Dealing with winter....

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

Hey gang,

So this is my first Mustang, and this is my first winter with one. We got a little snow up here near Philly on Friday. I live in a condo and have to park outside, so there was of course snow on the car and the windows had some ice on them.

So I went to grab the ice scraper/brush which I had on the floorboard on the passenger side. Of course, opening the door meant that the car tried to drop the window down slightly, which it couldn't really do because of some ice on the seal on the bottom of the window/door interface.

It was even worse when I tried to get into the driver's side and close the door. The window just didn't budge at all, and when I tried to close the door, it didn't want to catch shut properly.

How do you guys typically deal with winter with your mustangs? I'm really worried that if the ice is on the windows that it'll burn out the window motors prematurely trying to do the little up/down on door opening.

I do plan to remote start and let the car warm up as much as I can, ut that's not always possible... And if there's heavy snow, how do you get into the car to get your brush/scraper out with such a situation without busting the windows?

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[robvas]

Park it!

 

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

Park it!

It's my only car, so not really an option...

 

[robvas]

Start by keeping an old gift card or something so you can break the seal between the lower window trim and the glass so you can roll the window up and down when it freezes. I have to do that so I can use the drive through on snowy mornings in my jeep

 

[Allanrock59]

Start by keeping an old gift card or something so you can break the seal between the lower window trim and the glass so you can roll the window up and down when it freezes. I have to do that so I can use the drive through on snowy mornings in my jeep

Like robvas said, it's usually that seal and the side windows one that will freeze and stop the windows to go down. I always have that problem with my fusion.

Also remotely starting it will not, well most of the time, will not defrost that seal.

You have 3 option here
1: Use an old credit, or gift card to break the ice like robvas said. It's easy
2: Find an indoor parking if it's not too expensive
3: Get a winter car and store this one. You could find a cheap car for probably a few thousands dollar that would be good for winter. This is what I do.

If you cannot afford 1 then I strongly suggest you get winter tires, if you didn't do so. Wide tire are really really bad in winter even worst if you have the summer Pirelli tires that usually comes with the mustang. The Pirelli are NOT for winter driving.

If you don't want to get into a accident get winter tires.

 

[Pmamba]

I’ve seen people mention spraying a little silicone or something into the seals to prevent windows from freezing and sticking. Not sure if that causes a mess on the window edges though.

 

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

Like robvas said, it's usually that seal and the side windows one that will freeze and stop the windows to go down. I always have that problem with my fusion.

Also remotely starting it will not, well most of the time, will not defrost that seal.

You have 3 option here
1: Use an old credit, or gift card to break the ice like robvas said. It's easy
2: Find an indoor parking if it's not too expensive
3: Get a winter car and store this one. You could find a cheap car for probably a few thousands dollar that would be good for winter. This is what I do.

If you cannot afford 1 then I strongly suggest you get winter tires, if you didn't do so. Wide tire are really really bad in winter even worst if you have the summer Pirelli tires that usually comes with the mustang. The Pirelli are NOT for winter driving.

If you don't want to get into a accident get winter tires.

Eh, we usually don't get MUCH snow here in the Philly area (I'm across the river east in NJ). I think I could count on my hand the number of times we actually got enough snow to give a crap in each of the last 10 years I've lived here (and when it gets like that everything closes down, so not like I'd be going anywhere). Mostly just concerned for next week when I go up to my folks in Central NY for Xmas..

No indoor parking around here. I'm in the 'burbs. And I only have 1 parking space, so a 2nd car isn't really an option.

That said, I did already swap out the PZero Summer-only's for a set of PZero AS3 all seasons that are supposedly pretty good in the snow. I could tell as soon as mid October that those Summer Only's weren't going to work as the temps started dropping - I could feel it lose grip in the colder mornings. (I did keep the Summer only's to remount in the spring since they only had 4K miles on them!).

So, yeah just was mostly concerned about the windows and getting in/out to get at the ice scraper/snow brush for the times when I need it given the windows do the whole up/down thing on open/close.

 

[Allanrock59]

Eh, we usually don't get MUCH snow here in the Philly area (I'm across the river east in NJ). I think I could count on my hand the number of times we actually got enough snow to give a crap in each of the last 10 years I've lived here (and when it gets like that everything closes down, so not like I'd be going anywhere). Mostly just concerned for next week when I go up to my folks in Central NY for Xmas..

