How to open the car if it froze

A serious problem for Russian motorists is a long cold period in most parts of the country. In the central European part it is seven months a year. And in Siberia and the northern regions of the cold can last eight or even nine months. Therefore, surely every driver was faced with the problem of opening a frozen car.

How to open a frozen car lock

First of all, in the cold season, door locks suffer. They are made of metal, have a complex structure, hidden in the door structure. Water or moisture in these places accumulates constantly. When the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius, the moisture accumulated in the locks freezes.

In this case, it is impossible not only to turn the lock mechanism, but also to insert the key into the keyhole.In such a situation, you can open the lock in several ways.

1. The easiest way is to carry a bubble with a special defrosting liquid. Drivers call this tool "liquid key". It is necessary to remove the cap from the bubble and insert the flattened end on the neck into the slot of the lock. After that you should push the bubble in the direction of the door lock. The liquid is injected inside and spreads through the mechanism. It takes some time to defrost the ice. Wait one to two minutes. Before inserting the key into the lock, it is necessary to lubricate it with the same liquid. Insert the key into the lock carefully, gently shaking it while doing so. In this way, ice crystals dissolve more easily in the defrosting liquid. After the key is inserted it should be fully rotated. It is also necessary to act with caution. If it was not possible to insert or turn the key the first time, it is necessary to re-inject the “liquid key” into the lock.
2. Experience shows that very few drivers carry this “defrosting” with them in their pocket or purse. Usually it is stored in the car or in the garage. But you can freeze the castle and somewhere on the road.In this case, you can resort to improvised means. With the help of an ordinary lighter, the metal part of the key is heated, after which it is inserted into the well. In this case it is necessary to repeat the heating several times, until the heat from the key melts the ice formed in the lock.
3. If the cooling is not strong, then there is a possibility that you can warm the lock with your own breath. In this case, it is desirable to use the improvised tool in the form of a tube. Even an ordinary cocktail tube will do. If you exhale the air vigorously, then there is a chance to warm the lock.
4. Drivers also use a hot water heater or a bag of hot sand, which is applied to the lock until it opens, as a heating agent. As a hot-water bottle you can use an ordinary plastic bottle.
5. Alcohol or alcohol-containing liquids can be used as a defrosting agent when the lock is opened. A “non-freeze” is suitable for a windshield, although its application does not provide an absolute guarantee of success. At a sufficiently low temperature can only harm.
6. Some experts recommend to warm the door locks on the frozen car with exhaust gases. But this requires another machine and a hose that can be put on the exhaust pipe and attached to the lock.
7. I must say that first of all, you should check whether it is possible to open at least one of the locks on the other doors. If you managed to open any door, you need to start the car and let the cabin warm up for half an hour. In this case, the locks should warm up.

It is not recommended to use big efforts if it is impossible to insert the key into the lock or turn it after it was possible to push the key into the keyhole. You can break the key and then the problem of opening the door becomes much more complicated.

Also, do not warm the lock with open fire. You can damage the paintwork so that you need to paint the entire door again. And this is big money.

If you cannot open the lock, it is much cheaper to call a tow truck and take the car to a warm box. There she warms up and the lock can be opened without injury to the car.

How to open the frozen door in the car

In what cases the door in the car may be frozen:

In the cold season after washing the car. When driving on wet roads, when the outside temperature ranges from plus to minus during the day, in this case, when the door is opened, water accumulates between the seals and the metal case, and when it cools, ice forms.

When driving in heavy snow. With frequent use of the door, the snow clogs up with seals, it melts, and then this water freezes.

Faced with a similar problem, you need to try one of several ways for opening a frozen door that are known to specialists.

1. If the door of the driver and front passenger does not open, you should try to open those doors that were least used during the trip. There may not be water. For owners of hatchbacks, crossovers and jeeps have the opportunity to use the tailgate. After the driver enters the salon, the engine must be started and warm up the car. Doors must thaw.
2. You can use a special defrosting liquid, which is used when opening the locks.It is necessary to spray this spray in the gap between the door and the body. In this case it is necessary to make an attempt to open the door in two or three minutes.
3. Use of alcohol and any alcohol-containing liquid is possible. For greater efficiency, it is desirable that the concentration of alcohol in it be more than 50 percent.
4. It is considered effective to heat the door with a hair dryer, domestic or construction.

