What to do so that the car doors do not freeze. What to do with a frozen car door? How to open car doors on your own Frozen door

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.

Also, quite often the central lock fails, 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 the frozen lock, spray along the contour of the door, trying to reach the 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 slots (the seal can be lifted with a thin plate, for example, with the back of a 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

You can defrost individual sections of a frozen door with 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. In the field conditions of the village, you can generally close the doors with felt or tarpaulin, and build a fire next to it. 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 with 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.

Even residents of regions with not the most severe winters sometimes cannot open the car. This is due to temperature differences: the moisture accumulated during the thaw freezes, tightly grabbing lock mechanisms and door seals. As a rule, this happens when we are in a hurry.

How to open a frozen lock

On cars equipped with a burglar alarm, you can open the lock using a key fob. However, at low temperatures, the battery often runs out in it and it becomes useless. Then you have to open the door with a key. And there are three ways.

Be sure to check all doors, not just the driver's. Hatchbacks and SUVs can also be accessed through the trunk.

Method 1. We crumble

If the lock is slightly frozen and you manage to insert the key into the hole, try to break up the ice inside by rotating the key from side to side. Be careful, don't push too hard. Overdo it - and the remains of a broken key will be added to the ice jam.

If the driver's door does not give in, try to do the procedure with the passenger.

Method 2. Gray

If turning the key in the lock does not come out, you can try to melt the ice. The simplest thing is to heat the key itself with a lighter.

A more effective option is to insert a thin metal object into the lock and heat it already, transferring heat into the mechanism. A hairpin, a piece of wire, or an unbent key ring is suitable as a conductor. If there are other cars nearby, try heating the lock with red-hot .

What you should not do is pour hot water: in the cold, it will immediately cool down and freeze, further exacerbating the problem.

Another bad piece of advice is to blow through the keyhole. The heat of your breath is still not enough to melt the ice, but the resulting condensate will immediately freeze. Moreover, by negligence, you can generally stick to the castle with your lips.

Method 3. Defrost

It is best to use a special defrost spray, the so-called liquid key. A small spray can only be attached to the lock and press the sprayer a couple of times. The alcohol-based liquid will melt the ice, and the lubricant included in the composition will prevent corrosion and protect against subsequent freezing.

If there is no liquid key at hand, but there is a pharmacy nearby, you can buy alcohol and a syringe and inject the lock: the effect will be the same.

But spraying WD-40 and other kerosene-based liquids into the lock is not worth it. They won't help much against the ice, but they will wash all the grease off the mechanism.

How to open a frozen door

Unlocking the lock is only half the battle, because in order to get into the car, you still need to open the door. Due to the larger area, it, or rather rubber seals, freeze to the body much more strongly.

In no case should you pull the handle with all your might: the door is unlikely to budge, but the handle may fall off. To open a frozen door, you need to knock it with your fist around the entire perimeter and press it. So you crush the seal, the ice on it will crumble and free the door from captivity.

You can also try rocking the car from side to side.

On hatchbacks and station wagons, try slamming the trunk a few times if you can open it, of course. The air flow will push the door from the inside.

How to open frozen windows

There is no special need to open the windows, unless you are going to wipe the side mirrors directly from the passenger compartment. However, in order not to inadvertently spoil the power window mechanisms, it is better in no case to try to lower the icy windows before the interior warms up.

When the ice melts, the windows can be opened and also treated with silicone grease where the seal is adjacent.

And do not use a scraper to clean the mirrors: it leaves scratches and can damage the anti-reflective coating.

If your car is not equipped with electrically heated mirrors, try de-icing them with warm air. When the car is warm, blow air from the heater through the open window,

How to keep your car from freezing

Wipe dry the door seals and treat them with silicone grease or spray.
Let the car cool down before parking. Ventilate the interior by opening all doors and the trunk to allow the moisture to evaporate or freeze.
Be sure to treat all locks with a moisture-repellent silicone-based lubricant.
With constant freezing of the locks, dry them well by putting the car in a warm garage or underground parking. The machine will warm up, and then all the moisture will evaporate.
When you leave your car overnight, remove snow from the top and bottom of the doors.
And don't forget to throw newspapers on the floor. They will absorb the melted snow, the humidity in the cabin will decrease.
Always make sure that after the car is properly dried. The washer should blow out the glass seals, wiper blades, washer nozzles, as well as locks, door handles and the gas tank hatch with compressed air.

How do you get into a frozen car in winter? Share your tips in the comments!

