Volkswagen: 95 Passat, car door handle, lithium grease

Question
I am having some trouble getting my doors to stay shut in the cold weather.  I pull on the car door handle and since the door is frozen it will not open. I have to more or less pry the door open to get inside and start the car.  When I try to pull the door shut it will not stay closed. It appears the lock is stuck in an open position. After I let the car run for about 5-10 minutes I can pull the door and it will stay shut. Any ideas? Does it appear to be an issue with the locks?

Answer
It could be one of three things.  It could be that the latch has fallen out of adjustment or come loose.  Is the catch on the door frame loose or does it look like it moved?  It may also be that the grease on the pawl has outlived it's useful life.  If you look at the mechanism, you'll see a curved slot pointing down and outward.  If you take a metal rod (or a phillips screwdriver), you should be able to rotate the bottom towards the outside of the door and when the slot is swung all the way back, it should stay.  You may feel two catch points.  DO NOT close the door when it is like this or you will damage the mechanism.  When you pull either the inner or outer handle, it should pop back on it's own.  If it doesn't, then hold the handle open and rotate it the other way using the same tool.  Put lithium grease behind the pawl and open and close the door repeatedly to work it in.  WD40 can help loosen it, but isn't good for long term use.  The third possibility is that there is ice building up in the door.  It could also be that a spring in the mechanism broke.  Does it feel any different than it did before?