Cold weather and cars door locks.

[ukracer]

Its damn cold outside.
Front right drivers door (lock)frozen solid.
Rear doors frozen to the car but both actually open and close when given a big tug.
Front passenger side door opens but remains open. The lock remains in open position so does not click shut and remain closed. Had to tie the passenger door with a dog lead just to get grandson to school.

Nor had other cars be as bad as this B6 Passatt.

 

[Trevorleach]

Silicone spray helps on the seals plus keeps them soft, will help on the locks to.

 

[cheb]

A light application of silicon grease to the door seals help prevent them sticking, and a bit of powdered graphite into the lock mechanism.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Mate told me many many years ago after finishing night shift, and just wanting to go home to bed, him and workmates used to pee on the car door locks if they were frozen

 

[voipio]

The weather over the previous day or so can make a big difference. If it's been dry, then a dry cold snap usually doesn't cause problems, but if there's been rain, or sleet, or wet condensation on the car, followed by a cold snap, it can be a different story.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Mine does it occasionally if there's really hard frost, despite having this stuff on the door rubbers

 

[Melvyn Best]

If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen! One tip I strongly recommend in cold weather is either raise the wiper blades off the screen using a spacer under the arm or making sur they are switched off when parking up and fully defrosted before using the wipers. I’d like a pound for every time I’ve had to repair or replace wiper linkages or motors

 

[ukracer]

8

Mate told me many many years ago after finishing night shift, and just wanting to go home to bed, him and workmates used to pee on the car door locks if they were frozen

Problem is I can't get to the part that frozen. When the handle does not open the door it doesnt help.

 

[ukracer]

The weather over the previous day or so can make a big difference. If it's been dry, then a dry cold snap usually doesn't cause problems, but if there's been rain, or sleet, or wet condensation on the car, followed by a cold snap, it can be a different story.

Funny enough the inside of the car has frozen ice on the screen.
My Dad's Piccaso had the same issue yesterday.

It's not nice to have to mess around but my extension roof dripping water is more worrying (see other ghread about insulation.) I simply hate the cold weather.

 

[bricol]

Every winter I apply copious amounts of WD40 around the door handle pivots, to the mechanism in the door if I can get the spout in, to the lock mech in the door side, the petrol cap, and rub silicon lube around the door seals.

The Alfa got that treatment yesterday after being parked (other than 7mile round trips to two MOTs) since the beginning of the first lockdown - this morning at 6am and -5C everything operated as it should.

 

[bricol]

Funny enough the inside of the car has frozen ice on the screen.
My Dad's Piccaso had the same issue yesterday.

It's not nice to have to mess around but my extension roof dripping water is more worrying (see other ghread about insulation.) I simply hate the cold weather.

I make sure I clear the condensation before evening, stick an absorbant bag in there to make me feel better (not sure they actually do much) or even stick the dehumidifier in for a while. And it if happens to snow, I make sure as much snow etc ot off my shoes before getting in, empty the mats when I get wherever I'm going, to minimise any moisture in there as much as possible. Regular use helps too.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

One tip I strongly recommend in cold weather is either raise the wiper blades off the screen

I do that as a matter of course if there's the least suggestion of frost. I've had the rubbers frozen to the screen before.

And it if happens to snow, I make sure as much snow etc ot off my shoes before getting in,

Also to avoid the chance of shoes/boots slipping off the pedals.

 

[Trevorleach]

Few times a year I leave the dehumidifier in the car over night, always surprises me how much water I get out.

 

[tom2207]

I use ACF50 ,,, seems to work the very best ,,, then again its my answer for most things.

 

[Rrobson]

Hair dryer around the handle and lock mechanism can sometimes help.
I did once have to lash the rear doors together from the inside to get to work one very cold morning… The handle mechanism wouldn’t let the latch go and I needed to get gone. Thankfully by the time I’d got to work it had defrosted!

