How to open a frozen back door in a car. What to do if car doors are frozen

Surely every motorist experienced a lot of discomfort when the doors froze in his car in winter.

The reason for this is the moisture that gets on the surface of the seals - it can be deposited on them in the form of condensate or flow inside. As a result, these rubber bands connect the door to the body, which causes such an unpleasant access restriction.

Knowing the best way to lubricate the seals if the doors in the car freeze, you can survive the next winter season without such troubles.

Option number 1

So that the rubber bands of the seals do not become the reason for the inability to get inside the car, you need to lubricate them with a special hydrocarbon composition, which is designed to preserve individual machine components. The best option on the Russian market is a polymer silicone lubricant that tolerates low temperatures well even during the harshest winter. However, if it is not available within reach, car doors can also be treated with technical petroleum jelly, although the duration of the effect in this case will be slightly shorter.

The best option is a lubricant packaged in - it allows you to perform all the necessary procedures in a matter of seconds. Liqui Moly, XADO, Forsters and other manufacturers offer their options for quickly saving a car from freezing. However, a paste-like composition, which is sold in small tubes, can also be applied to the rubber bands of the seals - most often Russian-made PMS-200 grease is packaged this way.

The main advantage that silicone grease has is the ability to work in the temperature range of -50 ... + 250 degrees. In addition, it forms a fairly stable polymer film on the surface of door seals, which retains its properties for 2–3 weeks, which allows you to get rid of the freezing problem for a long time. Applying it is very simple - especially when it comes to a specialized lubricant for cars, which comes in the form of a spray. However, before using it, it is better to wipe the rubber bands dry to prevent the formation of small drops that, when frozen, can damage the seals.

Dangerous but effective

If there was no hydrocarbon lubricant at hand, in winter you can protect the doors from freezing with the help of a well-known compound called WD-40. Experts recommend that you always carry it in your car in order to be able to defrost certain moving joints, as well as to clean moisture from parts that are more susceptible to corrosion than others. If your door seals freeze, just apply a thin layer of WD-40 to them to forget about such a problem for a few days.

The lubricant is available in the form of a spray, so there will be no problems with its use. Interestingly, each jar is supplied with a thin tube that allows you to work in hard-to-reach places, so the composition can be easily applied under the seal from the outside, where moisture also often accumulates. However, you should be very careful, because WD-40 can cause serious damage to the rubber and plastic components that are used in the car. Therefore, it should only be used as an emergency rescue tool, and as soon as possible, go to the store to buy silicone-based lubricant.

Alternatives

To prevent freezing of car doors, you can also use special water-repellent compounds that do not contain hazardous components. Such a lubricant is produced by several companies - for example, TurtleWax, Wynn's and others. It contains a small amount of technical silicone, as well as polyesters and other organic components that are included in the composition to create a strong film on the surface of the seal that retains its elasticity for a long time. Applying the composition to the rubber bands of car doors is very simple, since it is available in the form of a spray.

There are exotic remedies that also help fight freezing doors. For example, in the Far North and other cold regions, bear or deer fat is used to prevent access restrictions. Such products effectively cope with freezing, but are rarely found on sale and allow you to get the effect for only 1-2 days.

emergency measures

If the car doors are frozen, in no case should you try to tear them off by force or use an oblong object as a lever. To open them, first try to wiggle them in and out within the free play - in most cases, this will help to cope with the situation without damaging the seals. In addition, you can try to get inside through other doors or through the trunk if your car is a hatchback, station wagon. However, after washing, access to the car can be completely blocked, since water gets under the seals of all doors at the same time.

In extreme cases, you can pour warm water over the cracks in the door.

If all else fails, fill a two-liter bottle with warm (but not hot!) Water, and then slowly start pouring it into the gap formed between the door and the body, being careful not to wet the seat. After pouring out about a fifth of the bottle, try to shake the door again and check if the seal is lagging behind. When the door is open and you get access to the car interior, immediately start the engine and turn on the heater to get rid of ice on the seals. When the car thaws, immediately take paper towels and carefully wipe all the rubber bands on the car doors. In addition, it would be desirable to lubricate them before the next long parking so as not to encounter such an unpleasant problem.

Help in winter

To prevent car door seals from freezing in winter, they should be treated with silicone grease or similar water-repellent compounds about once every 2 weeks. Thanks to this, it will be possible to avoid restricting access to the salon without harming the rubber bands themselves. In addition, for the processing of such parts, you can use the WD-40 universal lubricant known to every driver, which is intended for processing

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.

  1. As with locks, try to open each door.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. You can purchase special tools to prevent freezing of rubber door seals to the body. In most cases, these tools help.
  5. 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.

