Did you head outside only to find that your car door is frozen shut? That’s a common winter problem, and there are right ways and wrong ways to handle it. Southcross Auto Service has some tips that can help.
Don’t Panic and Don’t Throw Hot Water on the Car
Lots of people panic when they find out that their car door is frozen and that’s the wrong state of mind to solve this problem from. You also don’t want to grab some hot or boiling water and throw it at the car hoping that thaws everything out. First, the hot water can damage your car, even breaking the glass. Also, hot water freezes faster than cold water, so you may make the problem infinitely worse.
Push Gently into the Door
The key word here is “gently.” The goal is to break the ice’s hold on the door, in all the seals and wherever else the ice has formed. Pulling may not work, but if you gently push, that can help you to get the leverage you need to be able to open the door. Make sure that you never push against the window or any part that could break off, because that’s just dangerous.
Try Using Spray Lubricants and De-icers
Spray lubricants and de-icing sprays are excellent tools for all sorts of things, including helping you to free a frozen car door. If the door lock is frozen, too, make sure to spray some directly into the lock. Spray gently around all of the gaskets and seals, as well as the hinges, and let the spray do its work. Spray lubricant is also helpful as a preventative to keep your door locks from freezing if you know there’s going to be frozen precipitation.
Heat Applied Gently Can Also Help
In a pinch, there is a way that you can gently apply heat that may help. If you’ve got a hair dryer with low or medium heat settings, you can try using that to thaw out the door’s lock or the door itself. You do need to be extremely careful because heat can damage the paint and can even cause issues with window glass.
Made some mistakes getting your frozen car door open? Southcross Auto Service in Savage, MN may still be able to help. Give us a call today and we can take a closer look at what’s happened and help you to get any issues corrected.
