Frozen car doors are winter chore - but if you de-ice it in the wrong way, you might end up with an expensive repair bill.
Sometimes the door handle is frozen, sometimes the rubber door seal is frosted shut to the body of the vehicle, and other times the ice is holding the metal of the door to another part of the car.
Whichever frozen car part you’re dealing with, the one thing you should not do is to try and pull and force the door open.
Here's our Select Car Leasing tips for getting the job done correctly:
Try the door on the other side instead.
The quickest and easiest option is to carefully try another door on the vehicle. The problem could be that one side of the vehicle is exposed to more shade, and the other exposed to more sunlight, making the other side less likely to be frozen.
If you can get in another way, start the engine and get the fans going - the warm air inside the car will help thaw the frozen door. If you’re in a rush to get going, climb over to the driver's seat if you are able to, but only start driving once it’s safe to do so, which includes having a defrosted windows.
Push the door
It sounds completely counter-intuitive, but instead of trying to pull the door open with force, give the door a firm shove instead. This might be enough to crack any ice that’s holding the door and keeping it forced shut. Put your hand flat on the door and lean against it, not a sudden slam.
This is much better than trying to pull the door open, as pulling with too much force can pull off the handle, damage the inside mechanisms of the door, or damage the rubber door seal.
Scrape off ice
If the handle seems to be the only part of the vehicle that’s stuck, scrape off the ice on the handle with a scraper and this should sort out the problem.
If there’s ice all around the door and holding the door stuck, then slowly remove and scrape as much ice and the edges as possible. Once this is done, push the door in to try and crack the remaining ice and then pull.
Hot water
Pouring some warm - not boiling - water around the affected area can help the ice that’s causing the jam melt. However, this is a short-term solution, as once it cools it will freeze over the existing ice making the problem worse.
Make sure the water isn’t too hot, certainly is not boiling, and once you’ve got the door open be sure to dry down any wet surfaces to avoid more ice forming.”
De-icer
Whilst bottles of chemical de-icer are usually sold as a way to clear windscreens, it can also help with a stuck door or lock.
The chemicals will be able to break down the ice that’s stopping the door from opening, whether it’s a stuck handle, stuck bodywork or stuck rubber seal.”
How to stop it from freezing in the first place?
Unfortunately, aside from uprooting and moving to warmer climes, the cold can’t be stopped, but there are ways to stop your car door from freezing. The easiest way is to park your car somewhere sheltered like a garage or carport. If that’s not an option, a car cover can provide enough protection to stop your car icing up.
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