Ice is the main cause of huge problems for the car. For example, if your windshield is iced up, then you will not be able to drive a car, as this is very dangerous. But most often, ice causes problems for drivers, fettering the doors, handles and locks of the car, which creates, up to the inability to get inside the car. Fortunately, many of the problems associated with freezing and icing a car can be avoided. Here . Including you will learn what to do if, nevertheless, the car doors are frozen and you cannot get into the salon.

Inspect and clean rubber seals on car doors

Car doors in winter, as a rule, are frozen due to freezing of moisture, rain and melted snow or ice inside the passenger compartment and doors. Basically, water enters through old or worn rubber seals (cracks on rubber seals, various damages, abrasions, etc.) located on the body at the door contact points, which are installed just to prevent moisture from entering the car from streets.

If the rubber door seals are just dirty, then you need to do a quality cleaning. The fact is that dirt and various crumbs can cause the doors to lose sufficient sealing, which will allow water and moisture to enter the cabin.


In order to clean the rubber bands of the doors, you will need a clean rag and warm water. Your task is to clean not only the seals themselves, but all the frames on the body that are adjacent to the doors, as well as the rubber seals themselves installed on these frames. After wet cleaning the seals and frames of doorways, wipe them with a dry cloth or napkin to remove any remaining moisture.

When cleaning rubber seals, you must clean not only the rubber seals located on the body of the doorways, but also clean the rubber seals on the car doors themselves.

In winter, the rubber seals of car doors should be cleaned in a warm place (garage, underground parking, where the temperature is above zero in winter, or at a car wash in a closed box). That is, your seals are where it's warm. In this case, the water with which you will clean the seals from dirt will not freeze.

Protect car doors from freezing with lubricant

Of course, the best way to prevent freezing of car doors is to put it in a warm garage or warm underground parking. But, unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to put the car in a warm place in winter. Luckily, there are several ways you can protect your car from icing up the doors.

So the most popular tool that prevents freezing of car doors is silicone grease (spray).

Having bought silicone grease at any auto shop, you should spray it on the rubber door seals of the car and then evenly distribute it with a microfiber cloth over the entire surface of the door seals and rubber bands located on the body.

Remember that silicone repels water and will not allow moisture to get into the interior between the seals.

Silicone lubricant spray is quite cheap. High-quality lubricant costs an average of 110 rubles, which you can purchase at car dealerships, some hypermarkets or online stores.

If you cannot find silicone grease in stores, then many auto stores may sell other chemicals that are also designed to treat door seals and door locks.

How to open frozen car doors

When it comes to opening icy and frozen doors, it's best to anticipate freezing rain, freezing temperatures, and possible other precipitation that can turn your car into one piece of ice in a short time. After all, under such weather conditions (especially with freezing rain), even new rubber door seals will not save you from freezing doors. In any case, the door can freeze on the outside of the car and you will face a big problem to open it.

For example, in order to avoid the problem of icy doors after icing the car, you can place a thin rag or towel on the top frame of the door before leaving the car overnight in a street parking lot. Then just close the door and the rag will be between the top frame and the car body above the door. Thus, regardless of the weather conditions that contribute to the formation of ice, you can easily open the door.


But do not forget that regardless of whether you use a rag on the door in the evening, in the morning in case of severe freezing or icing of the car doors, you must clear the ice from the outside before opening the frozen door.

To do this, use a special manual scraper, which can be bought at any auto shop or grocery hypermarket.

Before opening an ice-covered door, you must remove the ice from the places where the door adjoins the car body (gaps between doors and body parts). If the thickness of the ice is too thick and you cannot clean the places where the doors fit on the body, then camphor spirit can help you), which you must dilute with water.

To do this, you need to take 2/3 alcohol and 1/3 water.

You can also buy a special liquid that will help you remove ice from car doors. As a rule, such products are also widely represented in automotive stores.


If you can’t open a frozen car door even with a hand scraper, special chemicals, etc., then it’s time to warm up the door with a hair dryer.

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.

The question of how to open the car door can arise in two cases: when the keys are left inside or when the doors are frozen in the car. These troubles, although not fatal, still make you nervous and can ruin your plans, and in some cases the vehicle itself.

Most often, this happens at the most inopportune moment, for example, when you are late for work, a meeting, a train station, etc. Opening a frozen car door is not so easy because an experienced driver is well aware of the possible consequences of such an unpleasant phenomenon , for example, a door can be opened by force, but this will not go unnoticed for the door itself, its lock and rubber seals. Today I bring to your attention several effective proven ways to open the car door if it is frozen.

