REVISED AND UPDATED — This simple tip takes only a few seconds, but it can save you untold aggravation this winter. 

One more annoying aspect of winter driving: car windows that won’t go up or down because the glass is frozen in place. Moisture is captured where the glass meets the weatherstrip around the perimeter of the door frame. So when the vehicle is parked outside at temperatures below freezing, the moisture freezes as well, seizing the glass to the door frame. It’s frozen solid—just like Flick’s tongue to the flagpole in A Christmas Story. The power windows won’t budge until the weatherstrips and glass warm up and thaw out, which can take miles of driving. What a pain.

Late-model cars with their high-contact seals are especially prone. They’re great at sealing out out rain and road noise, but their greater sealing area also promotes freezing and seizing. Don’t even think about running your vehicle through a car wash in the winter if you’re going to park it outside afterward. That’s just asking for trouble.

Fortunately, there’s a very easy fix. Just grab a can of water-displacing aerosol lubricant, for example the ubiquitous WD-40. Roll down the windows to get the glass out of the way, then spray a light, even coat of lubricant on the weather seals all around the window frames. Run the windows up and down a few times to help distribute the lubricant evenly, and wipe off the excess with a paper towel. And you’re done. It was just that easy.

How it works: The spray lubricant displaces the water that would otherwise get trapped between the glass and the weatherstrips, preventing the glass from freezing in place. Many car owners find that one treatment with the spray at the beginning of winter is usually sufficient for the entire season, but if you wash your car often, you may have to follow up.

There are aerosol lubricants that are probably better suited for this purpose, namely silicone sprays. However, MCG does not allow these materials in his shop. The trouble with silicone is it doesn’t really disperse. Once you spray it, it’s forever. And unfortunately, it’s a nasty contaminant on surfaces for which it wasn’t intended. Like electronic components, where it forms a conductive film. Or paintwork in progress, where it creates horrid fisheyes.  If you never bring the material into your shop, it can’t create problems. Meanwhile, most everyone has a can of WD-40 or similar spray lubricant around the house, ready to put to use.

By the way: As long as you’re at it, spray the door surround seals, too. They’re prone to freezing up just like the window seals. It doesn’t hurt to spray the lock cylinders as well, using the aerosol’s handy straw to direct the lubricant inside the spring-loaded lock cover. Be prepared. The next big ice storm can come anytime.

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