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Frozen Doors

S

satur9poet

CEG'er
Joined
May 1, 2007
Messages
45
Well, it's that time of the year: :censored:ing winter!

Today I had problems with my doors freezing shut not once but twice. We just had a blizzard and I don't have a garage. In weather like this I never lock my doors because I know the kinds of problems that leads to, so it's not the locks. Nor is it the door handle. The problem seems to be coming from the bottom of the door near the hinge. After pouring enough hot water into the crack between the door and body it eventually opened. I don't want to yank on the door handle too much for fear of coming right off in my hand.

I went out to the car this evening and again the doors were frozen.:mad: Only this time there are no telltale signs of winter precipitation.

I hope I don't have to go through this routine every day this winter.

Where is the moisture coming from that causes the doors to freeze? The inside of the door looked dry initially.

Please advise.
 
I find that my "rubber" seals have worn away and will actually freeze to the metal that is the door. In this case, moisture STAYS inside the "rubber" door seal, kind of like a sponge, and freezes EVERY single night or long period of time.
 
get some vaseline and apply a light (VERY LIGHT!!! it doesnt take much)coating on the rubber seals around every door. this will allow the door to seal closed, and keep the moisture from absorbing in the foam so you dont tear the door insulation.
 
satur9poet said:
After pouring enough hot water into the crack between the door and body it eventually opened.

I went out to the car this evening and again the doors were frozen.:mad: Only this time there are no telltale signs of winter precipitation.

I hope I don't have to go through this routine every day this winter.
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Hot water turns cold.. Cold water freezes..:crazy:

Crazy how that works..:rolleyes:
 
i find 303 AEROSPACE PROTECTANT works great. i even use it on my plastic snow shovels. it keeps the snow from sticking. picked it up at my local auto parts store.

i even use it on my snowblowers shoot
 
zorrex said:
I find that my "rubber" seals have worn away and will actually freeze to the metal that is the door. In this case, moisture STAYS inside the "rubber" door seal, kind of like a sponge, and freezes EVERY single night or long period of time.
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This could be part of the problem; my seals look chewed up in places. Well, I'll be in search of one or more of the sprays recommended here. I also heard mention of silicone spray. Does it damage paint?
 
satur9poet said:
This could be part of the problem; my seals look chewed up in places. Well, I'll be in search of one or more of the sprays recommended here. I also heard mention of silicone spray. Does it damage paint?
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okay, do you not read?

couple of people, including myself, have already offered you solutions to this issue you are having, read up a couple of posts.

I already mentioned use of vasilene on the rubber around the edge of the door, and it DOES work.
 
AliasJerk said:
okay, do you not read?

couple of people, including myself, have already offered you solutions to this issue you are having, read up a couple of posts.

I already mentioned use of vasilene on the rubber around the edge of the door, and it DOES work.
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I DO read and I DO appreciate all the responses, but if you have a problem with me asking ONE additional question then you have issues to address beyond the scope of this thread.
 
satur9poet said:
I DO read and I DO appreciate all the responses, but if you have a problem with me asking ONE additional question then you have issues to address beyond the scope of this thread.
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chill.

chances are if people are recommending usage of a certain product, its probably not going to damage your car in any way, silicone spray, vaseline, they are all just lubricants, more of actually a sealant, if anything it would make your paint last longer, as the lubricant will make a protective layer over the paint.

I would suggest taking the sealant off after the winter, just because dirt will stick to it and look gross after a large amount of time.
 
*takes chill pill* Well, in between drastic weather changes today ( 55 degrees with t-storms and 60 mph winds to 20 degrees and snow with even more wind) I tried the Vaseline trick and rubbed it onto the door seals. It's gonna get real cold and nasty tonight so it should work.;)
 
I hear ya, doors where frozen shut here as well, and the driver side lock frozen. actually got in passenger side 3 times before I got it to work tonight lol.
 
good thing i read this thread!!
my driver's door freezes anytime it gets below 28f and i'm a 6'2" 230lb man so its tuff climbing from psngr to drvr side to start the mtx up!!
 
satur9poet said:
I DO read and I DO appreciate all the responses, but if you have a problem with me asking ONE additional question then you have issues to address beyond the scope of this thread.
Click to expand...

In answer to your earlier question about silicon. Yes it works. Spray silicon often includes a petroleum carrier which is somewhat less desirable. Silicon grease is highly desirable. If you use the spray, it helps to spray a rag and then smear the rubber. If you use the silicon grease smear it on lightly so it doesn't get on other things. Silicon grease is preferable to Vasoline, as any petroleum product tends to deteriorate rubber. Silicon grease can be found as dielectric grease.
 
I've used Vaseline and silicone spray. If the weather gets really nasty w/ a lot of freezing rain that gets down inside the door seals and freezes, nothing much is going to help.
 
I do the light amount of vaseline trick, and even in the last couple of weeks with all of the freezing rain, I havent had a single issue :cool:
 
my doors only froze once since i got the car a year ago. All 4 doors were frozen shut from an ice storm (actually it was just the door seals), the drivers side lock was stuck in the locked position, I went through the trunk and by the time I got to school 20 minutes later with the heat on high it was back to normal. Just an idea to go through the trunk if you dont have any other way.
 
ubnpast said:
my doors only froze once since i got the car a year ago. All 4 doors were frozen shut from an ice storm (actually it was just the door seals), the drivers side lock was stuck in the locked position, I went through the trunk and by the time I got to school 20 minutes later with the heat on high it was back to normal. Just an idea to go through the trunk if you dont have any other way.
Click to expand...

...if you have folding seats.
 
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