Every winter it’s the same struggle: waking up in the morning to find a car completely encased in ice. You need to get to work and the last thing you need is to waste time scraping your car clean or fighting your way inside. Luckily there are a handful of tips and tricks that will get you up and on your way with much less fanfare. Take a look!
Check Your Gaskets
Don’t worry. It’s not difficult. Simply open the doors and inspect the rubber gaskets lining the door frame. If there is a problem with the doors freezing shut, chances are it’s because there are cracks or cuts in the door gaskets.
They’re pretty easy to replace yourself and not expensive to have replaced by a pro. If the doors are freezing shut, they could be worth replacing. Not only will you get into your ride easier, but you’ll also prevent accidental damage to your door handle.
Cooking spray will really get things cooking.
While parking inside or using a car cover are the most effective ways to keep your doors from icing up, there are some other crafty tricks for the outdoor parker. Grab some cooking spray and line the interior door jamb with it. This oily concoction will keep moisture from collecting and no moisture means no ice.
Cooking spray works great, but if you want to get a little fancier, you can find silicone spray at most hardware stores for less than ten dollars a can, and this will also prevent moisture from collecting.
De-icer makes everything nicer.
While an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, there are some solutions you can do in the morning even when you haven’t planned ahead. You can find Windshield de-icer anywhere, and though it’s designed for windshields, it can used on the side windows and even on the doors if they’re frozen shut.
Between you and me, the stuff is essentially only two parts rubbing alcohol to one part water if you’d rather just make it at home.
Frozen lock? Check out this lock-out knockout.
Sometimes it’s not your windows or doors that are iced over, but the locks themselves. There’s an easy fix here too, and like so many of life’s easy fixes, this one comes in a spray can.
That can of WD-40 sitting in the garage can be sprayed directly into your keyhole. It should force out all of the moisture and lubricate the gears enough to accept your key and unlock.
Windshield covers have you covered.
Another preventative measure that can work wonders is a windshield cover. If you know it’s going to be a snowy or icy night, you can put on one of these suckers before retiring for the night. When morning comes, simply take it off and shake it clean. Once you try it, you’ll swear by it for a lifetime.
These are some tips and tricks to save you time and energy (which are always in short supply) on any cold, icy morning. Once you get your vehicle free and clear, you’ll see other people struggling as you drive out of your neighborhood, but try not to laugh because you were once like them. Now that you have these solutions to the five most common winter car problems, you’ll never have to spend more than a few minutes getting into your car and getting it in drivable condition. Just watch for icy roads and stay warm!
Jake McKenzie is copywriter at AutoAccessoriesGarage.com. When he’s not scraping ice off of his car he likes to cook and play basketball.
Featured photo credit: Pixabay via pixabay.com
