Frozen locks: What you need to know to get unstuck

Some say prevention is the best medicine, and when it comes to freezing locks on your car, we’d have to agree!

The best way to avoid this pesky cold-weather problem is to spray a little WD-40 or graphite-based lubricant on your locks early in the winter driving season. You may even want to go back and reapply from time to time. If you do wake up one morning and find that your locks are frozen, try one of these trusty solutions:

· Check your other car doors (you might get lucky!). If you are able to get into your car, turn it on and let it warm up for a few minutes. This may be enough to thaw the offending lock.

· Use an aerosol de-icer, available at many hardware and automotive stores. Keep in mind that planning is essential. Many people make the mistake of keeping these commercial de-icers in their cars, but if your locks are already frozen, this won’t do. Instead, keep a can at home and another in your desk drawer at work.

· If you don’t have any de-icer handy, smear a little hand sanitizer onto your key and work it into the lock. The alcohol in the hand sanitizer may do the trick.