Preventing frozen doors and locks after a wash

Why doors freeze

A car door closes against a soft rubber seal that runs all the way around the opening. Water from a wash, or from melting snow, runs into the space between the seal and the painted edge of the door. When the temperature drops, that thin layer of water turns into ice and glues the two together. The door itself isn't locked, it's stuck.

Locks and handles freeze the same way. Water gets into the lock cylinder or behind the handle, and the moving parts can't move. Cars with flush handles that pop out on their own can be especially prone to this, because the handle has to push out against any ice that forms around it.

Prepare the seals before winter

The single most useful thing you can do happens in October or November, not after the wash. Clean the door seals with a damp cloth, let them dry, and wipe on a thin coat of a silicone spray or a rubber seal conditioner made for automotive weatherstripping. It leaves a slippery surface that ice doesn't grip as well, and it keeps the rubber soft so it doesn't tear when a door does stick.

Do the trunk and hatch seals and the fuel door hinge at the same time. Spray the product onto a cloth rather than straight onto the car, so you don't get it on the paint or the glass. Most people find a second application around January is worth doing.

Right after a winter wash

Before you leave the wash, take two minutes. Open each door, wipe the seal and the door edge with a dry towel, and close it again. Cycle the locks with the key fob a couple of times and pull each handle. Lower each window slightly and raise it again. Then drive for a while with the heat on, which does more drying than anything else.

If a door is frozen shut

Resist the urge to pull hard on the handle. Handles and their internal linkage are often plastic, and they break more easily than the ice does. Instead, try the other doors first: one of them is often free, and you can start the car from inside.

If they're all stuck, lean on the door with the flat of your hand and push firmly toward the car a few times around the edge. That usually cracks the ice between the seal and the door, and then the handle works normally. Remote start, if you have it, will warm the cabin and loosen things in ten or fifteen minutes.

• Push in on the door before you pull the handle
• Use a lock de-icer for a frozen key cylinder, not a lighter on the key
• Don't pour hot water on the door or glass: it can crack cold glass and refreezes quickly
• Don't run a power window that's frozen to the seal, as it can damage the motor or regulator
• Once it opens, dry the seal before you close it again