Anyone else having issues opening the doors on their modern Challengers due to frost?

[chargervert]

Usually by this time of year, my wife's 09 Challenger R/T classic is put away in the garage for the winter, but this year the season has extended longer due to the unusual weather conditions we have been having. After we got two inches of rain which washed all the salt of the roads my wife wanted to drive her Challenger to work on Sunday morning, but she couldn't get in the car because both doors were frozen shut. I went out and bumped the window along the top edges and pulled on the door handle a couple times and finally got the window to free up from the gasket. Challenger owners know that when you open the doors the windows drop a half inch when you pull the handle automatically, but because it was frozen the window wasn't dropping the half inch like it normally does. As I said,I finally got the window freed up from the gasket and it dropped like it was supposed to, but the door still wouldn't open, I had to pull hard on the handle and get my fingers wrapped around the edge of the door and pull it hard three or four times to get the door to release from the gaskets. It was a pain in my ***! I am thinking that maybe some silicone spray on the gaskets might help the issue, any other suggestions would be very helpful and appreciated! I can't have the Mrs. breaking one of her freshly manicured nails trying to get into her car!

 

[dadsbee]

Welcome to Canada.. .LMFAO !!!

 

[toolmanmike]

Usually by this time of year, my wife's 09 Challenger R/T classic is put away in the garage for the winter, but this year the season has extended longer due to the unusual weather conditions we have been having. After we got two inches of rain which washed all the salt of the roads my wife wanted to drive her Challenger to work on Sunday morning, but she couldn't get in the car because both doors were frozen shut. I went out and bumped the window along the top edges and pulled on the door handle a couple times and finally got the window to free up from the gasket. Challenger owners know that when you open the doors the windows drop a half inch when you pull the handle automatically, but because it was frozen the window wasn't dropping the half inch like it normally does. As I said,I finally got the window freed up from the gasket and it dropped like it was supposed to, but the door still wouldn't open, I had to pull hard on the handle and get my fingers wrapped around the edge of the door and pull it hard three or four times to get the door to release from the gaskets. It was a pain in my ***! I am thinking that maybe some silicone spray on the gaskets might help the issue, any other suggestions would be very helpful and appreciated! I can't have the Mrs. breaking one of her freshly manicured nails trying to get into her car!

View attachment 1390468

We used silicone at the dealership. They stick because of the moisture and not just the cold alone.

 

[ct71rr]

I had the same issue when I had my ‘10 Classic. Silicone helped.

 

[chargervert]

My wife was worried because she thought that the interior lights were on because she tried to open the door and that the battery would be dead the next time she tried to start the car. On a side note, that car has the most amazing battery ever made. It still has the original battery since 2009 and it starts right up even in the cold weather. I believe that because it is located in the trunk and dosen't have the heating and cooling cycles a battery in the engine compartment goes through, and it has a ventilation system on it probably added years to the life of the battery, but those Mopar batteries that were made by Johnson Controls were a ten year battery anyways. It's no surprise that Johnson Controls sold its battery division and the quality is no longer what it was, you can't make much profit from batteries that last ten years or more. I replaced the original ones in my Cummins Ram when they were ten years old.

 

[4406bbl]

Sil-glyde from napa works well.

 

[6PKRTSE]

Yes, I spray silicone on a rag and wipe down the seals with it on my 12' Classic. I also keep a butter knife in the trunk to run along the lower window seal to break the frozen seal from frost when trying to open the door due to that stupid half inch drop window function the windows have when you lift the door handles. Someday maybe I will get a remote start but it is a manual 6 speed. Those cost more.

 

[chargervert]

Great looking Challenger, call up Ryder Graphics and get the stripe tip decals to continue the side stripes onto the front bumper. When my wife's car was a week old I masked it off and painted the stripe tips on it so it would look like my 71 Challenger, I posted pictures on Challenger Talk and the guy from Ryder Graphics said he liked the look and was going to make the decals and offer them to all Challenger owners. It completely changes the look of the car. They should have been done that way from the factory.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Usually by this time of year, my wife's 09 Challenger R/T classic is put away in the garage for the winter, but this year the season has extended longer due to the unusual weather conditions we have been having. After we got two inches of rain which washed all the salt of the roads my wife wanted to drive her Challenger to work on Sunday morning, but she couldn't get in the car because both doors were frozen shut. I went out and bumped the window along the top edges and pulled on the door handle a couple times and finally got the window to free up from the gasket. Challenger owners know that when you open the doors the windows drop a half inch when you pull the handle automatically, but because it was frozen the window wasn't dropping the half inch like it normally does. As I said,I finally got the window freed up from the gasket and it dropped like it was supposed to, but the door still wouldn't open, I had to pull hard on the handle and get my fingers wrapped around the edge of the door and pull it hard three or four times to get the door to release from the gaskets. It was a pain in my ***! I am thinking that maybe some silicone spray on the gaskets might help the issue, any other suggestions would be very helpful and appreciated! I can't have the Mrs. breaking one of her freshly manicured nails trying to get into her car!