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With the advent of winter, car owners begin to have continuous problems. Either the car gets stuck in a snowdrift, or it doesn’t start from a frozen engine, or it’s not possible to get into it at all, since it becomes very difficult to open a frozen door. Often, when we are in a hurry to get to work or on important business, a “dancing ritual” near a frozen car door becomes a mandatory procedure. Opening the door in severe frost is quite difficult, and sometimes even impossible. Most often the problem is in the lock.

The lock or doors freeze for the reason that the heat source is on the inside, and the cold source, respectively, on the outside.

And due to the fact that there are high temperature differences, condensation forms on them, and arriving in a long frost, it freezes. The lock is blocked. How to open a frozen door, if everything needs to be done quickly and there is no time or desire to wait until everything gradually thaws. Read on.

You will need:

Get to the salon

In non-standard situations, think wider. Keep in mind that your car has at least two doors, more often four, and in station wagons or SUVs, along with the trunk, there are five of them. If the door on the driver's side does not open, try opening the others one by one, perhaps some, but it will succumb. Consider that everything worked out and you solved this problem. To defrost the rest of the doors, just turn on the stove or heating.

Put in a little effort

Ice is a fragile substance.

If he covered a small surface of the door, you can just try to break it and break it. To do this, knock on the door and pull it harder, especially near the castle. But do not overdo it, so as not to break the handle and harm your car. The same manipulation can be repeated with the rest of the doors, as in the previous method.

Use a screwdriver

Of the available tools, the best option would be a wooden or plastic lever in the form of a crowbar, a metal spatula, a small knife and other means that can pry the ice between the door and the car body.

To do this, you need to insert this object into the door gap and gradually, with little effort, break off the ice from the door. This is a fairly effective method, but do not forget that it is also easy to damage the door itself or the coating of the car body.

Use electrical appliances

Of course, this is the easiest and fastest way to quickly defrost doors. But its disadvantage is that it is not very practical. If you have an outlet on hand or an extension cord of the right length, you can use a hair dryer and try to melt the frosted door areas.

Remedy for frost

Purchase an effective frost protection product. It is intended specifically for defrosting icy areas on a car. A special thin nozzle will allow you to get into inaccessible places, for example, in a door lock or narrow cracks. And the spray will quickly melt layers of ice over large areas.

Melt with hot water

When defrosting doors with hot water, it is important to consider that it will subsequently cool down and freeze. But if you urgently need to open the car at this very moment, then pour hot water over the freezing places, tapping on the door in this place. It will quickly melt the ice on the surface and you will open the door. On small areas of freezing, you can attach a bottle of warm water, but in severe frost this is ineffective.

Washing your car in winter is an activity that can easily turn into trouble. If the water somehow penetrated the doorway or the lock cylinder, then it will turn into ice, and the next day, when you try to open the car, you will have to sweat a lot to get into the “iron horse”. What to do if the car door locks are frozen, and what preventive measures should be taken to prevent it from happening? We will try to answer these questions in today's article.

How to open the car if the locks are frozen

1) A time-tested method is to heat the key with a lighter or matches. Note that you don’t need to be especially zealous, otherwise you can damage the plastic or burn your fingers if the key is all-metal (such are found in classic VAZs, for example). Next, insert it into the lock and carefully try to open the door. Nothing comes out? Then do not put pressure on the key (otherwise you will break it), but pull it out and repeat the above manipulations N times until the door opens.

2) The second way is to purchase a special keychain that can defrost locks. The bottom line is that the device has something like a probe with a thermoelement, thanks to which it heats up to 150 or even 200 ° C, leaving no chance for ice. The power source is conventional batteries. Issue price - 500 rubles. (average).

3) If you have a syringe at hand, you can draw alcohol or anti-freeze into it and inject them into the lock. After a while, it will free itself from the frozen water. A more advanced option is means for defrosting locks. They have a special composition, due to which the ice dissolves, and the castle from the inside is also covered with an oily film. The choice of such liquids is very large - for every taste and budget.

4) If the problem caught you, for example, in the garage, then use a hairdryer. Unfortunately, if there is no outlet near the machine, you will not be able to resort to this method.

What to do if the lock in the car froze, after washing we took it apart, now we will smoothly move on to what is impossible:

Do not pour boiling water over the castle.
Don't pull on the door hoping it will open.
Do not heat the lock itself with an open flame.

How to open a car door if it is frozen

First, check that the lock has opened, but despite this, the door still does not lend itself. If you are completely sure that it was she who froze, proceed as follows:

1) Take a brush and try to sweep snow and ice from the edges of the door. Be careful not to scratch the paint;
2) Gently push or tap on the edge of the door, and then try to open it. Repeat in several steps;
3) If you have a hatchback, station wagon, jeep or minivan, try to open the trunk and climb into the passenger compartment. If you succeed, start the engine and turn on the stove - the car will warm up and the door will open;
4) Take WD-40 (its analogues will also work) and spray it on the door seal. After 5-10 min. it will become softer, and there will be a chance that the door will open;
5) Is there an outlet nearby? Great, grab a hair dryer and heat the door.

