outback_97 Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Hi, do any cold climate folks have suggestions on anything you have used to condition the rubber seal around the front windows and reduce the tendency to freeze the door shut? Or any other suggestions that have worked to prevent this? I was frozen out of my car this morning, d'oh! This is the first winter the car hasn't been swaddled in a nice warm garage overnight, since this summer we bought a small older home w/ a one car garage that's currently full of stuff and no room for either of our subies. Our townhome (still for sale unfortunately) has a nice two car garage that I really miss on days like this. You know what's even worse than going from a two car garage to no garage? Still paying for the townhouse w/ two car garage which sits empty, lol. I had flashbacks of my years of living back in Minnesota and North Dakota this morning! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderhound Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Cold in the valley too? Probably the best snow conditions in October...ever! Ok this happened to me last year for the first time...although not every door froze so I was able to get in. Anyway I put a THIN bead of silicone on the rubber where it meets the window. Too much and it smears onto the window...too little and it doesn't work. Keep the pow comin' Wasatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 I feel your pain ... literally. My Legacy has been evicted from it's nice warm heated garage stall by my airplane project. The Pretty One's Subie gets to stay inside (wonder why that is ?). I'm installing a block heater tonight, and putting a small underdesk ceramic heater in the back of my wagon (on a cookie sheet) and setting it on low all night. I'll report on the results when it's cold enought to start the plug-in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted November 1, 2004 Author Share Posted November 1, 2004 Powderhound: Brighton opened last week, yesterday I was up Big Cottonwood snowshoeing with my wife... lots of snow for October! It's not really that cold, but cold enough that things froze up down in the valley too. The upper canyon has received about 100" of snow already. The snowshoeing was part of the problem... it took longer than expected getting down the canyon, we were running late getting back home to host a get together with some friends and just left the wet and snowy gear in the car, increasing the humidity inside which turned to frost and ice on the windows. After enough good food and wine last night I didn't feel like going out to retrieve the gear last night and there it sat until this morning. I'll definitely consider the silicone for the windows though. mtsmiths: I'm considering a remote car starter to at least get things going on winter mornings. Salt Lake City doesn't really get all that cold, it's pretty much never below the teens, but it's often below freezing in the mornings and this is the first winter the car hasn't been garaged. And, when we finally do get or build a shed to get the excess junk out of the garage, guess which car will get the honor of shelter? Not mine The long range plan involves a larger garage, or at least adding a car port to keep some snow and frost off the thing. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urabus retserof Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 This is my first winter with the Forester, but i'm thinking maybe some of that stuff they use to may tires shiny might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hklaine Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 I don't know about the small heater in the trunk...Something more insulated than a cookie sheet might be a good idea to prevent fire if that thing gets too hot or tips over for whatever reason. What kind of power do those draw? I had a small 12v ceramic heater in my BRAT but that was for use while driving since the heat was terrible, even in that little cab. I have used silicone spray on doors in the past, and it seems to do a pretty good job of keeping the seals separated from the glass in cold conditions. I don't think I had to climb in through my trunk a single time last winter. Has anyone tried 303? Thought of that the other day as something worth a try. Maybe? -Heikki (who would really like to disable his clutch switch and install remote starter) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Ditto on the spray silicone. I use Rain-X on the glass, it makes it easier to clear frost off them. Do you have the cold weather package with block heater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted November 2, 2004 Author Share Posted November 2, 2004 Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Ranger: I do have the cold weather package and have yet to use the engine heater (may come in handy this winter though) but I use the heated seats all the time and, surprisingly, the side mirror heaters. I never thought they'd be as handy as they have been. I have leather seats and the seat heaters are very very nice to have! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Ditto again on the silicone spray on anything rubber. Don't forget to shoot some sort of water dispersant/lubricant in your locks, as that can be a really annoying thing to have freeze up on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Keep the silicone on the rubber only. It can mess with your paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 I use a solid 'white-stick' silcone lubricant for my door seals. Wipe some on to a rag, and use this to wipe along the rubber seals. I think that apart from the 'anti-stick' properties, the silicone also seals the pores of the rubber, and stops water infiltration into the rubber (which might later freeze). I use WD-40 in my locks. I try to apply this when the lock-mechanism is bone dry. With a bit of luck, this will last all winter, and prevents freeze-up of the lock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Ranger: I do have the cold weather package and have yet to use the engine heater (may come in handy this winter though) but I use the heated seats all the time and, surprisingly, the side mirror heaters. I never thought they'd be as handy as they have been. I have leather seats and the seat heaters are very very nice to have! Steve Try the block heater, you'll be amazed at how much faster it warms up, and you'll use less fuel on cold starts and have heat from the defroster almost immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commuter Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 I use the 303 Protectant. I haven't had any problem with doors freezing, but then my car is usually in a garage overnight. Commuter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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