No indoor parking around here. I'm in the 'burbs. And I only have 1 parking space, so a 2nd car isn't really an option.

That said, I did already swap out the PZero Summer-only's for a set of PZero AS3 all seasons that are supposedly pretty good in the snow. I could tell as soon as mid October that those Summer Only's weren't going to work as the temps started dropping - I could feel it lose grip in the colder mornings. (I did keep the Summer only's to remount in the spring since they only had 4K miles on them!).

So, yeah just was mostly concerned about the windows and getting in/out to get at the ice scraper/snow brush for the times when I need it given the windows do the whole up/down thing on open/close.

Good if you don't get that much snow. I wish we only got as little as you do.

Then the trick with a cc or old gift card will do the trick

And for 4 season tires you should be good even with a little snow.

 

[MAT1955]

@DontHitMeSafetyYellow ..... Buy some Armourall. Get a clean piece of towel/facecloth. Warm up the car so the seals/gaskets are warm. Soak the cloth with the Armourall and wipe the gaskets with it several times. Do this when required. Once a week might be proactive. Using a credit card etc. will work but be VERY careful as these gaskets are easy to tear, particularly when cold. Silicone sprays (liquid wrench used to make one) - again apply with a cloth. BTW if you are driving in the winter I hope you SEALED the HOLES in the front fender wheel wells. See the Tony Unica or multiple posts on the topic and yes wide tires are skateboards in winter. Use Armourall or silicone you should be fine.

 

[509Mike]

Have you thought about keeping the snow brush and ice scraper in the trunk?

 

[roket]

i dont live where it snows, but here is what i have seen people say:
1. dont use a snow brush, use a leaf blower to get rid of snow off your vehicle (assuming it hasnt frozen together)
2. get a windshield cover that secures around your side mirrors so that your windshield is clear of ice and snow
3. spray silicone in the lock cylinder and on the weatherstripping of your doors, this supposedly makes it harder for it to freeze
4. fill up with fuel before a night of expected snow, it adds more weight onto the rear wheels for traction
5. swap out your tires for the appropriate winter/snow tires. watch this video
ChrisFix made a video about preparing for snow in this video

 

[roadpilot]

I don't drive sports cars in the winter.

That said, rubbing alcohol is a quick DIY deicer that works wonders. Mix a solution of two parts rubbing alcohol that’s 70% or higher to one part water. Pour it into a spray bottle for easy application.

 

[robvas]

any snow that you could clear off with a leaf blower you could just use the wipers on and the rest would come off as you go down the road

 

[Dxm]

Never scrape the snow off the windows, unless the window is frozen shut and you cannot get in. Otherwise you will scratch the glass/metal.

I usually clear just enough snow in order to allow me to open the driver's side door. I condition the rubber seal with WD-40 so that the door/glass does not stick to the door frame. Then just run your car with max heater for 10-15 minutes, and the snow will unfreeze and just slide down.

If you need to drive in snowy/icy conditions, put stuff into your trunk. I stocked up on cat litter -- 250 lbs worth of it, and it really makes a difference. It's not like the cat litter will go to waste, but I had bought 8 bags of this wonderful stuff. Rear wheel drive cars need ballast in the rear. Just drove yesterday with some icy conditions and did not spin out at all.

 

[glenng6]

Hey gang,

So this is my first Mustang, and this is my first winter with one. We got a little snow up here near Philly on Friday. I live in a condo and have to park outside, so there was of course snow on the car and the windows had some ice on them.

So I went to grab the ice scraper/brush which I had on the floorboard on the passenger side. Of course, opening the door meant that the car tried to drop the window down slightly, which it couldn't really do because of some ice on the seal on the bottom of the window/door interface.

It was even worse when I tried to get into the driver's side and close the door. The window just didn't budge at all, and when I tried to close the door, it didn't want to catch shut properly.

How do you guys typically deal with winter with your mustangs? I'm really worried that if the ice is on the windows that it'll burn out the window motors prematurely trying to do the little up/down on door opening.

I do plan to remote start and let the car warm up as much as I can, ut that's not always possible... And if there's heavy snow, how do you get into the car to get your brush/scraper out with such a situation without busting the windows?

My first thought is don't keep the snow tools inside the car. Put them in the trunk. As already mentioned remote starting won't always free up the windows but you can buy deicer. I have never needed it but it is available. <https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-25591/Grounds-Maintenance/De-Icer-Spray> There may be other options, as well. Glenn

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