X5 door stuck shut

[Speed addicted]

I've got a 2004 x5, my wife has just called to say she's having a little trouble with the drivers door (I've had this one since tuesday).
The door opened normally, then wouldn't shut (it sounds like the latch is frozen). She then managed to shut the door and now it won't open from either side.
She's tried locking and unlocking it and driven it to the shops and back. Climbing out the passenger side was interesting, apparently.
I'm offshore and won't be home till the 30th, any simple suggestions for a fix or has she managed to break my car?
We live near Aberdeen so it's pretty cold.

[R60EST]

pour some hot water around the affected area , keeping away from the glass for obvious reasons

[MarkwG]

+ maybe some WD40 down the lock slot & into the mechanism. As you say, sounds like that, rather than frozen seals. If she can park it with the sun on it, during the day, that may soften it enough to get at it.

[sparks_E39]

Happened to my 528 this morning, pour warm water around the door edge and it should free it. I use lukewarm water on the windows sometimes, todays ice was a bh.

[Speed addicted]

It seems to be the lock mechanisim that's frozen and has disconnected the handles rather than frozen door seals.
I'm getting worried that she'll destroy the interior climbing in and out of the passenger side but due to sod's law she can't find the key for her car either.
Hopefully tomorrow will be warmer and it'll fix itself, otherwise it'll be back to the garage I bought it from to fix.
My wife is extremely smart but unable to do even simple mechanical tasks, she's not comfortable about attempting to pour hot water over the door or sure where to put the WD40 if she does get it open. Sometimes I despair.

Edited by Speed addicted on Sunday 20th December 18:35

[eliot]

take it down the local garage and blast it with a hot pressure washer.

[MarkwG]

eliot said:

take it down the local garage and blast it with a hot pressure washer.

- that'll work unitl the sun goes down again...then I reckon it'll be 10 times worse in the morning...

[AdamD]

Warm water should help defrost the door initially, once open a liberal covering on all the rubber seals with silicon spray or preferably gummiflege (sp - can get both from BMW parts) should make the door seals slippery and hard to freeze shut. Especially a problem if you car needs to drop the window to open the door like on my Z4.

[Speed addicted]

So my wife took the car to the garage I bought it from today, climbed out of the passenger side (having tried the door again) spoke to the mechanic who tried it and found that it had fixed itself in the time it had taken her to explain the problem!!

So tonight I'll be instructing where to spray the WD40 into the lock via the medium of remote viewing and an offshore phone, I'm thinking into the latch mechanisim and into the keyhole on the outside of the door.
I think some ACF50 (anti corrosion stuff) won't do any harm either. Are there any other places is should be direcing her to go over?

[rayzzie]

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM,THE PROBLEM I HAD WAS THE DOOR HANDLE OUTSIDE LOST TENSION BUT FROM THE INSIDE I CAN OPEN IT,NOT SURE ITS THE SAME PROBLEM,BUT APPARENTLY ITS THE DOOR HANDLE HOUSING INSIDE THEY SAY THERE IS SOME SORT OFF CLIP INSIDE THAT BRAKES OFF.

[Speed addicted]

I think that it was caused by the cable inside freezing, hot water on the outside of the door fixes the problem (for me, didn't work for the wife). I'm half way through moving house at the moment so car problems have been put on hold till next month.