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Thread: Rear Doors Not Latching When Cold

  1. #1
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    Rear Doors Not Latching When Cold

    I’ve seen this topic come up a few times but no clear solution.

    So how does everyone solve the issue of their rear doors not wanting to latch close when you open them during colder temperatures?

    Is everyone just refusing to open their doors during the winter or what?




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  2. #2
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    I've had doors stuck closed a few days last week, and that's with the car IN the garage !! Seems like the weather stripping is really solid in these cars. Numerous times, I've felt like I've come close to breaking off a door handle.
    Driver's door window hasn't been down for some time now. Motor works, but I'm afraid to keep trying it. The others are fine. Warming up on Friday, so hopefully everything will be back to normal by then.
    Wondering if I should rub some glycerine along those rubber door seals. Would that help, or exacerbate the problem of doors sticking in this O so cold winter ?!?

  3. #3
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    EXOTICS
    Quote Originally Posted by theshadow92 View Post
    I’ve seen this topic come up a few times but no clear solution.

    So how does everyone solve the issue of their rear doors not wanting to latch close when you open them during colder temperatures?

    Is everyone just refusing to open their doors during the winter or what?




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    If the actual metal door latch is sticking, then I recommend a silicone spray.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by dohalloran View Post
    I've had doors stuck closed a few days last week, and that's with the car IN the garage !! Seems like the weather stripping is really solid in these cars. Numerous times, I've felt like I've come close to breaking off a door handle.
    Driver's door window hasn't been down for some time now. Motor works, but I'm afraid to keep trying it. The others are fine. Warming up on Friday, so hopefully everything will be back to normal by then.
    Wondering if I should rub some glycerine along those rubber door seals. Would that help, or exacerbate the problem of doors sticking in this O so cold winter ?!?
    I use a product recommended as a substitute for gummi-pflege, Dow Corning #4

    Dow Corning 4 Electrical Insulating Compound is a grease like silicone that is used to make moisture resistant seals for electrical, automotive, aircraft, and marine assemblies. It can also be used to lubricate and seal o-rings, switches, door seals, cable connectors, and battery terminals. It is odorless, has high dielectric strength, good chemical stability and thermal oxidation.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by theshadow92 View Post
    I’ve seen this topic come up a few times but no clear solution.
    So how does everyone solve the issue of their rear doors not wanting to latch close when you open them during colder temperatures?
    Is everyone just refusing to open their doors during the winter or what?
    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    It's not just the rear doors, the passenger's can happen too. The least likely is driver's, for obvious reasons if you think about it.
    Gerta da vagon did this just as wifey was trying to get boy#1 to school to start the week.
    Hopped in, cycled the locks a few times. Reboo ...... er, restarted the car, hit the central locking again and it worked just fine.
    Cycling the locks and pushing/shoving the door a few times probably introduced enough heat to break some frost/ice or warm up grease just enough inside the door to make things catch, somewhere.
    Now that we have kids the rears are almost never a problem. Save the one wonky curbside outside handle on Bjorn the sedan, but that's totally traceable to #1 and a sticky food product.

    Way back BC, both rears on an e36 wouldn't close for a while. And it wasn't winter. Since I was having a shop do the clutch anyway, asked them to look at the doors. They charged me one can of PB blaster (or equivalent) to fix.

    Lubrication and/or heat.
    Last edited by paul p; 01-18-2018 at 12:43 AM.
    Hang up & Drive!
    Jerry .. 85 Toyo MR2 140K .. ( 20V wiring gremlins *grrrr* )
    Björn .. 03 BMW 540i///M 148K .. ( beat up allstar *oof* )
    Gerta .. 03 BMW 540iT&A 151K .. ( chain guide triage *shakes head* )
    Franz .. 96 BMW 318ti 207k .. ( the new, new daily *GRIN* )
    Wendy .. 20 Honda Refrigerator 28k .. ( for the wife and kids, has flappy paddles? *squint* )
    Resistance was Futile...

