Dealing With Frozen Car Locks

It’s common in winter for temperatures to drop below zero in the state of New York. It’s not pleasant to be outdoors in such extreme weather.

If you are heading somewhere, you want to get inside your car as fast as you can and crank the heat up. But what do you do when the locks on your car are frozen shut and you can’t get in?

Moisture can enter the key hole and settle in the nooks and crannies of the locking system. The cold weather freezes the moisture and it prevents the lock mechanism from turning.  New York Locksmith Networks is always ready to help you out with any auto lock or key issues. However, there are a few things you can try yourself to get that frozen car door open.

Check the Doors

There is a chance that your door lock is working fine but it’s the door sills that are frozen. Don’t apply excessive force to pry the doors open. Avoid using tools as well. You will probably end up scratching the paint on your car. Firmly push on the edges of the door with your hands until the ice around the door cracks. Scrape away the ice around the door and open it.

The Lighter Method

Use a lighter or a match to heat your car key. However, be careful that you don’t burn your fingers or any of the plastic parts of the key. Insert the heated key inside the lock. Be gentle and don’t use force to turn the lock. You may end up with a broken lock or a broken key. Only one attempt might not be enough to melt the ice inside the lock. You might have to repeat the procedure a few times.

The Hand Sanitizer Method

This is a tried and tested hack of opening a frozen car lock. Hand sanitizers contain alcohol which can melt the ice. Pour the sanitizer on the car key and insert the key into the lock. Try to get as much sanitizer as you can inside the lock.

Use a Commercial De-Icer

A commercial de-icer can be utilized to melt the ice inside the locking mechanism of your car. Make sure you don’t keep the de-icer inside the car. You don’t want a situation where your car lock is frozen and your de-icer is inside your car.

Tried everything but just can’t get that damn door open? Your car lock might be broken. New York Locksmith Networks provides mobile emergency locksmith services can reach you in no time to fix or replace your car lock!