MY MODEL 3 IS ICED!

[srs5694]

After freezing rain yesterday and snow overnight....

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Fortunately, I can work at home today. According to everything I've heard, turning on the heat remotely will help melt the worst of this, but I've not yet tried to do so.

 

[Matsayz]

Yeah turning the heat on to max will do a great job helping. Just going to take 10-20mins. Are you currently plugged in? If no I would do so if you can.

 

[Petrlol]

You should disable auto-folding mirrors when winter can freeze them closed.

 

[flyingowl]

Call the cops!

 

[Johnny Mac]

Totaled.

 

[bbell]

The worse part I have is getting the door handles to pop out, since the heat from the car doesn't really make it to that area.

If anyone comes up with a mod to heat the door handles and the bottom edge of the window seal I would be in line for that!

 

[Halldawg9]

Stop!
Collaborate and listen!

 

[gigawatt1010]

Agree with @Johnny Mac - that car is now totaled and basically useless.

I'll give you $1,000 for it as is. I can pickup over the weekend.

Kidding aside, agree with all the suggestions thus far, especially the disabling of folding mirrors. Do plug in if you can, so you're not dipping into the current SOC of the battery.

A heat gun made quick work on my Model S door handles and side mirrors in the past when I found myself in a similar situation. If heat gun is not available, a hair dryer can work in a pinch. Fortunately, both Tesla's live in the garage now.

 

[jkoya]

I like your pics...

 

[SMAlset]

The worse part I have is getting the door handles to pop out, since the heat from the car doesn't really make it to that area.

If anyone comes up with a mod to heat the door handles and the bottom edge of the window seal I would be in line for that!

The Heat from the car does reach this area if you use HI. Using your Tesla App, set climate to HI, and the car ramps up heat and airflow. On HI the heated air does get to the door handles and charge port and send air out of them to the outside. There is a YT video illustrating this airflow using some strands of xmas tinsel placed over those areas. If not on Hi and just using regular heat to warm cabin, No air is seen pushing out of the door handles or charge port. Turn to HI however and the tinsel shows airflow out of the car.

Watch to see the airflow:

Also helpful to have you vent flow directed towards your side windows to help warm them from any ice that has formed on them.

Boy those pics remind me of being back in the mid- west! Always carried a small hand scrapper in my purse during the winter. Trying to walk to your car in the parking lot after a freezing rain storm was so dangerous!

 

[bbell]

The Heat from the car does reach this area if you use HI.

Interesting, I will experiment with this tomorrow, the temperature is supposed to be ~10F which should freeze things up good.

 

[Tardis5]

So I'm sure this wouldn't help in your extreme freeze case, but has anyone tried the new Tesla De-Ice service. I'm not sure what they apply to gaskets and door handle but I assume it's something like what they do for planes. The cost is listed as $150. Not sure if they can send techs to our home or if the car has to go to CS. Any info?

 

[KenC]

To test, I'd crank the heat for an hour, and take a look every 15 mins to see how well it thaws things out.

 

[Dutch24]

Use cold water (NOT HOT) either in a bucket or hose and spray down the car. It will melt the ice as it's temperature is above freezing and will allow access. Using hot will warm the car (i.e windows) too quickly and the glass will spider due to rapid expansion.

 

[calidreamz808]

how about some type of car cover?? tarp?? I remember in the "olden" days when i lived in the midwest.. i would put a tarp over my mustang for the same reason.. it works 100% of the time.

 

[srs5694]

Thanks for all the tips, but to be clear, I know how to handle an iced-in car -- I've lived in cold climates for my entire life. (I posted the photos mainly for the amusement factor.) I forgot to set the mirrors to not auto-fold, but I did manage to break through the ice a few minutes ago, and un-checked the mirror-folding option. I figure I'll leave it un-checked until spring comes along.

As the sun began to hit the car, I turned the heat on high and left it that way for about 20 minutes. At that point, the ice had a loose enough grip on the car that a few light bangs with my fist cracked it and it would fall away. That was necessary to get the door handles to open. (I did something similar to clear the ice so the mirrors would successfully unfold.) The car will be in at least partial sunlight for the next couple of hours, which I know from experience should help melt more of the ice. The ice on the headlights is being the most stubborn.

Although I've always kept ice scrapers in my cars, I think I'll buy another one to keep outside my car for the Model 3. That will help me clear ice from the driver's window to help it open when I open the door in future iced-in events.

 

[Dutch24]

Thanks for all the tips, but to be clear, I know how to handle an iced-in car -- I've lived in cold climates for my entire life. (I posted the photos mainly for the amusement factor.) I forgot to set the mirrors to not auto-fold, but I did manage to break through the ice a few minutes ago, and un-checked the mirror-folding option. I figure I'll leave it un-checked until spring comes along.

As the sun began to hit the car, I turned the heat on high and left it that way for about 20 minutes. At that point, the ice had a loose enough grip on the car that a few light bangs with my fist cracked it and it would fall away. That was necessary to get the door handles to open. (I did something similar to clear the ice so the mirrors would successfully unfold.) The car will be in at least partial sunlight for the next couple of hours, which I know from experience should help melt more of the ice. The ice on the headlights is being the most stubborn.

Although I've always kept ice scrapers in my cars, I think I'll buy another one to keep outside my car for the Model 3. That will help me clear ice from the driver's window to help it open when I open the door in future iced-in events.

The cold water trick helps to diminish the solid ice from scratching the paint.

 

[android04]

Thanks for all the tips, but to be clear, I know how to handle an iced-in car -- I've lived in cold climates for my entire life. (I posted the photos mainly for the amusement factor.) I forgot to set the mirrors to not auto-fold, but I did manage to break through the ice a few minutes ago, and un-checked the mirror-folding option. I figure I'll leave it un-checked until spring comes along.

As the sun began to hit the car, I turned the heat on high and left it that way for about 20 minutes. At that point, the ice had a loose enough grip on the car that a few light bangs with my fist cracked it and it would fall away. That was necessary to get the door handles to open. (I did something similar to clear the ice so the mirrors would successfully unfold.) The car will be in at least partial sunlight for the next couple of hours, which I know from experience should help melt more of the ice. The ice on the headlights is being the most stubborn.

Although I've always kept ice scrapers in my cars, I think I'll buy another one to keep outside my car for the Model 3. That will help me clear ice from the driver's window to help it open when I open the door in future iced-in events.

The very first thing I did to my Model 3 when I got it was apply clear PPF on the headlights and foglights. When they are iced or have snow on them, I scrape the headlights with my hand or sleeve. The PPF protects the plastic from scratching. The headlights don't get hot enough to melt ice or snow within my 30 minute commute.

 

[lolder]

This looks like a residential area. Is there no garage?

 

[flyingowl]

This looks like a residential area. Is there no garage?

Majority of apartment complexes don't have garages