whenever my car (bmw x5) is parked outside in the cold and frozen precip, the doors freeze shut. the locks, the door jams, all of it. eventually it thaws and opens, but is there anything i can do to prevent it from happening?
The next time you can open your doors, first clean all of the rubber weather stripping and the areas where it contacts the door/car frame. Then wipe it all down with some kind of silicone product - like a silicone spray. As for the actual door hardware it is all supposed to be cleaned and lubricated periodically. So do that according to recommendations in your manual. If it is the locks, those can be lubricated too, and you can also buy a small lock de-icer to keep around.
Spray the weatherstripping all the way around with a silicon spray or ArmorAll or something similar. There are products out there for the locks too. Go to any auto parts store they should be able to help you out. Stay warm.
thanks much! that’s kinda what i figured…
Spray the silicone on a paper towed and then wipe it onto the rubber weather strips. You avoid over spray on the door and interior.
Silicon spray the rubber weatherstrips on the door side and the body side. You might use vaseline but do not goop it heavy, just wipe enough on to shiny up the rubber.
Also use car wax on the metal door opening frames where the weatherstrips contact them.
It helps if you keep the top of the car free of snow. If there is a pile up there and it thaws and freezes, it can run down and freeze the doors and trunk shut.