[Roma]

There was a hard frost overnight and I was a bit shocked this morning to find that the drivers-side door mirror did not extend when I opened the door. The passenger side door mirror struggled to extend but eventually managed to do so. They were basically frozen! The car showed an outside temperature of -3 degrees Celsius.

I tried to move the drivers side door mirror manually but it was loose and floppy. Not good.

I siwtched the car off and restarted it. This time the drivers side door mirror did extend but it was a struggle and I could hear ice being crushed and broken! All seems to be well now but I am dreading even colder days.

I also found that it was difficult to open the doors as they were frozen shut due to the frost.

We do have a double garage and a single garage but I tend to leave the car on the driveway for convenience. I've never had this kind of problem with any previous car when left outside.

Has anyone else found their doors difficult to open in freezing weather and/or their door mirrors frozen in the folded position?

 

[micalee]

My Audi S3 invariably wont let me in when its really cold. Maybe its because the rubber seal has quite a wide surface area? I remember other cars I have had have been difficult to get into during hard frost - but there we are, no worries really!

My door mirrors don't automatically close up, but in a view to the problem you are experiencing, if when I get mine the same happens, I will set them so they do not close everytime I lock the car (presuming you can do that) I dont feel it a must to have them closing up and if the ice is preventing them from opening, the stress on the motor and other components surely cant be healthy, so why risk it!

We will see

 

[penultimateblack]

To protect the mechanism my mirrors are programmed not to fold back automatically.

BMW dealers sell tubes of very effective anticing silicon grease which stops rubber seals and locks freezing up in cold weather.

 

[Roma]

Where in the menu is the option to stop the mirrors folding? I presume it's under the Vehicle settings? I need to ensure that they don't fold automatically as there are going to break soon going by events this morning.

 

[penultimateblack]

Where in the menu is the option to stop the mirrors folding? I presume it's under the Vehicle settings? I need to ensure that they don't fold automatically as there are going to break soon going by events this morning.

Automatic folding
Owners Manual Page 90.
From Home menu select Vehicle.
Security is displayed as the default menu. Select Parking
Select Mirror fold back - On or Off

 

[Roma]

Thanks, VG. I'll make sure I set that before I go home tonight. I've just downloaded the online manuals too.

 

[andrewll]

Thought I was seeing things this morning - one mirror unfurled the other closed up! Came right after the temperature increased but I think it's a good tip not to set them to retract as the norm. unless leaving the car where they might get removed !!

 

[sodgob]

I climbed into mine at - 4 deg this morning & mirrors opened up as normal.... may have been lucky ??..... although the sun roof was rather stiff to open

 

[Roma]

It had been raining earlier in the night so my car was thoroughly drenched. It was this rainwater freezing hard that was the issue. I think that a regular light frost wouldn't have caused this problem.

 

[andrewll]

It had been raining earlier in the night so my car was thoroughly drenched. It was this rainwater freezing hard that was the issue. I think that a regular light frost wouldn't have caused this problem.

Snap. But it does make you wonder if the water is getting into the housing as the amount of frost sleet on the exterior of the mirror didnt seem to be thick enough to stop it moving

 

[martinmc666]

happened to me also. Windows would not open either