Does anyone else have car doors that won't shut during cold weather?

[Jhill]

My wife drives a Corolla and when she went to work today her door wouldn't shut properly. It kept popping open. So I opened the passenger door to compare the little latch that holds it open and it looked the same. When I tried to shut the passenger door it wouldn't shut either. Only after letting the car warm up for 15 minutes then both doors shut properly. I'm sure the grease inside just solidified or something. It was VERY cold last night.

Does anyone know of a product I can spray inside the latch to help fix it so it doesn't freeze up inside. . I don't want a 200.00 mechanic bill.

 

[Crono]

WD40 can help protect (as well as lubricate) parts of the door. I would try that first.

 

[Alistar7]

A graphie based spray, or powder is probably the best bet.

 

[PingSpike]

We had the exact same problem with my wife's previous car...a 94 geo prizm, which is more or less just a corolla. One time, warming up did nothing and she ended up just driving to work with the door open. I can't remember if I tied it for her or what.

My dodge neon likes to freeze its locks so I cannot unlock the doors sometimes when its extremely cold.

 

[Parasitic]

I bought some silicon-based lubricant and lubricated weatherstrips, but my rear liftgate on my awesome-mobile still sticks and makes a grunting noise when I open it.

 

[amdskip]

So is graphite the best thing to keep locks from freezing up? Anything you can do to keep moisture out of a lock?

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: amdskip
So is graphite the best thing to keep locks from freezing up? Anything you can do to keep moisture out of a lock?

WD-40...one of the most useful products known to man

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: amdskip
So is graphite the best thing to keep locks from freezing up? Anything you can do to keep moisture out of a lock?

WD-40...one of the most useful products known to man

you need to slip a roll of Duct Tape onto the WD40 can and the awesomeness will be complete.

 

[George P Burdell]

I don't have trouble closing the door, but my driver side power window starts acting up in temperatures under 40F. I have no clue why that happens

 

[ForumMaster]

not really. cold weather? what's the coldest it get's here, 4-5C?

 

[Anubis]

no but odly my car starts better when its cold then when its really hot

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Anubis
no but odly my car starts better when its cold then when its really hot

That is kind of odd.

Man, some of those january mornings...my car sounds like its trying to commit seppuku right when it starts up.

 

[Finalnight]

Originally posted by: Crono
WD40 can help protect (as well as lubricate) parts of the door. I would try that first.

WD40 is actually a solvent, use it first if you have rust, then use a good Silicon grease spray like Super-Lube or Liquid Wrench.

 

[E equals MC2]

hahahaha My 2003 Mazda 6i does that.

So funny such a modern car still does that. I have to shut it really hard or it just bounces right back at my face as if there's no lock on it whatsoever. Good thing it only happens when it's really frigid.

 

[xanis]

I've never had a problem shutting my doors when it's cold, only opening them. Then again, I don't have power windows or locks.

 

[funkymatt]

Originally posted by: Finalnight

Originally posted by: Crono
WD40 can help protect (as well as lubricate) parts of the door. I would try that first.

WD40 is actually a solvent, use it first if you have rust, then use a good Silicon grease spray like Super-Lube or Liquid Wrench.

yah.

the WD stands for water displacer IIRC

i worked with a dude in wisconsin that went to open his door and it fell off into the parking lot. fun times. we ended up bungy cording it back together. :laugh:

 

[nabial]

I have a '96 Prizm that is frozen (won't shut) as I speak. It must be the way the car is built that makes it prone to this problem.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

My latches will get a bit sticky, yeah. Just shut it hard a couple times and the bouncing will shake it loose. Doors don't swing as easy, either.

Air temp was -6F this morning though.

 

[TridenT]

I have a '96 Prizm that is frozen (won't shut) as I speak. It must be the way the car is built that makes it prone to this problem.

Necro much?

 

[Paperdoc]

You are correct, OP. The problem is that the lubricant in the door catch mechanism gets too stiff so that its mechanical parts don't slide. I've just fixed such a problem for my daughter's car. Three suggestions:

1. If this is uncommon, you MIGHT solve the problem temporarily by using a hair dryer gun to blow heat on the door lock mechanism enough to warm it up quickly so it works.

2. As many have said, try WD40. It has, among other components, a very light oil that will mix with the existing heavier lubes in the lock and turn the mixture into a lighter oil that does not thicken so much when cold. But it may take several applications and a few days' patience to get that WD40 to penetrate though the whole catch mechanism. The problem here is that you don't have direct access to all of the catch mechanism - only to the exposed pieces - and the sticking parts a likely farther in.

3. My solution was to dismantle the inside of the door to actually reach the mechanism and remove it. Then I could spray in some WD40 and drop in some regular 3-in-1 oil to give it a good dose of low-viscosity lube, which freed it up immediately. I replaced the catch and reassembled the door. If you're a backyard mechanic with some repair skills, this is the best solution.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I usually don't have issues, unless we got a heat wave which melted snow/ice then a sudden freeze. Then the doors can be hard to open. If things just stay frozen, then I never have issues.

 

[phucheneh]

It might not just be the latch getting stiff (though it's likely contributing).

If the car's a little old, it probably needs the strikers adjusted to account for the door hinges sagging a bit. You just loosen the one or two bolts bolting the pit that the latch engages, and move it down slightly.

A misaligned striker might close okay when it's warm, but when cold it could be of benfit for it to hit the 'pocket' dead center without having to be guided in by the metal around it.

 

[dawks]

It was -30c (-22f) with a -45c wind chill here all last week. No problems with the doors on my Acura. I've lived here for my whole life and never had problems closing car doors, and this cold is normal here, every year. Only problem is opening car doors if you wash the car in this cold.

 

[olds]

I had the opposite problem in Germany. My doors would freeze shut.