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Winter is coming
- Thread starter MrBadger
- Start date
I'm not sure if this is a 2021 change.
But I found the handles also pivot inwards on their front most side (not the larger side you push in to open, the other narrow end). They push into the car just a few mm and spring back out.
I found this also helps "unfreeze" them.
It's definitely some spring mechanism. I found all the handles do this.
But I found the handles also pivot inwards on their front most side (not the larger side you push in to open, the other narrow end). They push into the car just a few mm and spring back out.
I found this also helps "unfreeze" them.
It's definitely some spring mechanism. I found all the handles do this.
Moderator comment - posts merged from "Really mild frost"
It was around -2 Centigrade last night. Despite that, both my wing mirrors froze, and I only barely got in through the drivers door. I had to open the passenger door from inside as it was iced up.
How do our Norwegian friends cope if this is how much trouble I get with -2C?
It was around -2 Centigrade last night. Despite that, both my wing mirrors froze, and I only barely got in through the drivers door. I had to open the passenger door from inside as it was iced up.
How do our Norwegian friends cope if this is how much trouble I get with -2C?
thefortunes
Active Member
thefortunes
Active Member
Having lived through 8 winters with Teslas, I'm guessing your weather was the unfortunate perfect combination of humidity as it hit freezing.
Turn off mirror auto-fold.
Yes, I’ve found the same with my car. The door handles stick quite easily if there’s a frost. Pre-conditioning for 5-10mins I’ve found makes little difference. I’ve not had the door mirrors stick in a folded position though. I’ve heard people say disable auto-fold of the door mirrors if it’s really cold. I’ve treated my door handles with silicon spray this year as well as my rubber seals. The tip I had about the handles is to tap them with the side of your fist to break the ice. I tend to pour warm water over them so not tried that trick. I’d be interested to hear how our friends in Scotland have coped in some of the severe weather that they can get up there too.
Something like Gummi Pflege Rubber Care Stick 100ml Roll On can have a lubricating effect to reduce the stickiness of the rubber when moisture freezes. But its not perfect and I always remind those using the car after a hard damp freeze (which is why we seem to suffer significantly from other cold climates) to be careful when opening the doors.
The manual also has other tips too - we had to work it out for ourselves last winter.
Whilst the charge port and door handles are not currently heated directly, they are 'leaky' so a full boost of 'hi' will push warm air out through these areas which may or may not help.
The manual also has other tips too - we had to work it out for ourselves last winter.
Whilst the charge port and door handles are not currently heated directly, they are 'leaky' so a full boost of 'hi' will push warm air out through these areas which may or may not help.
Switching on full defrost from the app (set to Hi) will switch on wing mirror heaters, door handles should get a leak of heat also.
Cnixon
Member
I am going to wipe concentrated (-20deg.) screen wash round the rubbers and door handles to see if it helps.
Let us know how it goes, but I'm not personally sure that will work. The glycols might not immediately evaporate, but the alcohols probably will. I also wouldn't be confident in its long term compatibility with the rubber. The glycols are also hydrophilic, so they might result in attracting more water which may eventually freeze.
With my last car I had some good success with a silicone grease, the type you would use on o-rings. It's compatible with almost all rubbers, and has good holding power. It can gradually get grubby but can be wiped off and reapplied fairly easily. I also tried a Gummi stick, which had a consistency closer to a wax, which also seemed to stop the seals freezing.
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I've also used Gummi Pfledge for the window rubbers with success. I know some people have their reservations but I've found that ye olde WD40 worked for me last winter after the first episode of frozen door handles. I've given the wipers a wipe with 303 Protectant and I'm thinking that may help prevent them sticking to the screen (we'll see ...). I'm also in the fortunate situation of not having to leave the house at the crack of dawn so things do have time to warm up. With the addition of climate/precondition I've not had any more problems.
In the Tesla world it's particularly useful as a treatment for our faux leather seats. If you've ever cleaned your seats but still notice some patches on the leather it brings back the even, semi-satin, finish. Traditional leather products are unsuitable but this stuff restores the "as new" appearance very well. It prevents UV damage so avoids the plastics ageing effect and retains flexibility of soft plastics and rubber. It isn't greasy so can be used on wipers and even on tyres. Tyre sidewalls go back to black without adding that slippery shiny look that you get with some specific tyre products. In terms of wipers it's supposed to help retain their flexibility so they don't go hard over time. Whether it improves their resistance to sticking to an icy windscreen I can't say but it crossed my mind that it might help .. I'll be keeping an eye on them!
Another vote for the Gummi Pfledge from me - I used it last winter and never had a problem after I applied it. I reapplied the stuff last week and the window seals were fine this morning but the door handles.....
I had preconditioned to 'toasty' beforehand but the door handles remained stubbornly frozen. I was about to apply some tap water but my gentle rubbing somehow did the trick. I can see that these plastic handles would be very easy to break if handled roughly in these conditions. My resultant cold fingers made me wish for a heated steering wheel this morning.
I had preconditioned to 'toasty' beforehand but the door handles remained stubbornly frozen. I was about to apply some tap water but my gentle rubbing somehow did the trick. I can see that these plastic handles would be very easy to break if handled roughly in these conditions. My resultant cold fingers made me wish for a heated steering wheel this morning.
Moderation comment - posts about front heater not working moved to Front Windscreen Camera Heating Elements Not Working?
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