More of what I figured out from my first car, part 3
At some point in my first car’s short life, it stopped being waterproof. No idea how that happened. It just did. The trunk had water in its recesses nearly all the time. The interior stayed humid. Nothing was ever dripping wet. It was just…moist, all the time.
In the winter, not only did I have to scrape the windshield outside, I had to scrape the inside too. It was very bizarre and irritating. A few of the N.C. winters in the early nineties were bitter cold. Since I lived in an apartment, there was no shelter for my car. One day, the moisture seeped into my door locks. I couldn’t get the key to turn at all. I was locked out of my car because the locks were frozen.
I had to get to work so I needed a plan. I went inside my apartment and started running the kitchen tap. Once the water was steamy, I filled up a gallon pitcher, took it outside and poured it on my door. I could hear crackling as if the door and lock were unthawing but I still couldn’t get in. Went back inside for pitcher number two. Poured that on the door and the lock. Still no luck getting in. Went inside for pitcher three. Third time’s the charm. I was finally able to get in the car by carefully avoiding the icy patch that was now beneath my door from all the water. Scraped the inside of my windshield so I could see and was on my way.
If the mornings were warm enough, I had no problems with the lock but it was happening often enough that I figured I should try something else. A friend told me about deicer, so I bought some of that. Didn’t work, so back to the pitcher of hot water. Then I saw an ad for a NOT-SOLD-IN-STORES electric deicer in one of those awful Harriet Carter catalogs. Little prongs on this appliance heated up, you shoved it in the lock, and voila, the lock thawed and the door opened. At least that was the pitch in the catalog. Mine didn’t even get as hot as a curling iron. I put it in the lock and nothing happened. I threw it on the ground and stomped it into about four or five pieces. That didn’t help either. So I packaged it up and returned it for my money back. For some reason, Harriet said no dice.
Nothing ever worked to thaw my lock except the pitchers of hot water. Basically, if you’ve got something cheap and easy that works, then let Harriet Carter, Billy Mays (RIP but I’m glad you’re off my tv), and the ShamWow dude keep their crap. Sometimes the best answer is the one closest at hand that doesn’t cost you a dime.