 

[ukracer]

Hair dryer around the handle and lock mechanism can sometimes help.
I did once have to lash the rear doors together from the inside to get to work one very cold morning… The handle mechanism wouldn’t let the latch go and I needed to get gone. Thankfully by the time I’d got to work it had defrosted!

That's what I had to do this morning.

 

[Aerohead]

Most blocks of flats in Minnesota have heated undeground parking, with a car wash bay. Cars get very salt slush filthy. Newbies from say Floriday wash there car, then head out at say -20, only to discover they can't get out upon arrival at their destination, and in some cases can't even lower a window. The only option is to return to base.
******* on a lock would make loads of problems in real cold weather, as would pouring bioiling water on a windscreen.

Silicon lube on rubber (door seals we're talking about here) is a good summer task that avoids a lot of winter wet freeze issues.

Graphite powder works best, used in moderation. I was applying some to a car door lock when a five-year old boy unexpectedly slammed into me from behind, and I squeezed the graphite bottle in surprise. Fortunately it was the passenger side door, which has ever since been fully gooped up by too much graphite, and most doors ask a lot of your free time to get to the lock cylinder and replace, so haven't bothered.

 

[bricol]

Most blocks of flats in Minnesota have heated undeground parking, with a car wash bay. Cars get very salt slush filthy. Newbies from say Floriday wash there car, then head out at say -20, only to discover they can't get out upon arrival at their destination, and in some cases can't even lower a window. The only option is to return to base.
******* on a lock would make loads of problems in real cold weather, as would pouring bioiling water on a windscreen.

Silicon lube on rubber (door seals we're talking about here) is a good summer task that avoids a lot of winter wet freeze issues.

Graphite powder works best, used in moderation. I was applying some to a car door lock when a five-year old boy unexpectedly slammed into me from behind, and I squeezed the graphite bottle in surprise. Fortunately it was the passenger side door, which has ever since been fully gooped up by too much graphite, and most doors ask a lot of your free time to get to the lock cylinder and replace, so haven't bothered.

I was always surprised by the number of people washing their cars in very below freezing temps in upstate NY 20 yrs ago, thinking surely that will be a problem in a few minutes.

I struggled one day as I didn't think to kick the snow that had built up in the front wheel arches one evening - came out the following morning and I had very limited steering lock and a lot of noise of tyres rubbing on frozen snow!

Few years later I picked a rental up at Buffalo airport, got on the NY turn-pike, when a plough crossed my path and covered the windscreen in crap . . . pulled the washers . . . froze . . . and now smeared crap freezing over the screen and little to no forward visibility! I do like my old Lancia - washers are separate to wipe - pull for wash - if its frozen and nowt comes out, you can opt not to switch the wipers. Luckily, my old Alfa has a long enough delay that pull for wash momentarily doesn't wipe - so you can let go when nothing appears on a cold, dirty screen, as it did this morning.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I recall visiting Canada and some malls had electric points kerbside where customers could plug their vehicles in to keep their inbuilt engine coolant heaters going.

This was before EVs were a thing, so no charging involved.

 

[sako243]

If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen! One tip I strongly recommend in cold weather is either raise the wiper blades off the screen using a spacer under the arm or making sur they are switched off when parking up and fully defrosted before using the wipers. I’d like a pound for every time I’ve had to repair or replace wiper linkages or motors

My old Range Rover (2007 3.6TDV8) had a feature to prevent this, the wipers would always park even after the ignition was turned off so the only way they'd get stuck mid-swipe was you manually pulled the battery mid-swipe or they were broken. Even if you left them on you had to manually reset the stalk to off and then back to on. This way when you fired up the car in the morning and they were frozen they wouldn't automatically start trying to move. The heated windscreen also had extra elements along the bottom where they parked up to help defrost them properly.

Not sure if the new one (2011 4.4TDV8) does the same as it always seems to start the wipers again if they're in automatic mode without any intervention but perhaps it's also now monitoring the temperature.