First World car problems #2

Another frosty morning issue- my doors keep freezing shut. Properly sealed, no way of opening with serious tugging (to the point I’m worried about pulling the handles off).

Takes a dousing with Luke warm water to get them open. Water seems to be getting past the outer rubber seal, and freezing the second inner seal (kind of soft felt thing?) To the bodywork.

I’ve tried silicone spray with no effect. Any kind of grease is going to be mucky around door openings so not ideal. Any suggestions?

Got half way down the motorway the other morning and all the doors I’d tried and failed to get into, defrosted and popped open. Cue lights all over the dashboard, auto locks clunking and general panic!

I got distracted at ‘serious tugging’… 🙂

In the style of Viz Top Tips: Drivers, avoid your doors freezing shut overnight by simply leaving them open

Helpful I know… 🙂 Hopefully someone sensible will be along in a moment.

someone sensible will be along in a moment.

Yep.

Emigrate. I’ve only seen a frost once in 20 years.

Is the car damp inside?

Hair drier and an extension cable. Remember to fully unwind the cable – don’t want any burnt plugs.

Should have bought a £40k + car 😉

Is the car damp inside?

Nope, no damp or misting issues

Try some (brilliantly named) Gummi Pflege on the rubber seals.

Silicon spray usually works, but it’s been wet, so doors will freeze. Shouldn’t be an issue in prolonged dry and cold, but the rain, freeze, warm, rain, freeze doesn’t help. Stick with luke warm water.

PS I don’t have this issue as I ride my bike to work (smug face) – the car stay’s frozen on the drive.  It’s not moved for a while and the front screen is misted over (car is bone dry).

Should have bought a £40k + car

My Discovery does it

Try some (brilliantly named) Gummi Pflege on the rubber seals.

This is the correct answer – or vaseline

My old Audi was terrible for it, as it had frameless doors and the glass drops a few mm to let you open the door. Not a chance of getting in when the actual glass is stuck to the seal

Well known problem on newer Minis and with them being frameless windows it can lead to a lot of damage.

Solution has been mentioned above.  Go to halfords and buy some silicon spray for a few quid.  Sprayed it on the surrounds of my wifes mini last year and it worked 100%.  Havent used it since so the tin will last for years.  Must remember to do it again.

or vaseline

if the seals are rubber (they might not be), this will rot them. Don’t do it. Use the right lube for the job.

OP – if the car’s parked near to the house, pop an extension lead with a little electrical heater to pre-warm the car at the right time. gets the seals unfrozen but also the windscreen

Wrap the car in clingwrap.

Try some (brilliantly named) Gummi Pflege on the rubber seals.

This, it works really well, haven’t had the sticky door problem since!

Massage this into the rubber seals.  Probably best use gloves as like old Pace suspension grease, it rots fingernails.

Halfrauds Linky

I would strongly suspect that the blue fox fork fluid would work in exactly the same way. Put some on some kitchen roll and rub it in?

owenh
Try some (brilliantly named) Gummi Pflege on the rubber seals.

I think this just means “rubber care” in German, there are various different products called “gummi pflege”.

I used the Sonax version and it worked well.

My old Audi was terrible for it, as it had frameless doors and the glass drops a few mm to let you open the door. Not a chance of getting in when the actual glass is stuck to the seal

I’ve got the same problem. What did you do to solve it?

I’ve got a half cover, if I left it with the windows down half an inch and the covers on would that

a) solve the issue

and b) not make a significant difference to the internal temp and humidity?

install a diesel heater out of a camper (or an electric on that runs on “shore power”, plugged into the house)

Warm car for 20 mins before you want to leave. Double bonus of having a warm car to get in to.

That or work from home |(i appreciate that people with “real jobs” cant wfh)

newer Mini

On mine I just press the pre heat button on the app or schedule the time I want to leave and it defrosts, heats the car (and battery). 😉

Emigrate. I’ve only seen a frost once in 20 years.

Of a lower overall cost

1) buy a house with a garage big enough to put the car in

2) Buy a car that you can start and heat up remotely (eg. BMW 7 series)

3) Get your car some jim jams to wear at night

Takes a dousing with Luke warm water to get them open. Water seems to be getting past the outer rubber seal, and freezing the second inner seal (kind of soft felt thing?) To the bodywork.

In all seriousness  thats part of the issue, you have got the seals wet and they dont dry out, so at night the wet turns to ice again.

Dry them properly with a cloth…. and buy a £40k + car with better seals 🙂

liquid molly or sonax Gummi Pflege for me.

Silicone spray doesnt have very much silicone in it and evaporates off so great to get gaskets on etc but the proper stuff is much better / hangs around longer,

Dry and clean the seals and door frames before you stick the silicon on.

I still get it a handful of times a year when i forget to switch the preheater on.

On one car the doors got so frozen that i simply didn’t bother going to work…

I’ve got the same problem. What did you do to solve it?

Nothing tbh – lukewarm water usually or went out in another vehicle

I thought this was faily standard for cars in cold weather. I have never thought of it as a “problem”, other than other problems caused by cold weather such as having to wear a coat. I remember the days of trying to get a key into the lock of a frozen door, before trying to open your frozen stuck door.

VW/Audi/Skoda cars have other problems with damp and doors, such as leaving the car faced down on a slight slope and the door sill fills up with a lake. That’s not normal with other makes of car, but is considered a “feature” of the brand.

liquid molly or sonax Gummi Pflege for me.

LoveHunny’s kinky latex polishing spray is similar. We’ve all got some in the box under the bed haven’t we?

Silicone grease is better than spray, but don’t leave too much for your clothes to find as you get in and out

Good for water taps, o-rings and pushfit waste fittings, electrical switches and terminals, etc. Handy stuff