Frozen sliding doors on minivan
(Handy) spouse uses silicone seal, and it works well even in Wisconsin. If you have trouble again before spraying the doors, then hair dryer. been there, done that. The only problem with using the hair dryer is, if you don't drive very far, the door may be stuck again when you try to exit. been there, done that too.
eta: I'm pretty sure he wouldn't use the silicone if it was going to degrade the rubber.
Having a minivan is handy for some stuff, but I hate it in the winter. Clearing snow off the roof is no easy feat, and since the doors slide I can't get the leverage needed to open them when they freeze. With regular doors one or two good pulls always breaks the ice.
I'll try the silicone, thanks.
ETA: Is this something I'd buy at a hardware store or an auto parts place? I'm assuming we're not taking about Frizz-Ease, the only silicone products I'm familiar with are for hair. 
@spontaneous If you google "minivan doors freezing shut" (maybe you have already done this) you will find a lot of info - some of it is specific to certain models, other posts are more generic. WD-40 and Pam cooking spray are mentioned, also liquid silicone. I didn't read through them all for pros and cons, but you might be able to find something specific to your make/model minivan.
Another thought is to go to the FB page for the specific manufacturer and post a question there - you might get a definite answer from the car manufacturer or ideas from others with the same car. It's worked for me when I had questions about something and couldn't get a good answer any other way.
cody said:
@spontaneous If you google "minivan doors freezing shut" (maybe you have already done this) you will find a lot of info - some of it is specific to certain models, other posts are more generic. WD-40 and Pam cooking spray are mentioned, also liquid silicone. I didn't read through them all for pros and cons, but you might be able to find something specific to your make/model minivan.
Yeah, I've seen a lot of that on google, but stuff like Pam has me wary which is why I'm asking specifically in regards to not degrading the rubber seals. I don't know much about cars, but I do remember Sex-Ed at CHS and how certain lubricants can degrade latex, so I'm guessing it is the same with rubber seals on car doors.
Were people able to climb through from the front seat or even the back? That would be a safety issue in event of an accident, but i would suspect the impact would break the ice up. Is it safe to use windshield de icer? I have heard of people heating water and pouring it over frozen locks...don't know if it would work on the door. One of those cordless blow dryers might be helpful, but I don't know how much they cost..and you have to make sure you always have the fuel thingy.
I think I got the spray silicone at harbor freight.
re: hair dryer, I just strung a long extension cord from the house.
on a quick google, both Home Depot and NAPA seem to have silicone sprays.
I had read that over time silicone can break down rubber, but my guess is that used sparingly in the winter only wouldn't be the end of the world.
Can't you go in through the front doors and force open from the inside?
NizhoniGrrrl said:
Can't you go in through the front doors and force open from the inside?
I didn't try today, but in the past it didn't work. It is a matter of leverage due to how the door has to open, out 3/4 of an inch and then sideways, unlike a regular door that just swings out.
Usually only one door, and can defrost in about 10-15 minutes by running the heat on high while tugging like mad, but today it was BOTH sliding doors and took about 45 minutes of idling the car with the heat on to get them unstuck. I hate idling the car, I hate being late, and today we actually had to call and reschedule due to this issue. I've been told to put WD-40 on the seals, Armor All, or silicone, to keep them from freezing shut. I just want to make sure that whatever I use won't degrade the door seals. What is the best method to prevent this that also won't do any damage?