Manntis
02-16-2006, 12:56 AM
So after that thread on how cops will more likely pull over a dirty car, and getting pulled over for an unpaid $6 parking ticket I wasn’t even aware had existed, I decided to wash my car. I never wash my car in winter, and good reason.
Shortly thereafter (like hours later) the temperature plummets to -30something with wind chill. I swear it's a conspiracy. Sure enough, my locks freeze. I had to be somewhere, so I climbed in through the hatch and started the car. The driver's door wouldn't open (frozen to the weatherstripping) but the passenger door would unlock, so I opened it.
Oops.
The catch stuck in the open position. So now it's below 30, my passenger door won't close, and I have to be somewhere. If I go inside I'll catch hell for missing my appointment AND leave my car open to the elements, thieves, etc. If I try to drive off I'll be leaning over the console holding the door shut with my now-frozen right hand, shifting with my left, and steering with my knees - and with my luck, probably explaining it all to the Judge after skidding into a tree or something.
What to do, what to do. I quickly dash to my neighbour's and borrow one of the laces from his hockey skate. Long & strong, perfect for the job. I tried tying it around the manual window crank, then the steering wheel but a) couldn't get enough tension to keep the door shut and b) the lace would slip off the window crank as soon as it had enough slack. So I popped out the power window plate (I'm 1/2 way through the conversion, hence having both) and threaded the lace through the crack between armrest and door trim, and out the hole left by the switchplate. Thus anchored to the door, I dropped the steering column to lowest adjustment and tied the other end around the column just behind the steering wheel. I cranked the wheel back up, taking up the slack, and the door stayed shut!
For about 5 seconds. That's a heavy door, and the car is parked on a crown, making the door want to swing open. The lace stretched, the door opened a few inches, and I was back to square 1.
So I wrapped a pen in the center slack of the lace and twisted it up to wind up the tension, closing the door. Success! Now the door stayed shut, just not secured.
The whole time the engine was running, so the interior started to heat up. I drove about 20 blocks to a mall with an underground parkade (that's the Canadian term for a parking structure), occasionally winding the pen another 1/2 twist to take up any new slack.
I got to the parkade, went 2 levels underground, and parked to let the car - and the frozen lock catch - thaw out. Just as I shut off the engine I heard a 'click' from the door. The catch had released. I spent 5 minutes picking through the 2 knots in the lace and got out of there, arriving @ my appointment 1/2 hour late.
Don't wash your car in winter unless you've a heated garage to dry it in.
Shortly thereafter (like hours later) the temperature plummets to -30something with wind chill. I swear it's a conspiracy. Sure enough, my locks freeze. I had to be somewhere, so I climbed in through the hatch and started the car. The driver's door wouldn't open (frozen to the weatherstripping) but the passenger door would unlock, so I opened it.
Oops.
The catch stuck in the open position. So now it's below 30, my passenger door won't close, and I have to be somewhere. If I go inside I'll catch hell for missing my appointment AND leave my car open to the elements, thieves, etc. If I try to drive off I'll be leaning over the console holding the door shut with my now-frozen right hand, shifting with my left, and steering with my knees - and with my luck, probably explaining it all to the Judge after skidding into a tree or something.
What to do, what to do. I quickly dash to my neighbour's and borrow one of the laces from his hockey skate. Long & strong, perfect for the job. I tried tying it around the manual window crank, then the steering wheel but a) couldn't get enough tension to keep the door shut and b) the lace would slip off the window crank as soon as it had enough slack. So I popped out the power window plate (I'm 1/2 way through the conversion, hence having both) and threaded the lace through the crack between armrest and door trim, and out the hole left by the switchplate. Thus anchored to the door, I dropped the steering column to lowest adjustment and tied the other end around the column just behind the steering wheel. I cranked the wheel back up, taking up the slack, and the door stayed shut!
For about 5 seconds. That's a heavy door, and the car is parked on a crown, making the door want to swing open. The lace stretched, the door opened a few inches, and I was back to square 1.
So I wrapped a pen in the center slack of the lace and twisted it up to wind up the tension, closing the door. Success! Now the door stayed shut, just not secured.
The whole time the engine was running, so the interior started to heat up. I drove about 20 blocks to a mall with an underground parkade (that's the Canadian term for a parking structure), occasionally winding the pen another 1/2 twist to take up any new slack.
I got to the parkade, went 2 levels underground, and parked to let the car - and the frozen lock catch - thaw out. Just as I shut off the engine I heard a 'click' from the door. The catch had released. I spent 5 minutes picking through the 2 knots in the lace and got out of there, arriving @ my appointment 1/2 hour late.
Don't wash your car in winter unless you've a heated garage to dry it in.