As with the castle, there are things that can't do if the door is frozen:

Act with force. At best, you will tear the seal, at worst, you will break the handle.
Use boiling water. The paint won't last. And warm water will turn to ice in a few minutes, which will make your problem even more difficult.
Press the door with a knife, key, etc. The seal can be broken, but whether the door will open is not a fact.
When the seal is still damaged, do not try to glue it, but it is better to immediately replace it with a new one.

How to lubricate the lock and rubber bands of doors so that they do not freeze

In order to prevent freezing of the lock or door, it is recommended to take a number of preventive measures.

First, lubricate the lock with WD-40, and then close / open it, and so on several times. This will allow the “weed” to penetrate into all the cavities of the castle and displace moisture, at the same time lubricating it. The sealant can also be sprayed with this liquid or applied to it with universal silicone. Processing is preferably carried out at a positive temperature.
Also, make sure that during washing, water does not get into the doorway and lock (if you wash the car yourself) and does not cause trouble after visiting the car park.

In the latter case, before leaving the car in the parking lot or in the garage, open the doors and wait until the interior has cooled down. This will prevent condensation from forming and the doors will not freeze. However, if your garage is heated, you can not worry about this.

In conclusion, I would like to say that it is always better not to be lazy and prevent possible problems than to solve their consequences later. This rule applies to all vehicle components, including door locks.

Very often in winter it turns out that the locks in the doors of cars freeze, or the doors freeze to the body. This can be a big problem. Especially for those who need to urgently go, but it is impossible to get into the car.

How to open a frozen car lock

You can open a frozen car lock in several ways:

If you cannot open the car lock from the driver's seat, then it is worth checking if the other doors open. If you have a station wagon or an SUV, you also need to check the trunk lock. If at least one lock of the car succumbed, then we can say that the problem is solved. You can get into the car and, by turning on the stove, defrost the remaining locks with the help of heat from the car interior.
In the event that you managed to insert the key into the car lock all the way, then by turning the key in different directions, you can try to open the door while tapping on the lock itself, as well as around it. If one door does not give in, you can carry out this manipulation with the rest of the doors, but do not try too hard, you can break the key.
If the previous method did not work, you can try to heat the key with a lighter or matches and try again to open the car lock.
If you do not feel sorry for the coating on the car door, then you can try to heat the lock with an open fire.
You can also pour hot water into any container, such as a plastic bottle or even a balloon, and press it tightly against the lock. In this way, you can warm it up. In this case, you need to periodically turn the key.
If you have an electrical outlet near the machine or a long enough extension cord, you can try to defrost the lock with a hair dryer.
Also in the winter, it does not hurt to purchase a special tool designed to defrost locks in cars. It is better if there is a straw in the package, or the package itself will have a thin spout, in order to make it convenient to inject liquid into the car lock. After the liquid has got inside, insert the key and try to open the lock.
The lock in a car can also be defrosted using exhaust gases from another car. To do this, you need the car itself, a hose of the desired diameter and the owner of the car. One end of the hose must be put on the exhaust pipe, and the other should be brought to the lock and held until it warms up.
If none of the above methods succeeded, then you still have two ways out: either wait until it gets warmer, or call a tow truck and transport the car to a warm place.

How to open a frozen car door

It also happens that not only the locks freeze, but the car door itself freezes to the car body. There are also several ways to open the door.

As with locks, try to open each door.
You can try pulling harder on the car door. However, be careful not to break the handles or damage the machine. This method can also be used for all doors in the car. The door that is least used is usually the one that opens best.
You can also insert a wooden or plastic lever into the gap between the door and the car body. This method can help, but do not forget that such manipulations can wrinkle the door itself or the car body and also damage the coating.
You can purchase special tools to prevent freezing of rubber door seals to the body. In most cases, these tools help.
If none of the above helps, and if you have a certain amount of money, then again you can use the services of a tow truck and take the car to a warm place.

Prevention of freezing locks and doors in the car

It is best, of course, not to so that the locks in the car doors and the doors themselves freeze. To do this, you need to prepare in advance and carry out prevention.

Even in the autumn before the onset of frost you need to purchase a tool for defrosting car locks, winter grease for doors and a tool that preventing freezing of doors.

After a winter wash, you need to treat doors, locks and door hinges with special chemicals. Even if you're not going to the car wash, then such processing is still necessary.

If you regularly prevent freezing of locks and doors and have all the necessary special tools at hand, then even in severe frosts, you can easily get into your car.

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