View attachment 1390468

Give her a garage bay ..... problem solved!

 

[chargervert]

She has one,but she is not ready to put it away yet.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Give her a garage bay ..... problem solved!

Did that years ago, it's the only reason I'm allowed to have the GTX today.

 

[chargervert]

She refused to allow me to put in electric garage door openers because she thought that one of the kids would end up pinned under it with the door bouncing up and down on their necks! No joke, even after explaining all the modern safety features she was having none of it,so now whenever she wants her car I have to go open the door manually because she cannot lift it and back her car out for her. So one day last year she wanted her car and I was at work and she couldn't get the car out,so she flipped her schit and said just leave the effing car outside so I can drive it when I want to. That is why having the garage bay does not help me or solve the problem she completely caused that is completely my fault, anyone who is married knows my pain. My youngest child is 27 and never goes in the garage, but there will be no electric garage door openers on the possible chance that he might! So I will just shut up and put silicone on the door seal gaskets for my own sanity!

 

[Richard Cranium]

anyone who is married knows my pain.

 

[6PKRTSE]

Great lying Challenger, call up Ryder Graphics and get the stripe tip decals to continue the side stripes onto the front bumper. When my wife's car was a week old I masked it off and painted the stripe tips on it so it would look like my 71 Challenger, I posted pictures on Challenger Talk and the guy from Ryder Graphics said he liked the look and was going to make the decals and offer them to all Challenger owners. It completely changes the look of the car. They should have been done that way from the factory.

View attachment 1390497

I have been wanting to do this but didn't know where to get them. Thanks. I will go check them out. I did order a pair of black 70 R/T style side stripes for it like 10 years ago. I couldn't bring myself to put them on. I still may one day.

 

[chargervert]

They are fairly inexpensive if I remember correctly. I had it parked in the garage next to my 71 Challenger and I couldn't stand looking at it,so I took sandpaper and paint to a seven day old car and fixed the problem! Lol I will try to find a better picture of the car to post.

 

[6PKRTSE]

They are fairly inexpensive if I remember correctly. I had it parked in the garage next to my 71 Challenger and I couldn't stand looking at it,so I took sandpaper and paint to a seven day old car and fixed the problem! Lol

I just ordered them. $29.95. Not too bad. Thanks.

 

[Cranky]

When I installed an opener, it came with electric eyes that wouldn't let the door come down if there was someone in the beams. My wife had some phobias too but pretty much told her to get over them lol. I did let her put child guards on every other freaking thing in the house though......

 

[chargervert]

More pics

 

[Cranky]

She refused to allow me to put in electric garage door openers because she thought that one of the kids would end up pinned under it with the door bouncing up and down on their necks! No joke, even after explaining all the modern safety features she was having none of it,so now whenever she wants her car I have to go open the door manually because she cannot lift it and back her car out for her. So one day last year she wanted her car and I was at work and she couldn't get the car out,so she flipped her schit and said just leave the effing car outside so I can drive it when I want to. That is why having the garage bay does not help me or solve the problem she completely caused that is completely my fault, anyone who is married knows my pain. My youngest child is 27 and never goes in the garage, but there will be no electric garage door openers on the possible chance that he might! So I will just shut up and put silicone on the door seal gaskets for my own sanity!

That's whacked! 27 year old baby?? I know about over protective moms but that's nuts. My first wife was that way and well, there were a lot of other issues in that marriage too but I decided to be on my way after talking to my dad about the situation. Dad told me that he stayed 'because of the kids' and life was hell with them fighting all the time. Imo, it wasn't fair to us kids with parents fighting nearly every freaking day. My sister ended up hating dad and blamed him for it all......but it takes two to tango.

 

[chargervert]

When I installed an opener, it came with electric eyes that wouldn't let the door come down if there was someone in the beams. My wife had some phobias too but pretty much told her to get over them lol. I did let her put child guards on every other freaking thing in the house though......

I wish it was that easy,but I married a very stubborn set in her ways Irish blonde woman, and she is having no part of electric garage door openers! I have to choose my battles wisely. I do have no less than 20 Mopar project cars, and there are very few women who will tolerate that! Lol