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Then spray a small rag with silicone and go over the seals to further prevent freezing.
used that stuff for years up in WI, on the cars we had to keep outside ( helps overall in icing as well ).
As for washing, some times i'd run to the local octopus/mermaid/etc if i didn't feel like freezing. Other times i'd put on the cold weather hunting gear, grab a pail and head down to the self pressure wash. Close the one garage door to keep wind off, and wash away. This worked as long as it was at least in the 20's. Anything colder then that, and it was tough.
On real cold days, if you use those car wash places that do it all for ya, they usually have a dish with small lock de-icers to use as well
Being a resident of sunny So Calif, where it's 80 degrees today, I can't imagine a car wash even being open in the winter... They close here if it's cloudy...!
I think I speak for all of us from the Midwest when I say, "SHUT UP!"
Make sure you dry the rubber door seals, at a minimum on the driver's side, before letting it sit overnight. Also, one of my cars has a problem with the locks icing up, so I keep lock de-icer in the trunk (the trunk lock doesn't ice up for some reason). Once I squirt some lock de-icer in there, it usually only takes about 90 seconds before the lock works again. But most cars I've owned have had no problems with the locks icing up, even after car washes. I'm guessing it's less of a problem with remote keyless entry -- neither of the two cars I've owned that had lock-icing problems had remote locks.
Just take it to a car wash place. Its going to be hard to properly dry off everything... that and drying it off before it freezes. Time is money, an $8 car wash can save you an hours worth of work.
Exactly. Most of the better drive thru's have big heat blowers that will dry about 95% of the car too. Don't even waste your time trying to do it yourself. Cold weather sucks and it's bad on cars so just use the drive thru.
If you do manage to freeze the doors shut, one good way to get them open is to heat big ice-tea type tumblers of water up to just good and warm - maybe the temperature of a good hot shower - not full-on hot - and pour around the edge of the door.
It sucks trying to keep a decent car if you have nothing but street parking.
I'd suggest the "full service" car wash is probably your best bet, with a high-pressure self serve (assuming you can find one that's open) being the worst to inject water where it will freeze and cause you problems.
Take it to a touchless automatic wash. It should have the option to spray under the car, too, when you roll in. After its done washing, it should give you about 45 seconds of drying time under the massive fans at the exit of the wash. Roll through those SLOWLY. Use every second of those 45 seconds they give you. LOL I roll through it slow, then get out and chamois (shammy) the door jambs, hatch area, etc. Ive never really had a problem with my car getting frozen shut. You could also apply a really thin layer of silicone on the seals, that will prevent them from freezing, too.
Take it to a touchless automatic wash. It should have the option to spray under the car, too, when you roll in. After its done washing, it should give you about 45 seconds of drying time under the massive fans at the exit of the wash. Roll through those SLOWLY. Use every second of those 45 seconds they give you. LOL I roll through it slow, then get out and chamois (shammy) the door jambs, hatch area, etc. Ive never really had a problem with my car getting frozen shut. You could also apply a really thin layer of silicone on the seals, that will prevent them from freezing, too.
This is the most exciting part of Steve-O's week, a solid excuse to use his Sham-Wow.
Blasting the undercarriage free of salty slush, salty snow and other perils of road spray... it's simply a key piece of maintenance to keep a vehicle lasting in cold climates. I have never seen a DIY station with underspray capability. As Mitch stated, full service places are ideal.
Thanks folks. I couldn't get it washed yesterday. Most of the car washes shut down early because of the weather.
I plan on taking it to a full service car wash close to where I live. This place has gotten good reviews.
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