The rubber moulding around a car's door is more properly called a "door gasket" or a "door seal." Doors freeze shut not because the metal cools rapidly but due to a seal leak. Thomas Torbjornsen, author of "How to Make Your Car Last Forever," suggests that a rotted gasket causes a frozen door. When its not working, water seeps in, "forming ice between the door gasket and the car's structure." Preseason maintenance, as well as home remedies, can prevent and remedy icy lockouts.
Check the door seals before the winter. Make a note of any air leaks. If you notice a hole, you must replace the gasket. If the gasket appears intact, the door may need adjustment.
Cover the car at night if you do not have a garage and during the day if you park it outside at work. Tarps keep snow and ice off car, however, it only works as a temporary situation. While a cover may keep ice away for an evening, moisture may collect under the tarp when left on for days or weeks.
Spray the rubber with silicone periodically. Try WD40 in the absence of spray silicone. Both products lubricate the rubber and create a protective moisture barrier.
Scrape as much ice away form the door as possible. If the ice scraper is trapped inside the car, use the edge of a manila folder. A key may fit between the door and the frame, but use caution to prevent nicks in the paint.
Keep a lock deicer spray in your purse or briefcase for emergencies. The small spray can comes with a straw-like spigot. Insert the spigot to direct the spray into the door lock. The product works inside the locks and moving parts but proves largely ineffective inside the car frame.
Wait several moments for the deicer to melt the ice. Insert the key into the lock tumbler and try to wiggle it back and forth. Try the door handle. If the key turns but the door does not open, pull the door open with steady pressure.
