Winter is a difficult time of year for a car and its owner. Many people face such a problem as freezing locks and doors in the car. Taking care of their prevention in winter should be constant. The car enthusiast should be familiar with methods of opening a frozen door or lock the car. Otherwise, he will not avoid trouble and spoiled mood on the road.
Effective Ways to Defrost the Car Lock
The question of how to unfreeze the car lock, perhaps, at least once in a lifetime, every car owner. There are several popular methods with which this can be done quickly.
| Lock Check | The easiest thing that a car owner can do when it turns out that the driver’s door does not open due to the fact that the lock is frozen is to check the performance of locks on other doors. With proper skill and average physical preparation, you can easily get into the cabin through the trunk. These actions you should take first of all. Then, start the car and turn on the stove. Under the influence of hot air, the lock will gradually thaw. |
| Heat the key | It is possible to heat the key with the open flame source. You should use matches or a lighter to do this. The time between the heating up and the moment when you insert the key into the keyhole should be minimal so that the metal from which the key is made does not cool down in the cold. If necessary, you can repeat the heating procedure and attempt to turn the key several times. If you turn the key more on the next cycle, it means you are on the right path. |
| Use of heating elements or devices | It is a domestic or industrial hairdryer. However, there are a number of inconveniences and features: too powerful hairdryer can not process the paintwork of the car, because it can be damaged. As for the domestic hair dryer, it can be used in a wider range, as it does not create such a high temperature and does not transmit such a powerful thermal energy. The main thing you should remember is that you cannot get rid of ice very quickly. You need to be patient and wait for some time so that the ice will come down by itself under the influence of the thermal air. |
| Lock defrosters | The most effective method when the car door lock is jammed with frost is the use of special means – defrosters. Today, there is a huge number of these compounds. Try to always buy a similar product for yourself and carry it with you (in your pocket, bag, but not in the car!) when the first cold weather comes. It is best to buy aerosol-type defrosters, as they are more effective. |
| Additional methods | 1) Place a hose on the exhaust pipe of another car and heat the mechanism with hot exhaust. 2) Attach a plastic bottle with warm water to the lock and wait until it thaws. 3) Fill the key with brake fluid. It will take 5 minutes to work with the key in the well. |
What Should NOT Be Done
- Never water the lock and door with boiling water! Otherwise, the paint of the door will turn into rags. Thin trim will bloat and water will enter the cracks. Soon it will freeze, but you can not get out of the car.
- You can not pour gasoline and other flammable liquids into the lock. The castle will be able to open, but in the future, it will freeze again. This happens because of the absorption of moisture from the environment.
- You can not turn the key by force, because if it breaks, you will have to open the door at a service station.
How to Prevent the Lock From Freezing
- Before the cold, treat the lock mechanism, hinges, and door edges with grease so that water does not accumulate inside.
- When approaching the parking place, turn off the stove. When getting out of the car, let the interior cool down. In the guarded parking lot, you can even not close the glass completely at one of the doors and leave a gap of a couple of millimeters. This will allow excess moisture to evaporate into the outside space.
- When closing the car, drop 2-3 drops of brake fluid or engine oil on the key, insert it into the key fluid and turn it back and forth several times.
- The door hinges are treated with graphite grease.
- After washing, the locks should be blown and treated with greases with defrosting additives.
Conclusions
The first thing you should take care of before the frost is that you have a lock defroster, door freezer, winter hinge lubricant, and car silicone grease. As for the first (defroster), you should carry it in your pocket or bag, most of them are packed in small packages.
Treat the lock with an appropriate remedy in advance and regularly. After you have unfrozen the lock and opened the door, do not forget to process the keyhole, as well as rubber seals with the described means. This will save you from similar troubles in the future.