Well another winter season brings me to the boil again!! here I am with a $20K plus car that I am frozen out of again and have to crawl thru the rear hatch to enter and exit because the damn doors are frozen again. Really peeves me that this should happen with this caliber of car. Has anyone had this sucessfully fixed at the dealer?? Last year when I approached the dealer about the problem I got the ...'why that's odd' .. comment. I have yet to have a fix for it. I can't be the only MCS in a cold climate! This problem should have been a recall item as far as I am concerned as it poses a big safety risk when you can't exit the car in event of an emergency. In driving in this NE climate for 30 years I have never had this happen to a car, new or old.
How does a problem like this get through all the pre launch testing of a new model?? Do they only test these cars in moderate climates?? Am I not supposed to drive it in the winter??
Is there a permanent out there that my dealer does't know about?? If this keeps up this car will be history before next winter and I doubt I would by another.

Disgusted in PA..........

Tom

 

Tom , I have an '04 and never had a problem...but I use LPS 2 in all my latches and door lock and I spray all the rubber with silicone. I have done this for 30 yrs and never had a problem. If this does not work, maybe the door mechanism is freezing on the inside and you will have to remove door panel and lube the linkage. Hope this helps, Tim P.S. I live near youngstown, ohio and we have had temps as low as -20 with no problem.

 

Happens to me as well. I've had to climb in through the passenger door or hatch. There are lots of threads around about the issue. I haven't taken mine in to the dealer yet to see what they say.

 

I'm pretty sure they'll just tell you that it's a "characteristic" of the car.

As if our little cars didn't get enough attention, the site of drivers entering/exiting through the hatch (a personal hobby of mine) should draw a few more smiles, no?

 

the last time I was at the dealer three weeks ago, there was a frozen door handle recall in my MA's computer. At the time I didn't think much about it (and my MA didn't seem too concerned that they address the problem on my car, maybe b/c mine is an '05?) but now I'm wishing I got more details about what the "official" Mini stance is and what their solution is (if any).

 

I'm on my sec ond MINI and the second winter as well and it has never happened to me. I believe the lowest temperature I have seen it display has been -11 degrees F.

Have you been washing your car or getting it wet in any other way? The door doesn't just freeze. Water needs to be in and around the seal.

 

I've got an '04 MC, and for some reason my drivers side latch was siezing up in cold weather (not the passenger side ).

Anyway, there is apparently a new design for the '05s. I just had one installed to replace my drivers side this last week and so far so good. It looks the same as the old from the outside, but it seems much stiffer. Lot15 has told me that the pivot point on the latch is somewhat different.

I guess the real test will be the next time I wash it in sub-zero temperatures -- maybe this afternoon :smile: .

 

Last night I was locked INSIDE of my car in my driveway.....freezing temps and 10 inches of snow. Luckily, I had my cell phone with me and was able to get my wife to come out, open the hatch and I climbed out through the back. This morning I couldn't open the doors, but pouring hot water over the handle got the driver's side in working order. The dealer will see my face tomorrow.

 

iamwiz82....YES the door mechanism does just freeze. It has nothing to do with water on the door seals. This is my second '03 and the probelm exists with both without the application of water as you suggest. I just found out last night that there is a service bulletin out on the problem and the parts that are replaced are the door handle mechanisms themselves. This would seem to be one hell of a liability for Mini should someone not be able to exit the car in the event of an accident. My wife's '05 does not have this problem and if you check the part numbers the '05 door #'s are not the same as the '03's. Seems a recall is in order, don't you think.

On the way to the dealer tomorrow....

Tom in pA

 

Ok,this is not a cold issue,nor does have to do with the cables on the inside of the door most of the time.Nor is it the door freezing shut most of the time either unless water gets on the door rubber then freezing.What it is most of the time is snow getting in the outside door handle ,packing in where the lever rests in the released position or closed position.To fix this,hold the lever opened and use a snow brush to wipe out the snow,or a pointy thing like an awl to pick out snow /ice.Only use hot water if you can dry it out of there.
Better to use lock-deicer.
What is happening is if the outside lever cannot fully return to the rest position,and it does not take much like a snow flake thicknessthe internal door workings can not cycle to the "ready to open position".Clean the handles EVERYTIME it snows,have not had the problem since I started doing this.
The fix now seems to be 05 handles,stronger return springs,and the action is different.MINI CA. has no recall notice on this,but is fixing it as owners come in with the problem.In my mind this is a very serious safety issue,not being able to get out of the car could turn deadly.
BigBambo got the driver side done last week,I should get mine done this week,at least the driver side one is in.Guess they make more driver side ones than passenger side

 

Kind of hard to shoot,but keep the snow out of the thick part of the black lever,where it rest when released

 

This is all well and good if you are on the outside of the car everytime there was a problem. I have only too frequently been on the inside and I cannot get out. Door opened OK away I went and when I go to get out, no way will the door work. With this scenario the door lever was returned and the door was closed OK. What does the buildup outside have to do with opening the car from the inside. I am not the only one complaining about being locked IN the car.
I'll see what the dealer has to say on Monday,

Thanx,

Tom

 

Makes sense. I always clean mine off before I get in because I don't want not grab snow. I guess that's why mine have never had problems.