So, let's say your doors are frozen and you don't know what to do.

1. The first way to unlock the "frosty central lock" is a trick! As a rule, not all doors grab the same, some of them in any case will be more pliable. So do not hang your nose, but rather check how things are with the rest of the doors. Do not forget that the trunk, no matter how, is also a kind of door, sometimes with its help it is possible to open the car door , which has frozen. Through the trunk, you can climb into the cabin, turn on the enhanced interior heating and - voila, after some 20 minutes the door will thaw and let you in or out. It is not necessary to wait for complete defrosting, if you are in a hurry, the most important thing is to get inside, and everything else is a matter of time, while you go to a meeting and work, the door will unlock itself.

2. The second way to open the car door , when the doors froze - chemistry. With the help of modern technology, scientists have managed to create a mixture that solves the issue of frozen doors, it is called - "liquid key" or anti-icing lubricant, if scientifically. Opening a frozen door to this method is perhaps the easiest, unless of course you have this very “liquid key” ... One of the most common mistakes motorists make is that they store this very anti-icing lubricant in the glove compartment ... It’s almost that the same as slamming the door and leaving the key inside the car. In winter, a bottle with a “liquid key” should be at your fingertips (in a purse, pocket, garage, anywhere but inside the car), it would be even better if you have several bottles, then you can leave one in the car, and another house, then you don’t have to puzzle over what to do if the car doors are frozen ...

Actual:

3. The third way is simple and primitive. This method is the only thing that can be done if you don’t have a “liquid key” at hand, all the doors are hopelessly frozen, and you only have keys and smoking devices from improvised means (lighter, matches, etc.). As you may have guessed, we are talking about heating the key through direct fire. To those who decide that it is necessary to heat with a lighter, I answer - no, heat it up, and not much, you need the key itself. The ignition key should not be held on fire for a long time, 5-10 seconds (depending on the type of key itself), the principle is this: heat it up then quickly install it in the keyhole, wait 1-2 minutes, try to turn it, if it doesn’t help, repeat the procedure. As a rule, already in 3-4 such attempts it is possible to open the car door.

Attention! Be careful not to melt the plastic case of the key or the chip with the microcircuit if you have .

An ordinary female hair dryer can be a great helper in this matter. Direct a stream of moderately hot air into the frozen well.

Attention! In no case do not try to melt the ice with water, pouring boiling water over the doors! This is a bad idea, of course it will help to solve the question, but it will add new problems to you, for example, after you open the door, the hot drops will cool down and block the lock again, only this time it will not be frost or condensate, but real ice! In addition, the laws of physics should also be taken into account, each of us knows what happens to a cold body that is splashed with boiling water ... The same thing happens with the paintwork, microcracks appear on it, through which moisture penetrates from the outside and when interacting with the body, it forms foci of corrosion. Learn how to take care of your paintwork.

It happens that it is not the door lock that freezes, but the doors themselves, that is, after washing or rain, moisture gets on the seal and after the temperature drops, usually at night, the doors freeze to death to the doorway. The solution to this issue is very similar to the previous ones and requires similar methods of struggle.

  1. First of all, you need to carefully clean the ice crust around the door, if any, while you need to be extremely careful, careless scraping can remove not only the crust, but also your paintwork.
  2. Knock on the perimeter of the door with your hand, the crust on the seal will crack from impacts and the frozen door will open. Open gradually so as not to damage the rubber seal.
  3. Use an anti-freeze (I also recently wrote about that ...) It contains additives that effectively fight ice, process the doorway with it, after a while you will be able to open the car door.
  4. Use a hair dryer. As with the lock, a hair dryer can help you solve the problem by blowing hot, warm air onto the frozen areas. Do not overdo it so as not to damage the paint with excessive heat.

Prevention is always better than cure!

Timely implementation of preventive measures will allow you to avoid the above troubles. In your arsenal must be:

  1. De-icing agents for the treatment of doors, seals, hinges and keyholes.
  2. Low temperature resistant silicone grease.
  3. Before leaving the car to spend the night, do not be lazy, remove all snow from its roof, as well as water, if any, this will minimize the likelihood of door freezing and all the ensuing consequences.
  4. After a winter wash, it is quite easy to remove the ice from the seal, for this it is enough to open all the doors for a few minutes in the cold and let the moisture turn into ice. After that, it is enough to slam the door several times in order for the ice to crack and crumble. After that, he can safely close the doors and go home.

That’s all for me, thanks for your attention, I hope the article was useful for you and you won’t have a problem with it if, God forbid, it froze.

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