Why You Should Rekey Frozen Car Locks

Winter is a pain in the neck. There’s no getting around that. It comes with snowy roads, icy sidewalks, and miserably cold temperatures. And here in Aurora, Colorado, some of those miserably cold days aren’t just going to numb your fingers; they’re going to do some real damage. I can’t help you with burst pipes or broken furnaces, but I am the guy to call when you have frozen locks.

It’s probably going to happen at least once every winter. You get up, get ready for work, leave your house, go to unlock your car and discover that the key won’t turn. If luck really isn’t with you, you might even end up snapping the key off in the lock. (To avoid this, don’t force the key! If it won’t turn easily, more pressure is not going to fix your problem.)

By far the easiest thing to do in this situation is to go back inside, call your boss, tell him you’re sick, and wait for the temperatures to warm up. If you really need to be somewhere, spray some deicer into the lock, use a hairdryer on it or heat the key up before inserting it into the lock. Once everything thaws out, there’s a good chance that your key will start working again and you can get back on the road. But even if your locks seem to be working properly, you should still consider have them rekeyed.

Anytime your key gets jammed in a lock, getting it back out is only half the battle. In the case of frozen car locks, jamming your key in there can do a lot of damage, even if the key itself comes out unscathed. The lock is now weakened and further use, especially in extremely cold temperatures, is only going to result in more damage. In order to avoid finding yourself completely stranded someday when you’re in a rush, have your car rekeyed now.

In order to prevent your locks from freezing in the future, keep a can of deicer in stock and spray it into your lock once a week during the winter months. If you don’t have any deicer on hand when winter hits, use WD-40. Another alternative is to dip your key in Vaseline and insert it into the lock. Wiggle it gently back and forth a few times to distribute the Vaseline throughout the lock mechanism and then withdraw your key.

Whenever your car door lock freezes or breaks, Aurora Locksmith Services is here to help. We can rekey your malfunctioning locks and have you back on the road in no time. Just remember to never try to force your key if it won’t turn, as this will only result in a broken key. If you do snap a key off, we can fix that too! Give us a call and schedule your appointment today.