Does anyone have a solution to keep electric minivan doors from freezing frequently in the winter. Garage storage is not an option! Climbing over the front console is not pleasant with babies and elderly passengers!
remote starter? Are they getting wet, or are the electrics just cold?
You can try to keep the roof of your van clear of snow. If the temperatures keep going above and below freezing, anything on the roof that melts may trickle into the door seals, and then freeze again overnight.
What is freezing is most likely the weatherstipping that surrounds the doors.
Get a can of silicone spray from the auto parts store. Put on a pair of exam gloves, which are great to keep around the house when doing messy chores. Spray the silicone liberally on a rag, and wipe it on the weatherstripping until it is coated evenly with the silicone.
Keep repeating the spray/wipe process until you have treated all of the weatherstripping. This should resolve your problem, but I would suggest that you do this each year before the winter weather sets in.
I like using a silicone paste rather than a spray,apply the same way.
Thanks for the ideas. I will go to the auto parts store tomorrow and purchase some type of silicone and then apply it. We are due for a sunny, though cold, day. Even when the roof is clear, I have had freezing. Hopefully, the silicone will ‘solve’ the problem. Can I re-apply this more than once during the winter?
The silicone is pretty much harmless, so if you have any indications that the doors are beginning to stick again, feel free to reapply it. However, if you do it thoroughly the first time, you should be good until next year.
Thank you very much. I took advantage of a 35 degree day and sunshine to apply some silicone. I used both gel and spray on different parts of the car door. I’m hopeful it will work!
Don’t forget to apply the silicone to the weatherstripping on the rear hatch also!
You don’t need to go to the auto parts store. You can get it at Target, WalMart, Home Depot, Lowes, or any big box store with a hardware department.