The lock in the car is frozen - what to do and how to open it? Key won't turn

Winter is on its way, which means that it's time to prepare the car for the coming cold weather. We have already talked on our portal vodi.su about the preparation of the body, the treatment of the paintwork with protective compounds, the replacement of rubber and other nuances of the winter period. If the vehicle is in an unheated garage or right under the windows of the house, many car owners are familiar with the problem of frozen keyholes firsthand. The doors, hood or trunk cannot be opened. How to deal with it? What to do if the lock in the car is frozen and there is no way to get into it.

Reasons for freezing locks

The main reason why it is not possible to open car doors is moisture. After visiting a car wash in the winter, if you don't let the moisture evaporate, you're bound to run into a frozen lock. Also, moisture can condense due to temperature differences inside and outside the cabin. A modern car lock is a complex and highly accurate system, sometimes a drop of water is enough to lock the doors.

It is impossible to exclude such options as the ingress of moisture into the keyhole from the outside. For example, if the temperature is above zero during the day, snow and ice turn into porridge that covers the body of the car. At night, frosts occur, as a result of which drops of moisture in the keyhole freeze. Along with water, dirt particles also get inside, which gradually clog the locking mechanism.

We also note that in very severe frosts, the door seal can also freeze. A small gap between the door and the body is enough for the condensation process to occur faster and a layer of ice accumulates on the rubber. 

Manufacturers try to protect the cylindrical larva with curtains, but they are far from airtight. There are also situations when a motorist, after installing an alarm system and a central lock, practically does not use a regular door lock. It is clear that the moisture and dirt that got inside turn sour, the insides of the cylinder rust. And when the battery in the key fob runs out, it is almost impossible to open the door with a regular key.

Effective methods to open a frozen lock

The driver community has come up with a plethora of methods to solve the problem of frozen locks. In cold weather down to -5 ° C, you can use simple recommendations:

• blow into the keyhole through a cocktail tube;
• warm up the key with matches or a lighter, try to insert it into the lock and turn it carefully;
• drip through a syringe with anti-freeze (then you will have to ventilate the cabin, as this composition may contain dangerous methyl or isopropyl alcohol);
• warm the door with a heating pad by pouring boiling water into it and applying it to the handle;
• inject the alcohol-containing composition.

If the lock is defrosted, but the door still does not open, then the ice remains on the seal. In this case, do not jerk the door sharply, but try to press it harder several times so that the ice crumbles.

With more severe frosts from minus ten and below, a simple breath of warm air is unlikely to help. Moreover, the situation can be aggravated, since moisture vapor is contained in the air that we exhale. Therefore, adhere to the following recommendations if there are no special tools for defrosting the lock at hand:

1. Medical alcohol - inject with a syringe into the well, it will quickly melt the ice;
2. Bring a kettle of boiling water from home and sprinkle it on the lock - after this procedure, the doors will have to be dried in a well-heated room;
3. Exhaust fumes - if there are other motorists in the parking lot ready to help you, you can attach a hose to the exhaust pipe and direct the stream of hot exhaust to the door of your vehicle.

In a word, everything that creates heat will be able to warm the lock of the car. For example, a car can be pushed into a warm garage, if possible.

How to deal with the problem of freezing locks?

If the problem recurs frequently, no matter what you do, it may be necessary to dry the doors and the lock cylinder well. The car must be driven into a warm box to evaporate moisture. When we drive with the window ajar in winter, snow gets on the driver's seat and melts, which increases the level of humidity in the cabin. At night the water condenses and freezes. Try to shake off the snow from your outerwear and shoes when you get behind the wheel.

Various water-repellent compounds have proven themselves well, which not only help to open frozen locks, but also prevent vapors from settling on metal and rubber coatings:

• WD-40 - a spray can with this universal composition against rust should be in the arsenal of every driver, with the help of a thin tube it can be injected into the well;
• after washing the car, dry the doors thoroughly and wipe the seal;
• treat the rubber seals with silicone grease;
• in anticipation of the onset of winter cold, the doors can be disassembled and lubricated with water-repellent compounds (mineral oils are not allowed for this purpose, since after drying they only attract moisture).

When leaving the car overnight in an open parking lot, ventilate the interior so that the temperature level is approximately the same, both inside and outside. Place regular newspapers on the rug to absorb the water that inevitably appears on the floor from shoes. If you have a fan heater, you can dry the locks with it. Well, if there is a Webasto system, which we previously wrote about on vodi.su, it will warm up the engine and interior, you are unlikely to have problems opening the doors and starting the engine.

Is the lock in the car frozen?

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