In winter, when it's freezing outside and everything is covered with snow and ice, the car freezes through overnight. To ensure a successful start, let's look at the typical difficulties a driver faces on a cold morning.
How to get into the cabin
Frozen locks. Owners of cars with central locking have it easier — they don't have to insert the key into the lock cylinder. But this only works if the battery hasn't completely discharged and the electric lock itself isn't frozen. Otherwise, you can't do without a mechanical key.
There are several ways to defrost a lock:
1. Use a special defroster — an aerosol or liquid. Formulations like WD-40, Lukoil, Wesco, Minutka, AntiFreeze, Liqui Moly will work. The price of such products starts from 10 hryvnias, and the instructions are on the packaging.
2. Use vodka: fill a syringe with it and pour it into the keyhole. However, in frost below -20°C, the effectiveness of this method drops noticeably, and at -27°C, vodka freezes itself.
3. Warm up the key. Heat it with a lighter (not the lock!) and insert it into the keyhole.
4. Apply a hot water bottle to the lock.
It is strictly not recommended to pour boiling water directly from a kettle: the ice will melt, but the water will immediately freeze again, making it even harder to open the door next time.
Frozen doors. Usually, it's about the seals. If the door doesn't open, don't use force — the rubber can tear. You need to act carefully, and it's better to try opening the door whose seals aren't frozen and get into the cabin through it.
For the future: before the cold weather, treat the rubber seals with silicone lubricant (from 20 hryvnias) or the same WD-40. We wrote about full winter preparation in the article "How to prepare your car for winter".
Snow removal. Be sure to clean the door openings, otherwise melted snow will turn into ice.
Electrical system and battery
In severe frost, don't immediately crank the starter: at low temperatures, the battery loses capacity, and the charge may not be enough.
First, the battery needs to be warmed up. To do this, it's enough to turn on the parking lights or low beam for a minute — this won't drain the battery, but on the contrary, it will start chemical reactions and warm it up.
If the battery is so discharged that even the lights don't work, you'll likely have to "jump-start" the car (about this — in the article "How to properly 'jump-start' a car").
If that's not possible, the only option is to remove the battery and warm it up at home — in a basin of hot water or near a radiator. After that, it's better to recharge it with a charger (from 250 hryvnias).
In cold weather, it's also worth checking the spark plugs: they are often the cause of poor starting. The plugs should be clean, dry, and free of carbon deposits. It's a good idea to have a spare set with you.
Warming up the engine and transmission
As we already wrote in the article "What happens if... it's -40°C outside", in frost, technical fluids become too viscous. Even with a working battery, the starter may struggle: thick oil creates extra resistance.
To reduce the density of the oils, you need to warm up the engine and the gearbox.
Previously, a kettle of boiling water was used for this, pouring it over the manifold. But for modern cars, this method is dangerous — you can damage the electronics and the engine itself.
So, if you don't have a heated garage, use other methods:
1. A heat gun: use it to warm the engine oil pan and the automatic transmission torque converter (automatics are more afraid of frost). You can also place an electric hot plate under the oil pan.
The downside of these methods is that you need electricity from a 220V outlet.
But with a heat gun and an outlet, problems with frozen locks and frozen seals are also easily solved.
2. An alternative option is to direct the exhaust gases of a running neighboring car onto the engine using a fire hose.
The method looks funny, but it works quite effectively:
An important point: in frost, even after warming up the engine, you can't immediately drive a car with an automatic transmission. While the selector is in "Parking" mode, the transmission fluid doesn't circulate in the gearbox.
Therefore, before starting to move, you need to press the brake, move the selector to "Drive", and, holding the brake, stand for another 1-2 minutes so the gearbox warms up.
In regions with harsh climates, special heat guns are often used:
Thawing the brakes
Overnight, the brake mechanisms can also freeze. If you have neither a heat gun nor a hose, you can warm them with hot water. Here, ice won't form — the water will dry out while driving.
Important: do not use open fire for thawing. This can ruin the paint or cause a fire.
Starting the engine
In frost, the starter works under increased load. Therefore, before starting, turn off all energy consumers: radio, lights, don't touch the steering wheel or brake pedal. On a manual, depress the clutch.
If the engine doesn't start after 5-7 seconds of cranking, stop and let the battery recover for 2-3 minutes.
Don't crank the starter for more than 10 seconds — you can flood the plugs and drain the battery.
Even after a successful start on a manual, don't release the clutch pedal immediately: for some time, the engine runs unstable, and it needs time to warm up.
How to avoid freezing
To prevent the car from freezing overnight, you need to prepare it in advance: treat the seals with silicone, apply winter washer fluid to the windows, check the battery, antifreeze, oils, brake fluid, and washer fluid for compliance with expected frosts.
It's better not to use the handbrake in winter to prevent it from freezing. Before parking, press the brake several times to dry the pads.
Before closing the car, it's useful to ventilate the cabin — this will equalize the temperature inside and outside, and the car will ice up less.
Conclusion
In severe frost, a charged battery is not enough for starting — the car itself must be warmer than the surrounding air.
When starting in the cold, you need to reduce the load on the systems: turn off energy consumers, warm up the power unit and the gearbox. Various methods are suitable for this — from a heat gun to special "guns".
But the most reliable option is to store the car in a heated garage.