It is important to remember that when opening a frozen door it is not necessary to exert too much effort. You can overdo it and break the doorknob or tear the seals.

At the same time, experience suggests that you can open a frozen door without any available tools. It takes a lot of effort. Before you pull the door on itself, it must be pressed against the body of the machine with sufficient force.

You need to repeat this procedure several times. In this case, the existing ice that has formed behind the compactor should crumble, lose the monolithic structure and the door should open.

When opening a frozen door, pry bars, screwdrivers and other similar items should not be used. You can seriously damage the surface of the car and tear the seal.

Do not recommend experts to water the door with hot water. If the water is very hot, cracks will form on the paint of the car, and warm water will only add ice to the cracks in the structure.

How to open a frozen trunk

Drivers face the problem of frozen trunk more often than with a frozen side door. This is explained by the fact that the boot, especially on sedans, seals are located almost horizontally and moisture accumulates there as in a bath. In addition, quite often freezes not only locks, seals, but also hinges that secure the tailgate.

What to do if you want to open the frozen trunk:

1. If there is access to the trunk lock, then it must be treated with a special defrosting liquid. The same tool should be sprayed into the slots to the seals and in the locations of the hinges holding the tailgate. After three minutes you can try to open the trunk.
2. Experienced drivers spray alcohol into all available slots using an ordinary medical syringe. A thin needle allows you to penetrate the narrowest slit. The result is one hundred percent. Ice melts very quickly.
3. You can try to apply multidirectional efforts on the surface of the trunk lid in order to destroy the ice in the seals. But if frozen castle, it does not help.
4. You can warm the trunk with a hairdryer. If only the trunk does not open, then it is advisable to get to any repair shop with a warm room and warm the frozen trunk there.
5. If there is glass heating on the trunk lid, it is necessary to turn it on and after some time proceed to the lid movement with effort in both directions.

Prevention of freezing of locks and doors in the car

In order to prevent cases of freezing of doors and freezing of locks on the car, the driver must prepare in advance for the onset of cold weather.

1. Before the arrival of low temperatures, wipe all the seals dry and blow the locks dry. One of the cheapest ways to pre-treat seals is to lubricate all rubber surfaces with glycerin using a tampon. For the winter enough two bubbles of 50 grams. Instead of glycerin, you can use camphor. This is also an inexpensive product. Both of these oils do not harm rubber products, but do not freeze in the cold and play a water-repellent role.
2. Locks are coated with a "spindle" for metalworking machines. It does not freeze even in very cold weather. Marking "I-20", one liter of oil is enough. "Spindle" is applied with a medical syringe on the locks. Processed as a latch, and the receiving part. Do not be amiss to handle all door hinges.
3. If the driver is wary of folk remedies, then you need to use silicone grease. It is sold as a spray. With this tool, pre-dried seals and hinges with open parts of the locks are processed.
4. You can protect the inside of the castle from freezing by periodically blowing it with compressed air to prevent moisture from accumulating there. You can also pre-process the defrosting spray. This is also a good prevention.

We must remember one rule. Preventive treatment of doors and locks against freezing is required after each serious temperature difference.

There are rules for preventive maintenance of the car in the winter after washing:

After the car has been washed, it is necessary to wipe the seals dry and blow all the locks well.The locks are best treated immediately with defrosting liquid.

After leaving the car wash, stop the car, open all the doors and leave the car in that position for no less than thirty minutes. Then close the door several times and open it. The remaining water should freeze in the cold, and slamming the doors is intended to destroy the structure of the ice.

For a Russian driver, the problem of frozen doors and locks on a car is not a problem invented. Everyone, at least once, faces it. To avoid such unpleasant situations, it is necessary to carry out all the necessary preventive measures in advance.

Video: how to open a frozen car