Opening door on frosty day

[ianfiat]

I had great difficulty in opening the door on my boxster today because the window was frozen solid and wouldn't drop to clear the seal.

Any ideas for what to do when this happens ?

 

[sailor]

Spray the area with warm (not hot) water and wait a short while before operating.

JohnC
993turbo

 

[ianfiat]

Ta, I'll try that if it freezes again over night

 

[Rickster]

me too!

i flipped it out by accident but then had to wait ages as it wouldnt close until the window defrosted and dropped enough to close !

 

[ianfiat]

Exactly the same happened to me, luckily it defrosted enough to close the door again by the time I'd scraped the car off!

 

[GOOFY]

I am very cautious in this area as I guess that the window motors will be very stressed in trying to open a "stuck" window. Eventually I am sure this could lead to failed/ burnt out motors overtime - sorry don't want to panic everyone - probably me just being an anorak. This is also true when you try to open the passenger window once in the car. I think the advice to use a warm water is great and I might try this other than considering covering the car overnight. I have looked into various engine pre-heaters, as demisting a Boxter takes a lot of time. Secondly - you can (almost) use full throttle straight away instead of waiting for engine to reach over 70C. By that time I'm almost already at my work ! If we're in for a very cold winter I will probaby go down the engine pre-heater route.

 

[Dapster]

Secondly - you can (almost) use full throttle straight away instead of waiting for engine to reach over 70C.

I wouldn't do that! It's critical to warm the oil through before you gun the engine.

Regarding the frosted windows, just squirt a bit of de-icer along the edge, taking care not to let any dribble down the bodywork. You can store it in one of the boot cubbies - easier than carrying a kettle around with you!

 

[ianfiat]

Doesn't de-icer perish the seals ?

 

[berty987]

Buy some stuff called gummifledge from BMW , it is a lubricant / protector for rubber and plastics. Apply to the seal and wipe of excess with a cloth. the seals are felt lined , so really should not be treated with anything , but you always end up with condensation on them with the window closed , which then freezes in cold weather. The Gummifledge will repel the water also. De icer is alcohol based , so it will dry out any oils in the rubber - not good.

 

[Paul Fraser]

You can close the door even if the window hasn't dropped. Apply gentle horizontal pressure against the window as you close the door so that it leans in towards the seal. You should be able to slot the window into the seal before the door is completely closed. Done this a couple of times when the battery was flat.

 

[NXI20]

Using Rain-X on all the exterior glass is essential IMHO, winter or summer. While it doesn't completely solve the iced-up windows problem, it makes it a whole lot easier to scrape them.

 

[Popolou]

I learnt something new with the Box lately what with the weather we've been having.

When running slightly late, i jumped into the car and forgot about the glass being frosted-over. When i reached for the handle all it takes is a little lift and the microswitch activates to drop the window. Oh oh, i thought. But, what i started seeing though was interesting: while the glass was frozen tight to the roof/hardtop it started to'ing and fro'ing automatically until the glass was free. It didn't try to lower then give up as i thought in these cases, but actually started to loosen itself up with a repetitive motion until the glass could lower.

How bloody smart these Germans! Trouble is, i'm sure this is playing havoc with the internals such as the regulator so will be sure not to rush into things again like this again. I don't recall hearing about this behaviour with the 986 so assume it's a new function that occurs during low temps.

Pop

 

[Guest]

100% silicone grease in pot form (the same stuff you can buy from dive shops, they use it on wet suits) you can get a pot for around ten pounds.

Just apply to any rubber seal very very sparingly (do not get any on your bodywork, its a nightmare to remove) and it will never freeze over/stick again, its waterproof and does not freeze over, it also prolongs the life of the rubber seals. Honda use it on their s2000 roadster, also on most of their old drop tops (crx, s800 etc)

 

[ianfiat]

Popolou- isn't this just showing the microswitches going manic rather than a feature ?


Paul- nice to know, but you can't do that when you're in the car !

 

[Popolou]

Popolou- isn't this just showing the microswitches going manic rather than a feature ?

Don't think so. Wouldn't the window just halt in its normal rested position after the first failed attempt since the door handle was released?

Pop

 

[jw2015]

If you do manage to open the door without the window dropping, which can easily be done, you can close it by just opening the window in the usual way with the door opened, close the door and then close the window; no need to force it into the seals.

 

[ianfiat]

"opening the window in the usual way"

The point is the window is frozen and won't open or close.