean parts that are more susceptible to corrosion from moisture. If your door seals freeze, just apply a thin layer of WD-40 to them to forget about such a problem for a few days.
The lubricant is available in the form of a spray, so there will be no problems with its use. Interestingly, each jar is supplied with a thin tube that allows you to work in hard-to-reach places, so the composition can be easily applied under the sealant with outer side where moisture often accumulates. However, you should be very careful, because WD-40 can cause serious damage to the rubber and plastic components that are used in the car. Therefore, it should only be used as an emergency rescue tool, and as soon as possible, go to the store to buy silicone-based lubricant.
Alternatives
To prevent freezing of car doors, you can also use special water-repellent compounds that do not contain hazardous components. Such a lubricant is produced by several companies - for example, TurtleWax, Wynn's and others. It contains a small amount of technical silicone, as well as polyesters and other organic components that are included in the composition to create a strong film on the surface of the seal that retains its elasticity for a long time. Applying the composition to the rubber bands of car doors is very simple, since it is available in the form of a spray.
There are exotic remedies that also help fight freezing doors. For example, in the Far North and other cold regions, bear or deer fat is used to prevent access restrictions. Such products effectively cope with freezing, but are rarely found on sale and allow you to get the effect for only 1-2 days.
emergency measures
If the car doors are frozen, in no case should you try to tear them off by force or use an oblong object as a lever. To open them, first try to wiggle them in and out within the free play - in most cases, this will help to cope with the situation without damaging the seals. In addition, you can try to get inside through other doors or through the trunk if your car is a hatchback, station wagon. However, after washing, access to the car can be completely blocked, since water gets under the seals of all doors at the same time.
V last resort, you can pour warm water over the cracks in the door
If all else fails, fill a two-liter bottle with warm (but not hot!) Water, and then slowly start pouring it into the gap formed between the door and the body, being careful not to wet the seat. After pouring out about a fifth of the bottle, try to shake the door again and check if the seal is lagging behind. When the door is open and you get access to the car interior, immediately start the engine and turn on the heater to get rid of ice on the seals. When the car thaws, immediately take paper towels and carefully wipe all the rubber bands on the car doors. In addition, it would be desirable to lubricate them before the next long parking so as not to encounter such an unpleasant problem.
Help in winter
To prevent car door seals from freezing in winter, they should be treated with silicone grease or similar water-repellent compounds about once every 2 weeks. Thanks to this, it will be possible to avoid restricting access to the salon without harming the rubber bands themselves. In addition, for the processing of such parts, you can use the WD-40 universal lubricant known to every driver, which is intended for processing
Most often, this happens at the most inopportune moment, for example, when you are late for work, a meeting, a train station, etc. Opening a frozen car door is not so easy because an experienced driver is well aware of possible consequences such an unpleasant phenomenon, for example, a door can be opened by force, but this will not pass without a trace for the door itself, its lock and rubber seals. Today I bring to your attention several effective proven ways to open the car door if it is frozen.
First way unlock "frosty central lock" - trick! As a rule, not all doors grab the same, some of them in any case will be more pliable. So do not hang your nose, but rather check how things are with the rest of the doors. Do not forget that the trunk, no matter how, is also a kind of door, sometimes with its help it is possible to open the door of a car that has frozen. Through the trunk, you can climb into the cabin, turn on the enhanced interior heating and - voila, after some 20 minutes the door will thaw and let you in or out. It is not necessary to wait for complete defrosting, if you are in a hurry, the most important thing is to get inside, and everything else is a matter of time, while you go to a meeting and work, the door will unlock itself.
Second way open the car door when the doors are frozen - chemistry. With help modern technologies scientists managed to create a mixture that solves the problem of frozen doors, it is called - "liquid key" or anti-icing lubricant, if scientifically. Opening a frozen door to this method is perhaps the easiest, unless of course you have this very “liquid key” ... One of the most common mistakes motorists make is that they store this very anti-icing lubricant in the glove compartment ... This is almost the same as close the door and leave the key inside the car. In winter, a bottle with a “liquid key” should be at your fingertips (in a purse, pocket, garage, anywhere but inside the car), it would be even better if you have several bottles, then you can leave one in the car, and another house, then you don’t have to puzzle over what to do if the car doors are frozen ...
Third way- simple and primitive. This method is the only thing that can be done if you don’t have a “liquid key” at hand, all the doors are hopelessly frozen, and you only have keys and smoking devices from improvised means (lighter, matches, etc.). As you may have guessed, we are talking about heating the key through direct fire. For those who decided that it is necessary to heat the ignition lock with a lighter, I answer - no, heat it up, and not much, you need the key itself. The ignition key should not be held on fire for a long time, 5-10 seconds (depending on the type of key itself), the principle is this: heat it up then quickly install it in the keyhole, wait 1-2 minutes, try to turn it, if it doesn’t help, repeat the procedure. As a rule, already in 3-4 such attempts it is possible to open the car door.
Attention! Be careful not to melt the plastic case of the key or the chip with a microcircuit if you have an immobilizer installed..
An ordinary female hair dryer can be a great helper in this matter. Direct a stream of moderately hot air into the frozen well.
Attention! In no case do not try to melt the ice with water, pouring boiling water over the doors! This is a bad idea, of course it will help to solve the question, but it will add new problems to you, for example, after you open the door, the hot drops will cool down and block the lock again, only this time it will not be frost or condensate, but real ice! In addition, the laws of physics should also be taken into account, each of us knows what happens to a cold body that is splashed with boiling water ... The same thing happens with the paintwork, microcracks appear on it, through which moisture penetrates from the outside and during interaction with the body forms foci of corrosion. Read this article to learn how to take care of your paintwork.
It happens that it is not the door lock that freezes, but the doors themselves, that is, after washing or rain, moisture gets on the seal and after the temperature drops, usually at night, the doors “freeze to death” to the doorway. The solution to this issue is very similar to the previous ones and requires similar methods of struggle.
- First of all, you need to carefully clean the ice crust around the door, if any, while you need to be extremely careful, careless scraping can remove not only the crust, but also your paintwork.
- Knock on the perimeter of the door with your hand, the crust on the seal will crack from impacts and the frozen door will open. Open gradually so as not to damage the rubber seal.
- Use an anti-freeze (I also recently wrote about how to choose an anti-freeze ...) It contains additives that effectively fight ice, treat the doorway with it, after a while you will be able to open the car door.
- Use a hair dryer. As with the lock, a hair dryer can help you solve the problem by blowing hot, warm air onto the frozen areas. Do not overdo it so as not to damage the paint with excessive heat.
Prevention is always better than cure!
Timely implementation of preventive measures will allow you to avoid the above troubles. In your arsenal must be:
- De-icing agents for the treatment of doors, seals, hinges and keyholes.
- Low temperature resistant silicone grease.
- Before leaving the car to spend the night, do not be lazy, remove all snow from its roof, as well as water, if any, this will minimize the likelihood of door freezing and all the ensuing consequences.
- After a winter wash, it is quite easy to remove the ice from the seal, for this it is enough to open all the doors for a few minutes in the cold and let the moisture turn into ice. After that, it is enough to slam the door several times in order for the ice to crack and crumble. After that, he can safely close the doors and go home.
That's all for me, thanks for your attention, I hope the article was useful for you and you won't have a problem with how to open the car door if it's frozen, God forbid.
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