EDIT: BTW, The first thing I noticed about my 05 was the different handle mechanism.

 

It has to do with that outside lever returning to the rest/ready to open part of the cycle.If you get in the car,and have snow/ice in the outside handle like I have described,and the workings of the door are restricted ,it will close fine,but will not let you out.If that outside lever has one snow flake stuck in it,the doors inner workings will not cycle to the "ready to open"part of the cycle.
The tech. at my dealership was called a fool by MINI CA. when he figured this out last winter,now they admit he was right.
Keep the snow out of the outside handle,or park the car in a heated space to melt it,and you will not have a problem.
Like I've been saying,it takes one snow flake in there to screw up the door.
And don't just brush off the handle,hold the lever and wipe/pick the snow out of there.Works everytime

 

If you prefer, you can call us at 866 ASK.MINI, and please mention Reference # 200503200527 so that we can help you more efficiently.

 

Yeah, whatever. Still up to the old displays of pseudo-concern, eh? Trying to help out the vocal person and getting them to shut up doesn't change the fact that this is a problem for plenty of other people who aren't getting straight answers from their dealers.

I think all those "cold weather testing" photos are staged, I really do. Sort of like the moon landing...

 

Seems like a pretty negative attitude to me.
Why try to bite the hand that feeds you?
Having a bad day? Go do some more motoring, eh? Let's get more upbeat, OK?

my .02 cents

 

eh. I'd have to agree with him. MINIDivision pops up in every 'problem' thread with the exact same reply. If you actually try to reference that #, no one will know what you're talking about.

 

My car's transmission popped a seal during a weekend of subzero driving weather, and I had to have a complete transmission replacement at 15,000 miles. It didn't cost me anything (except to upgrade from the deathtrap rental), so all would be well, except that they can't tell me whether or not I got one of the newer transmission seals that don't fail at super-cold temperatures. I love the car, but I hate the company. They are taking advantage of the popularity of this car by letting problems like this fester instead of doing the right thing and doing a recall for the affected batch of cars. If you're unlucky enough to have a dealer that could care less (this describes quite a few of them), you're completely out of luck. I feel like I'm rolling the dice every winter that I keep this car beyond the warranty.

My doors freeze up too, and it's not the handle mechanism. I actually end up with a large quantity of ice between the door and the frame, which fuses them together. I'll mention it at my 25,000 mile service, but frankly I don't have any reason to expect a proper solution.

I share Tom's frustration 100%. This kind of crap is simply unacceptable for a car of this caliber, especially given the superb design of most of the car.

If you think MINIDivision is here to help, you haven't been paying attention.

 

smoke em if ya got em

 

I don't care if it's a mini or a maxi.Freezing is freezing If you got a bmw or a saturn frozen is frozen. Cold is cold whatever you own it will be a pain to get into and onto the next location.

 

I have just had the driver side door mechanisms replaced because of this very same issue. The dealers now have an email from the manufacturer acknowledging that there is a propensity for the driver side door to be susceptable to rain, snow, ice and all that good stuff. I bought my car in San Fran, and moved back to Canada...to Montreal in the winter. I had actually had a few instances of the driver side door not opening even in Cali, but up here in the sub-zero, it was a pretty constant thing. Now that the mechanisms have been replaced, all is good. You should still be under warranty, so go in and get it fixed!!!!

Cheers,

kb

 

Thats not true. The reference number does work. I've got one of those before and when I gave it to them it was logged and it directed the rep to the my post. They wernt much help as they only told me to keep in contact with the dealer but the reference number was for me to call in and document my case to my car so BMW USA. or MINI USA in this case knows about the problem.

 

In case no one mentioned it, in an emergency (ie you find yourself stuck in the car) there is a pull cord for the rear hatch under the back seat bottom.
Don't want any MINI owners starving to death in their driveways

 

The problem is caused by the design of the outer door handles. The door handles were re-designed in April 2004 and can be differentiated from the old ones by sight.

There is a service campaign on the issue. If you are experiencing this issue, go to your dealer and have them reference Service Measure 51 02 04. This bulletin contains a description of the problem and the part numbers for the improved door handles.