Car's door is frozen

[Alicia]

One thing I have done with my old bomb of a car is go to a free underground parking cave, we have one at Prisma in Vaasa. Then I do some shopping, have a walk around, look at all the new gadgets etc and when I return to the car it is often dry or almost dry. It helps when there is moisture between the door rubbers and I am sure other things. I also put some CRC on a few spots under the hood. Also the windscreen wiper fluid you can water down if you are cheap. I buy the -50 and then mix it one third to one half water.

[onkko]

To onkko,

what do you mean "illegal" thing?

To Pursuivant,

I don't understand what's a board for? Keep the radiator warm when you're driving or?

By law you can run your car 2mins (4mins when freezing). I ran 1h or so

[Rosamunda]

5 mins when waiting for a teenager to find his maths homework and 10 mins while he is looking for his Other Football Sock. (+2 mins if it's a Monday morning)

[paulrenn]

Surely this is when HBS is actually a real benefit...

[Upphew]

To onkko,

what do you mean "illegal" thing?

"Moottorikäyttöisten ajoneuvojen joutokäynti on asetuksella kielletty. Ennen ajoon lähtemistä moottoria saa joutokäyttää enintään kaksi minuuttia, alle -15 asteen lämpötilassa enintään neljä minuuttia. Poliisi tai pysäköinninvalvoja voi periä määräyksen rikkomisesta pysäköintivirhemaksun."

In short: you can let your car idle for 2 minutes before starting the drive if it is warmer than -15, if it is colder then you can let your car idle for 4 minutes. If you let your car idle longer then the always helpful neighbour police can call a real one to give you a ticket.

[MTB]

Use lubricants in the locks if you don't have electric locking.
I used to have some spray called WD40 from wurth. I also use it to grease the chain of my bicycle. Prferably do it before door freezes. And... don't wash the car...

[Rob A.]

Always amusing what people don't know when they come to a cold country....

If you buy a good car...even a good, old car...don't they all come with door handles that you can press (...or raise, or whatever) ...to activitate an electric lock de-icer??? ...Or, is that just the German cars??? ...and surely Volvos, too...though I can't ever remember having a frozen lock problem with my old, now-deceased, 1980s Volvo...though I have a few times on the BMW...

No point in talking about American cars, I guess... ...but with those "piles of junk"...that was back in my smoking days...a cigarette lighter held to the key worked like a charm...

[MTB]

well, before heating your key with a cigarette lighter, make sure that you don't have a transponder in the key. Metals usually conduct heat. People don't necessary buy their cars from Finland, nor do they buy the models for the northern Europe...

[Millie]

to protect it from low-flying penguins that come with the polar winds

lmao..

[cosmic8]

Don't you have block heaters in the cars in Finland? I'm confused. I'm saying this in response to the comment... "If it gets to -15 don't even try..." Where I live it was -40 C this morning. I started my car, let it idle for 20 mins and then drove it to where I had to go. What's the big deal?

[Pursuivant]

yes we have block heaters, but getting yourself into the car and then with the 20 minutes you are already there where you're going with the bus... that is if you live in the city that is...

[Upphew]

yes we have block heaters, but getting yourself into the car and then with the 20 minutes you are already there where you're going with the bus... that is if you live in the city that is...

And if you let your car idle 20 minutes then some apartment house stalker will report you to police.

[cosmic8]

Oh I see your point about the bus now. Less hassle.
How come you might get reported to the police? Is that because of some sort of Carbon law (a Kyoto measure)? What if it’s really really cold and you need to start your car to get it warmed up and it needs a good 20mins? Do these stalkers turn the other cheek if it's extra cold? What's the current price of gasoline per liter there?

[Pursuivant]

oh gas is down to 1.122... snarf... yeah the emissions laws came a few years back...

[Tiwaz]

Oh I see your point about the bus now. Less hassle.
How come you might get reported to the police? Is that because of some sort of Carbon law (a Kyoto measure)? What if it’s really really cold and you need to start your car to get it warmed up and it needs a good 20mins? Do these stalkers turn the other cheek if it's extra cold? What's the current price of gasoline per liter there?

If you have spot with electricity, you get heater. If you do not, you buy one of those horribly expensive heaters which eat up your fuel instead of being plugged into good ol' 230.
Webasto is popular I hear.