Dear Tom and Ray:

I read your article about the lady with car doors that were freezing shut. One answer I found was in my GM owner's manual under the maintenance schedule in the back. For weatherstrips, it says to use Dielectric Silicone Grease (GM Part Number 12345579 or equivalent), basically the same as the packet of grease you get with new spark-plug wires. I found that if you wash the weatherstrips and the inside metal of the door, let them dry and then apply a coat of silicone grease to the weatherstripping and car wax to the inside metal, it will stop the doors from freezing shut for two or three years. -- Arne

Tom: Thanks, Arne. Waxing the inside metal is a good suggestion. In a previous article, we recommended using something like silicone spray or "Armor All" on the weatherstrip. Grease probably would do a better job, but there is one significant disadvantage to smearing grease on the inside of your doors.

Ray: The dry-cleaning bill.

Tom: Right. Every time you (or your passengers) brush up against the inside of your door and get a nice black smudge on your $1,500 Joseph Abboud suit, you're going to think back fondly to the days of having your doors freeze shut.

Ray: So for that reason, we'd only recommend the grease solution for farmers and mechanics, whose clothes are already dirty. And perhaps lawyers, whom we don't really care for anyway.

© 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

In their pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" Tom and Ray break down the strategies for buying a car, so you can make the most of your money. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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