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For those who are not fortunate enough to keep their vehicles in heated garages or other forms of protection/cover, an almost inevitable (and annoying) part of winter, in bad weather, is when cold rain, sleet, or wet snow with high moisture-content builds up around the edges/seals of car doors, hood, or trunk-lid and freezes. This often happens after a winter storm, when a low-pressure-center responsible for the rain or snow typically moves off to the NE, and the counter-clockwise flow around the storm brings in cold air from the Northwest...sometimes accompanied by more snow if one lives in or near the Great Lakes Snow Belt. This can obviously be a problem when you need to get somewhere (or get back home).
There are several ways to get around this, of course, and one of them is to simply start the engine remotely, let the interior warm up, and sometimes that heat inside the car will penetrate to the door-seals and thaw them out. But sometimes it is more than just the seals themselves frozen...sometimes you have a big thick layer of ice itself over the whole outside of the door and its handle. I've never liked the idea of remote-start/warmup, for several reasons. First, it consumes a fair amount of of gas with the car going nowhere (cold engines run on a full-rich fuel/air mixture). Second, it is (technically) illegal in some places for a car engine to run unattended, although those laws are rarely enforced, and many people are either unaware of the law or simply ignore it. Third, if you have ice or snow built up around the tailpipe(s), that will have to be cleaned off, and you won't be able to do that remotely. Fourth, with electronic fuel-injection, most vehicles today warm up more quickly and efficiently underway then sitting/idling. Fifth, having the car sit while cold-idling warms up the engine, but not the transmission or the rest of the drive-train, which also need to be warmed up.
My suggestion?....something I have done for many years. Keep a large plastic jug, or similar container, full of water at room temperature (NOT hot water, which will crack cold glass) handy, and if the door is frozen shut, simply pour the water around the edges of the doors and door-handles, which should loosen up frozen seals/locks unless the temperature is extremely cold, such as in Minnesota, North-Dakota, etc.......way below zero. If you do it correctly, you should be able to gently pull the driver's door open and get inside....don't pull too hard if the seals are still frozen, because this could damage them. Once inside the car, check and make sure both front and rear wiper-controls are OFF before turning the key or hitting the start button....you don't want the wiper-hardware straining against frozen-blades, which could damage or burn out the system.
This will work in most conditions that you are likely to face, in most places, although, like I said, places in interior Canada or the U.S. Upper Midwest may simply get too cold, period. That's just part of life there.
On the related-issue of frozen wiper-blades, they can sometimes be unstuck by the same method....pouring tepid-water on them. One feature I had on my 2006 Outback that I really liked, that I haven't see on any Buick I've owned since, is electric-heat-grids embedded in the lower windshield where the blades park. Simply start the engine, hit a switch, and presto, about 60 seconds later, free blades....although you should probably turn off the switch when the blades are free, to keep the windshield from possibly cracking from uneven heat on the bottom. I think Subaru used that feature because many of their products, unlike those of most other automakers, are specifically designed for winter driving....the Olympic U.S. Ski Team has used them for decades.
If you have the time, during a warm day before winter/during winter, preferably after washing and drying your vehicle spray down all rubber gaskets around the doors with silicone spray or apply silicone paste. Tends to keep seals from freezing shut. While your at it, do the same for your window guides, door latch mechanisms, hood etc.
We have brutal winters on occasion (9 inches of snow this week), so I throw this on the car when at the office. When leaving, you just pull it off in 1-2 minutes, shake it, roll it up into a small ball, and put it in the trunk. Zero issues, easy to work with, cheap, effective, efficient, etc. Here's a random, classic pic of one of the hundreds on Amazon. This takes care of wiper blades, door handles, windshield, and door edges. I also put a little silicone on the door rubber gaskets (a la Coolsaber) in early fall.
^^^^ Covers sometimes work...but, if the air has enough moisture in it, the moment you take the cover off, the humidity in the air hits the cold glass, and, bingo...you get a thin layer of ice.
For those who are not fortunate enough to keep their vehicles in heated garages or other forms of protection/cover, an almost inevitable (and annoying) part of winter, in bad weather, is when cold rain, sleet, or wet snow with high moisture-content builds up around the edges/seals of car doors, hood, or trunk-lid and freezes. This often happens after a winter storm, when a low-pressure-center responsible for the rain or snow typically moves off to the NE, and the counter-clockwise flow around the storm brings in cold air from the Northwest...sometimes accompanied by more snow if one lives in or near the Great Lakes Snow Belt. This can obviously be a problem when you need to get somewhere (or get back home).
