How are people preventing their door latches from freezing? My 1998 A4 2.8 Quattro was perfect until this winter, when the driver side doors decided to start freezing open, preventing the doors from latching shut when closed. The dealer says to spray WD-40 in there, which I am reluctant to do because WD-40 attracts dirt, so what are my alternatives? I have a spray de-icer I could try, or a teflon spray, or perhaps just get a white lithium grease lube job?
snipped-for-privacy@suds.com coughed up the following:
I think you were being clear headed in avoided wd-40. I don't know about the door latch issue in particular, but I can tell you that in every other place I've used it I've ended up with horribly gritty situations.
Think its because the door handle's are flat on our's, flushed in line with the door, maybe thats why they changed the design on 2000 cars to rounded handles.
WD40 might attract dirt, but its easier to clean the car then it is to replace the door handle's :) I've noticed mine does stick a bit when really cold outside, but have had no problems as of yet, I think it's common problem though.
woops I read it wrong my apologies, you mean the actual mechanism, WD40 should be fine as you don't get much dirt there anyway as its inside the door, and make sure the catches are greased well, it should be done on the service but inevitably they forget these things
Actually, WD-40 eventually evaporates and you're left with no lubrication at all.
Rashly assuming that Audi hasn't changed these latches too much since the early '90s, you should dismount the door latch from the back side of the door and lube the hell out of it (the latch, that is, not the hole in the door) *inside*. Work it well and, when it's fairly free, reinstall it. It's a closed assembly that doesn't get much dirt into it, so WD-40 works fine. It will *lose* lubrication long before any dirt it accumulates can mess it up. Jim Blau, of Blaufergnügen, recommends doing this annually with all door latches. I find it bears doing about half that often (every two years), at least on the most-used doors. It's not too difficult a DIY job.
You think *WD-40* attracts dirt? Wait'll you see what *this stuff* will hold, aside from the odd passing cockroach ...
Nonetheless, it would work fine in this application. It's what Audi didn't use enough of.
I use a light silicone spray. Once a year, in the fall, I squirt just a little on all the bits. Late fall, I use the same spray on the door seals. Works pretty good so far. The latch mechs don't attract much dirt anyway, but WD-40 is more a solvent than a lubricant.
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