How to open the car if the locks are frozen? TOP ways to open a car!
The problem of frozen door locks is familiar to most motorists in Russia. When the air temperature drops sharply, drivers have to resort to some methods that help open the car if the locks are frozen.
Some people think that the best way is to rinse the door lock with boiling water. But we would not recommend doing this, for three reasons. First, you can damage the paintwork. Secondly, boiling water in the cold quickly cools and freezes, which only exacerbates the problem. Thirdly, if water gets on the wiring, it can lead to a short circuit.
Why do locks and doors freeze?
Before taking any action, you need to deal with the question: why locks freeze. The reason is simple - water. If the door seal does not fit too tightly and unevenly, due to the temperature difference inside the passenger compartment and outside, condensation occurs, drops of water settle on the seal and in the lock itself, which quickly freeze.
If you are faced with such a problem for the first time, try not to immediately resort to drastic measures. Try opening the trunk or other doors. Perhaps they froze not so much, and you still manage to get into the salon. Then it remains only to turn on the heating so that all the ice thaws. If it is impossible to open them, try the proven methods, which we will talk about on our website Vodi.su.
Use any means containing alcohol or "Liquid Key"
Buy a lock defroster or "Liquid Key" in advance at the store. This is an alcohol based product. Alcohol, when interacting with ice, quickly defrosts it, releasing heat. True, you have to wait 10-15 minutes. In the absence of the "Liquid Key", take cologne, toilet water, vodka or medical alcohol. The liquid must be drawn into a syringe and injected into the keyhole. Then, after 10-15 minutes, try, with a little effort, to open the doors. As a rule, this method works well.
You should not use products in which the alcohol content is low, otherwise the water in their composition will quickly freeze and the problem will only get worse.
Pay attention to one point: when the alcohol begins to act, the door should not be pulled towards you, but gradually pushed towards you and away from you so that the ice quickly collapses.
In addition to alcohol-containing liquids, you can use:
- WD-40 is a rust-fighting agent, but there is one BUT - it has hygroscopic properties (that is, it collects moisture), so it is advised to use it in exceptional cases when there is nothing else at hand;
- windshield washer fluid "Nezzamerzayka" - also suitable only as a last resort, since the cabin will not have the best smell. In addition, it contains water.
As you can see, it’s enough just to get the “Liquid Key” tool to open the car if the locks are frozen. By the way, under the name "Lock Defroster" in car dealerships, a small device is sold in the form of a key fob with a retractable probe, which heats up to a temperature of 150-200 degrees and instantly melts the ice. Again, if the seal is frozen, this device is unlikely to help.
What other methods are there to open frozen locks?
If you have an ordinary key without a chip, then it can be heated from a lighter. Instead of a key, you can use a piece of metal wire or any other thin object that will fit into the keyhole. This method is fraught with damage to the paintwork if used too often.
Experienced drivers may recommend defrosting the lock with exhaust fumes. The hose must be put on the exhaust pipe of a neighbor in the parking lot and bring it to the lock. The method should work if exposed to the exhaust long enough.
If the car is standing next to the house, you can take out a heat gun or a fan heater, and a jet of hot air will do its job after a while. A good and effective way is to fill the bottle with boiling water, wrap the bottle in a towel and attach it to the lock. If you find yourself in the wilderness, and there is only a straw from a cocktail at hand, you can insert it into the well and blow warm air. If the frost is not strong, then after a while you will be able to defrost the doors.
Every motorist has a brush for clearing snow and ice. With it, clean the edges of the doors and gently jerk the handle towards you and away from you. At temperatures with a slight minus sign, it is possible to open frozen doors in this way. A good option would be to move the vehicle to a heated garage.
Prevention of the problem of frozen locks
If the car is in the yard, after the engine is turned off, open the doors and let the temperature inside reach the same level as outside. Thanks to this simple action, condensation will not occur. True, in the morning it will hardly be pleasant for you to sit on the ice seats and warm up the interior for a long time. By the way, after washing, you must follow this procedure.
Lubricate the seal regularly with water-repellent compounds and silicone grease. Do not forget about such a device as Webasto, which we already wrote about on Vodi.su. You can remotely warm up the interior and engine, and the problem of frozen doors will disappear by itself.
Of course, you can still advise to keep the car in a garage or underground parking. But, unfortunately, not everyone has such an opportunity.
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