    "Now, it takes me three months just to fix a door lock because .. crying babies" - rammstein





  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by dohalloran View Post
    I've had doors stuck closed a few days last week, and that's with the car IN the garage !! Seems like the weather stripping is really solid in these cars. Numerous times, I've felt like I've come close to breaking off a door handle.
    Wondering if I should rub some glycerine along those rubber door seals. Would that help, or exacerbate the problem of doors sticking in this O so cold winter ?!?
    OT, but why not.

    There's lots of layers too. Every opening has a full seal at the door, one more in the body and some intermediate pieces too. Throw in a couple of snow/thaw cycles then things get cold? Stuff won't move.
    Glycerine is better than nothing.
    Gummi Pflege is supposedly the gold standard. Once I ran out, wasn't going to pay the prices asked.
    Very happy with 303 Aerospace as a substitute. Any rubber lubricant/treatment will help with this.
    Feel free to shove the door IN. Hands/hip on the door handle, beltline, or anywhere else safe ........... and give the door a couple of good pushes.
    Helps break some ice seals.

    Quote Originally Posted by dohalloran View Post
    Driver's door window hasn't been down for some time now. Motor works, but I'm afraid to keep trying it. The others are fine. Warming up on Friday, so hopefully everything will be back to normal by then.
    Crank up the heat to max (90°F), set to defrost, and wait 15-20 minutes. Should prolly work after that.
    Hang up & Drive!
    Jerry .. 85 Toyo MR2 140K .. ( 20V wiring gremlins *grrrr* )
    Björn .. 03 BMW 540i///M 148K .. ( beat up allstar *oof* )
    Gerta .. 03 BMW 540iT&A 151K .. ( chain guide triage *shakes head* )
    Franz .. 96 BMW 318ti 207k .. ( the new, new daily *GRIN* )
    Wendy .. 20 Honda Refrigerator 28k .. ( for the wife and kids, has flappy paddles? *squint* )
    Resistance was Futile...

    "Now, it takes me three months just to fix a door lock because .. crying babies" - rammstein





  6. #6
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    - I made the mistake of washing the car when it was -20C. Cannot open both front doors from inside or outside.
    - It was probably moisture from spraying.
    - Moved car to a warmer place indoor, then lift the exterior handle up, then spray inside with White Lithium grease.
    - Also sprayed a bit of White Lithium grease on the latch itself (where it mates with the door frame).
    - Sit inside the car, use the central lock and cycle it a few times...

    So far so good.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by cnn View Post
    - I made the mistake of washing the car when it was -20C. .
    I'm not sure if the problem is washing it at -20 or living some place where it gets 20 below! (says the guy who only has to put up with earthquakes, fires and floods)
    98 328is
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    and decades of owning and driving BMWs

  8. #8
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    I had that happen today, it is 10f here, open the door normaly and it would not close, leaving a 1inch gap. Held it close and cycled the power locks. It closed but then I couldn't open it from the inside.... I thought it had locked up..... was glad when it opened back after the morning commute.

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  9. #9
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    Wash the car when it's below freezing, and the water gets into the mechanism. The only two remedies are parking in a heated garage, or waiting for a wash until the weather warms up.


    Ed in San Jose '97 540i 6 speed aspensilber over aubergine leather. Build date 3/97. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA Nr 62319.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by edjack View Post
    Wash the car when it's below freezing, and the water gets into the mechanism. The only two remedies are parking in a heated garage, or waiting for a wash until the weather warms up.
    "Uh.... gee, why didn't I think of that???"........ DUH!!!
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  11. #11
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    Amazon sells Gummi Pflege. Not sure if its the real deal or a knock off though. Less than $10.
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004B8GTQG...OXT6MWZ6&psc=1
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  12. #12
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    Nov 2011
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    Same problem washing the car in sub freezing temps here. Both rear doors and now passenger front door affected. I put e-tape over the door-window glass weatherstrips (tape seals between the window and the door molding) and door stick problem is gone. This didn't start happening until about 2 years ago IIRC. Based on this, I ordered new door weatherstrips for all 4 doors. I started a thread on this since I wonder if this might be a root cause for other door problems also...
    Last edited by sleuth255; 01-18-2018 at 05:29 PM.

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