Winter weather can wreck havoc on your vehicle in many ways. For those who park their vehicle outside overnight, a frozen door in the morning can be a real annoyance. Heed our warning, don’t ever yank or pull on the door handle to open a frozen car door. If it breaks, you will be seeing us sooner than you planned and having a winter adventure you didn’t anticipate. An easy simple trick might be to give the door a hip check to loosen the ice and then lift and pull the door from the bottom. Use the handle only to unlatch the door while doing this. If you are still frozen out, try the passenger side door. Often the other side of the car has been less expose to wind and weather. You can also use warm water (never hot) to loosen the ice or a de-icing product. If you are lucky enough to have a remote starter, you can start the car and allow the interior warming to loosen the ice. Here is the important part. Never, and tell your kids and student drivers this too, make the common mistake of pulling hard on the handle. The handle is not made to withstand the force and the cold may make it even more brittle. This winter tip has been provided to you by Quality Automotive Servicing located at 11500 Donner Pass Road in Truckee. If it has been useful please comment and share it with your friends. In Truckee there is only one Quality Automotive Servicing. Look for the RED CHECK inside the “Q” for “Quality” and know you are at Your Trusted Local Auto Care. For a service appointment call 530-587-1933. California Smog Checks are available on a walk-in basis along with convenience DMV registration services.