Just The Tip

"McMike" (mcmike) 12/11/2013 at 09:16 • Filed to: vanagon, tutu153

0

13

Coldest day of the year yet for us in DC.

Fortunately, the passenger door didn't put up much of a fight. I can't complain too much, since I didn't have to enter through the tailgate.

Now, if I wouldn't have been an idiot and put a drive tire on that sheet of ice I almost slipped on several times.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > McMike 12/11/2013 at 09:21

0

You need some graphite!

McMike > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 12/11/2013 at 09:25

0

I have one in my tool bag, I didn't even think of that.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > McMike 12/11/2013 at 09:27

0

lol yep! My dad taught me this trick years ago, when I had a VW as well, haha. My key was being a dick all the time, until I used the graphite.

Jagvar > McMike 12/11/2013 at 09:29

1

.

thebigbossyboss > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 12/11/2013 at 09:32

0

How do you use it...just jam it into the lock?

duurtlang > McMike 12/11/2013 at 09:42

0

I had the same thing a year or two ago, with the same key (mk2 Golf 3-door). Driver side lock was frozen, passenger side lock worked fine but the door itself was frozen shut. My easy fix was to get a bag filled with warm water, and hold the bag against the lock without spilling water.

Pixel > McMike 12/11/2013 at 09:56

0

I must just be really lucky in this regard, I have never had a lock freeze on me.

Had the door frozen shut multiple times, but never the lock. Maybe certain cars are more prone to it?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > thebigbossyboss 12/11/2013 at 09:59

0

Get the graphite onto your key and then move that in and out of the lock.

To initially get my key in I would either heat it or use something alcohol based to melt the snow. Then put the graphite coated key in, maybe repeat a few times.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > duurtlang 12/11/2013 at 10:01

0

lol, for me it was on a MK3, I would just poor the warm water right on there. As a temporary solution. But the real solution was to either buy some graphite or get some graphite out of a pencil and work that into the lock with the key.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Pixel 12/11/2013 at 10:04

0

Based on the comments it seems VW's are prone to it. My dad's MK1 rabbit, my MK3 Jetta, duurtlang's MK2 Golf and McMike's Vanagon! HOLY FUCK! REALLY VW???? 3 Generations of VW, at least.

duurtlang > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 12/11/2013 at 10:06

0

The problem with pouring water in there is that this water will freeze as well eventually, that's why I chose not to poor. The graphite solution is interesting though. Not that I still drive that Golf, but I might in the future as a project/restomod (it's stored in a barn for now)

DocWalt > McMike 12/11/2013 at 10:32

0

My Mk2 locks worked fine, but the doors were frozen shut.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > duurtlang 12/11/2013 at 11:21

0

Yeah, I was in a I-dont-give-a-shit mood. I went to where I had to go and just didn't lock my car. After that I had an alcohol based spray that you could spray into the lock to thaw it out, that worked really well, but was only a temporary solution as well. The graphite works much longer, water can't stick to it.