# I'm worried about winter



## DeltaP42 (Feb 7, 2006)

Just took delivery of my brand-spankin'-not-at-all-new 2012 Beetle turbo last night. I live in Wisconsin and I've been driving VWs for a while now, including two GTIs over the past 8 winters or so. I'm not worried about driving in the snow (obviously), but winter is worrying me thanks to the Beetle's little open-door-window-trick thingy (is there a name for that?). 

My previous GTI had a serious issue with automatic windows in the icy wisconsin winters. My windows regularly froze in place and often became unsecured from the grips inside the door once the one-touch roll-down was hit. I even had my window come out of the grips and then fall into my door frame, requiring a total disassemble of the door. 

When I open my new Beetle's doors, the windows dip for a second and then go back up once shut. This is a neat little trick but I really dont' think it's going to fly once the car is covered in ice. Has anyone had an issue with this becoming a problem? If so, is there a way to disable this feature at all? 

My new baby:


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## Vwguy026 (May 1, 2013)

It's happened to me as well there is a thread on it. What I did was take some interior gloss and rub it into where the windows rubber gutter and it won't freeze. Others recommend some other things but I can't remember but if you search it happens to us all. The window will bend allowing you to open the door closing it is a different story if it won't roll down. If your in pinch just take one of those rewards membership cards on your keychain and slide it along the bottom where the window meets the glass and it frees it up.


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## sluday (Aug 19, 2007)

I had a 2004 Audi TT coupe that had the same window feature and never had a problem the three winters I had the car. Although I live in NJ where I am sure the winters are not nearly as bad as Wisconsin. Even with the windows frozen over I would open the door and hear the window go down breaking the seal of ice off the rubber.


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## SAHRMB (Nov 21, 2013)

There is really no need to disable the feature. We get plenty of ice and snowy crap in Minnesota and I have never had a problem after scraping the ice off the windows. The one recommendation that I do have is to try and scrape the bottom of the windows off before you unlock the doors and the windows drop.


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## oidoglr (Jan 26, 2009)

I'm in Minnesota. I purchased my Beetle in November, and soon found out the nuances of the window system. The first freeze stuck the windows once, but it wasn't an issue after that. I park my car outside at work, and it regularly saw snow and ice. I even washed the car in sub-zero temperatures. You can coat the window frame rubber with a rubber conditioner, and clean it, etc. but I think that a little bit of dust/dirt was actually what prevented the window from sticking to the seals after the first time. 

I would say that if you're anticipating icy conditions that it would be prudent to bring your scraper/brush in with you when you exit the car so that you can scrape the ice off of the window before opening the door, but it really is less of a problem than it's made out to be.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

I wouldn't be worried about the windows sticking. That you can help with a little grease but driving on those 19 inch rims is another story. Definitely get some Winter wheels and tires if you drive it in the snow.


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## oidoglr (Jan 26, 2009)

IndyTTom said:


> I wouldn't be worried about the windows sticking. That you can help with a little grease but driving on those 19 inch rims is another story. Definitely get some Winter wheels and tires if you drive it in the snow.


If the 19" wheels have a new set of the Continental DWS tires on them, they're actually quite competent in snow for an all-season tire. I had no gripes with them well into winter this year. However, I blew a tire on a nasty pothole in February, and a fantastic deal on a set of wheels and snow tires came along, and I'd prefer to keep the 19"s in great condition, so I have 2 sets now.


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## RedBugD (Jul 14, 2013)

I had icing issues this past winter. I actually had a lot of ice in the door and in front of the 
door in the frame. I do not drive the car much in the winter and suspect there would not
have been as much ice if it were a daily driver. 

The windows freeze along the base and around the mirror.


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## PeterC4 (Apr 2, 2013)

*Window Freezing*

I have had two Porsches with this window drop-down feature and my current wife's Beetle Convertible. They are designed like to minimize wind noise. There is nothing you can do about it, except heat the car as quickly as you can, because inevitably, it will freeze and you will have to really pull to get the door open. For my convertible, I use a little silicone spray on the rubberized parts to reduce noise and this may help a little, but in the end, you are going to have to live with this. You will definitely need good snow tires if you don't have all-seasons at a minimum. I drove my Porsches, both AWD Carrera's in the Toronto winters with good snow tires. No issues at all. Our current VW was pretty good in the winder and the Convertible top posed no problems.


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## Chrisho (Dec 1, 2012)

which brand of silicone spray are you using on the convertible?


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## vw siej (Sep 20, 2009)

I have had a problem with the windows freezing up with ice this past winter. I ended up buying a can of deicer fluid/spray from the auto parts store.


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