 Frozen Door Locks: Unlocking Your Frozen Car
Posted by carsandtrucks on Monday, February 04 @ 08:20:33 PST
Frozen door locks are very common to those of us that have to park outside in weather that is consistently below the freezing mark. The service department where I work received a few calls this morning as temperatures in the area were in the single numbers. The customers were asking for assistance in dealing with the locked car doors that they could not turn the key in. The method that seems to be most effective is
to heat the door key with a lighter or match. Insert the heated key into the lock cylinder and presto the frozen tumblers are thawed. Another idea is to use a blow dryer to heat the lock cylinder. Of course this means you have to have electrical power handy. Now for some more innovative ideas... No electric power and no lighter handy, use a paper towel or toilet paper roll. Place the cylinder shaped roll over the door lock and blow into the tube. The heat from your breath will warm up the door lock. You can also try putting your thumb over the lock and your body heat will assist in thawing. Be careful here though, if it is real cold your bare skin may stick to the metal lock. If you have a can of windshield de-icer handy spray the de-icer into the lock cylinder.
The freeze up is often caused by condensation created in the door lock from the heat inside the car and the cold temp outside the car. Spraying the lock with de-icer when you exit the vehicle at the end of the day may prevent the problem from occurring. There are lock lubricants available at any parts store or automotive section of the department store you use. These too will help prevent the lock from freezing.
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