Iced door handles..

[Themoog]

Does anyone know of a permanent fix for the door handles freezing up and not being able to get into the car?
Dont say "move to a warmer climate" or "keep the car in a garage"..
A year or so ago I replaced the driver door handle carrier and thoroughly greased up all the moving bits so, in theory, should have repelled water.
Alas not. Today I couldn't get in the car as we had rain yesterday and it froze overnight so I was forced to take the spare car.

[andrewwynn]

The door handle carrier is not related to the problem. The door lock actuator is where the freeze occurs.

Use advanced search for awr-fix title and andrewwynn username. I have photos and videos of the exact part that freezes with a single drop of water that gets there from condensation forming on the metal parts that slide past each other.

I used Teflon strips and low temp grease to resolve the issue.

The other problem is the door seal will freeze to the jamb. Silicone spray when you expect the combination of rain followed by freeze.

I have climbed in the tailgate before to access a frozen e53 fyi.

You can usually open a frozen door from the inside but if the dla is frozen you can have the latch stick open.

Hair dryer into the latch to defrost followed by 30-40 minute drive to dehumidify the door internals.

[Themoog]

Yeah I've had the latch stick so the door won't stay shut.. I normally use a hot air gun to defrost but didn't have time today.

[andrewwynn]

AWR-fix: Door Lock Actuator Repair
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[Clavurion]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

The other problem is the door seal will freeze to the jamb. Silicone spray when you expect the combination of rain followed by freeze.

Don't use silicone on door seals. This will cause squeak. Use only fluorocarbon based lubricants like Carbaflo KSP 105 or newer Krytox. First clean the seals properly if you have any doubt silicone ever used on them.

[andrewwynn]

Good feedback on silicone though i never had a problem i think i might have used dry Teflon spray or also when i knew it would overnight freeze after rain on me i would just spray the seals with windshield defrost spray before closing the door.

I will look into the seal spray you mentioned. It's right at that time of year where we will get a few days off rain plus freeze.

I've got e70 and f15 now and i think they have a new design lock actuator that I've not seen freeze up problems.

I still monitor e53 thread since that's where my main fixes were carried out.

As the e70 ages though getting more active on that forum.

[80stech]

If you didn't do a good job putting the vapour barrier back on that can lead to the icing problems.
@clavurion --- I've used silicone on door seals for more than 30 years and it's always worked well, one application can be good for years btw. I don't "think" it has ever caused a squeak or dried dried out the seals but I wasn't looking for that either, are you sure you had problems ? Maybe a particular brand or type in which the "carrier" caused a problem ?