There are several ways to get around this, of course, and one of them is to simply start the engine remotely, let the interior warm up, and sometimes that heat inside the car will penetrate to the door-seals and thaw them out. But sometimes it is more than just the seals themselves frozen...sometimes you have a big thick layer of ice itself over the whole outside of the door and its handle. I've never liked the idea of remote-start/warmup, for several reasons. First, it consumes a fair amount of of gas with the car going nowhere (cold engines run on a full-rich fuel/air mixture). Second, it is (technically) illegal in some places for a car engine to run unattended, although those laws are rarely enforced, and many people are either unaware of the law or simply ignore it. Third, if you have ice or snow built up around the tailpipe(s), that will have to be cleaned off, and you won't be able to do that remotely. Fourth, with electronic fuel-injection, most vehicles today warm up more quickly and efficiently underway then sitting/idling. Fifth, having the car sit while cold-idling warms up the engine, but not the transmission or the rest of the drive-train, which also need to be warmed up.
My suggestion?....something I have done for many years. Keep a large plastic jug, or similar container, full of water at room temperature (NOT hot water, which will crack cold glass) handy, and if the door is frozen shut, simply pour the water around the edges of the doors and door-handles, which should loosen up frozen seals/locks unless the temperature is extremely cold, such as in Minnesota, North-Dakota, etc.......way below zero. If you do it correctly, you should be able to gently pull the driver's door open and get inside....don't pull too hard if the seals are still frozen, because this could damage them. Once inside the car, check and make sure both front and rear wiper-controls are OFF before turning the key or hitting the start button....you don't want the wiper-hardware straining against frozen-blades, which could damage or burn out the system.
This will work in most conditions that you are likely to face, in most places, although, like I said, places in interior Canada or the U.S. Upper Midwest may simply get too cold, period. That's just part of life there.
On the related-issue of frozen wiper-blades, they can sometimes be unstuck by the same method....pouring tepid-water on them. One feature I had on my 2006 Outback that I really liked, that I haven't see on any Buick I've owned since, is electric-heat-grids embedded in the lower windshield where the blades park. Simply start the engine, hit a switch, and presto, about 60 seconds later, free blades....although you should probably turn off the switch when the blades are free, to keep the windshield from possibly cracking from uneven heat on the bottom. I think Subaru used that feature because many of their products, unlike those of most other automakers, are specifically designed for winter driving....the Olympic U.S. Ski Team has used them for decades.
On the wipers issue, many many people put the wipers standing up before a storm.
I thought this was going to be about the much more common issue of freezing door locks, or frozen door seals from rinsing the car off in the winter and forgetting to dry out your door jambs before parking it for the night. For the record, when it comes to preventing door seals from freezing, spray some silicone lubricant onto a rag and wipe it along the door jamb and onto the door seals. It'll prevent the ice from sticking.
Car cover is a good idea. Even if the windshield does ice up after taking the cover off, it's not enough to keep you from opening the door.
Like tex2670, I just raise the wipers when the forecast calls for snow. My car has wiper heaters, but I don't let my car idle for long periods of time so I don't get much use out of them.
Originally Posted by coolsaber
Folks think that leaving the wipers up is a good idea is beyond me. If that arm snaps back, bye bye windshield
If the wiper does happen to fall back down, the rubber wiper blade would provide enough cushion to prevent any kind of damage. I'm sure the windshield could handle that.
Car cover is a good idea. Even if the windshield does ice up after taking the cover off, it's not enough to keep you from opening the door.
OK......I'll agree with that.
Like tex2670, I just raise the wipers when the forecast calls for snow. My car has wiper heaters, but I don't let my car idle for long periods of time so I don't get much use out of them.
The only problem with that, though, is that the wipers can freeze in the up opposition just as easily as they can lying flat.
Folks think that leaving the wipers up is a good idea is beyond me. If that arm snaps back, bye bye windshield
Not with most modern automotive safety-glass, unless the windshield itself is defective...which, of course, is not unheard of. Besides, as sm1ke pointed out, the rubber blade itself provides at least some cushion.
Folks think that leaving the wipers up is a good idea is beyond me. If that arm snaps back, bye bye windshield
It's a good idea if the wiper would freeze to the windshield. Scraping or pulling the wipers up when they are stuck the the windshield can damage the rubber so the wiper isn't effective. Not a major calamity to have to buy new inserts, but if you need the wipers to function before you can replace them, they'll be streaky.
But--in a typical snow, raising the wipers is just not necessary.
The only problem with that, though, is that the wipers can freeze in the up opposition just as easily as they can lying flat.
It's about the rubber freezing to the windshield, not about them being cold. Not sure what the "freezing point" for rubber is, but I think it would have to be really cold for it to truly be a problem.
It's about the rubber freezing to the windshield, not about them being cold. Not sure what the "freezing point" for rubber is, but I think it would have to be really cold for it to truly be a problem.
That's not what I was refering to. True, rubber itself usually doesn't stick (unless it gets hot enough to partially-melt, which is not likely). I was refering to ice around the wipers making them frozen in place.....and, if they are pointed straight up that can also happen if ice jams up the swivel-hinge at the base.
12-18-20, 06:59 PM
A Tip for When Car Doors Freeze Shut.
