I stopped by a locksmith yesterday to get some spare house keys made. I noticed they had a display of several different solvents and lubricants. I asked the guy what he recomended to prevent automobile door locks from freezing up on cold mornings as my 123's seem to be very prone to this problem. I was expecting the "don't use anything except graphite" lecture. To my surprise, he recommended Tri-Flow which is a Teflon suspended in petroleum solvent. He specifically recommended against graphite as it "gums up the locks".

I don't like the idea of Tri-Flow. In my experience in other applications, it doesn't mix with other lubricants (turns to jello).

My 123 locks are bad about freezing on winter mornings (I'm in North Texas). Sometimes I have to heat up the key with a propane torch to free up the lock. As I look at other 123's I see the same distortion in the locks indicating difficulty in inserting or turning the key, so obviously this is a common problem, but I have never seen it discussed here.

What do you fellows in the North country use to keep your door locks working in the winter months?

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



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