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Comment by typon | Hacker News Reader

It was -5C in Toronto last night. This morning, I couldn't get into my Model 3 because the door glass was frozen. I got some hot water from the washroom and poured it over the glass and got it unstuck. Then I couldn't drive because the sideview mirrors were stuck folded. Got some more hot water and got them unstuck. Maybe the car is designed for California weather only, but in the winter i've had these types of issues. Other than that, its a joy to drive :)

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I had this issue the first freezing episode of the year. I applied silicon lube on the rubbers and on the lowest part of the window where it get into the door as well as on door handles. Hasn't been an issue since. Warming up the car before use with the phone app also helps but I always forget to do it myself.

I live in Toronto too -- just use the app to turn on climate control 5 - 10 mins before driving. Works like a charm!

Tesla's were designed to function from Norway to DRC; here's an interesting design question:

How do you keep the heater from decreasing your range too greatly in cold environments? No passive heat source on EVs.

I'm joking but.. This Citroen has the answer! A petrol powered heater

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Berlingo_%C3%A9...

"Heating

In order to minimise battery usage, a petrol driven heater is fully integrated to vehicle. It typically takes 5 to 10 minutes to warm and provides excellent cabin heating."

It's an issue with all frame less car doors. Last year I read some car blogs and many people apply a silicone layer that makes freezing much harder. Between that and pre warming the car, I haven't had freezing issues. Also, if the door handles freeze up, a small tap with the palm of your hand does the trick.

The one I got is "gummi pflege"

Did you have time to try to use the remote app to turn the internal heat way up for a while to loosen the ice on the glass?

I did start the car before hand - it sometimes helps. Depends on how severe the freezing is. The sideview mirrors are still an issue though

you can probably set them to stay open all the time, a luxury vehicle would have the same issue btw.

If you read Tesla's cold weather tips, they recommend turning off the automatic side folding mirrors during the winter. Which I don't see as a big deal at all...

I've had these issues on my Seat Leon in the past, ie not a Tesla. I am based in the UK and its pretty rare for temperatures to drop below 0 and it still happens.

My dad owns a Civic and a Lexus, this has never happened in the past 25 years of living in Canada (and temperatures keep rising over the years). It's happening due to the door design of Tesla where the glass does not have a frame around it. I made the purchase knowing these issues could arise - but let's not try to make it seem like these issues happen to all cars.

In my experience the doors on my 2006 civic used to freeze shut all the time in UK winters (not hugely cold either: 0 to low negatives degrees-C). Also happens on my current 2010 Toyota if it gets cold enough. These have traditional door frames but the ice often builds up between the frames and seals I guess.

Bit of brute force was enough to pull them open. Windows need to be defrosted before you can open them too.

Rub talcum powder on the black isolation and your door should not freeze shut anymore.

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