'09 Kia Sedona van - sliding doors freeze shut

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The subject line pretty much says it all. If the temperature is much below freezing, both sliding doors are very difficult/impossible to open. Worse, they will crack slightly but not open, and can't be shut all the way, turning on the interior lights and initiating a loud warning chime.

Per my online research, this seems to be a common problem, although tried-and-true solutions are less common.

I think that the rubber gaskets on both the door and the body are freezing to the metal parts of the other. I don't think the problem is compounded by door misalignment - when the doors are not frozen, they do open smoothly.

I think the stickiness of the rubber is also a factor - if the doors are not used for a few days in the summer, they are hard to open. It's like the rubber fuses to the mating surface a bit.

One of my coworkers has the Hyundai-badged version of the same van, and has the same problem. He said that he's pulled two door handles off, and had recently treated the rubber gaskets with silicone spray to try to keep them from sticking to the sealing surfaces.

I did the same yesterday (a fairly mild day in which the doors opened fine in the afternoon), and they were OK for awhile but frozen shut again by the evening as the temperature dropped.

My experience is that oil-based rust-proofing sprays deteriorate open-cell rubber gaskets, so I'm reluctant to use that sort of product.

Any suggestions? Thanks!
 
+2, wax on the metal. Slather it on, don't buff it so the white disappears.
 
Thanks, Slick and Eljefino, I should have mentioned that I had applied Aerospace 303 protectant a couple of weeks ago before it got cold, so the silicone spray is over-top that.

What sort of wax would you recommend? Paste wax, or liquid? Any particular brand?

Thanks!
 
My wife had an ‘06 that did the same thing. I lubed all around the doors. I don’t think it ever worked completely.
 
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Olive oil on the door seals. Dip a cloth or shop towel in a cup/bowl of it and then apply generously to seals and allow it to soak in. Then wipe off the excess with a cloth that contains oil so it doesn't take off too much. It won't harm the seals and it works.

It's a common problem with the Dodge Caravans as well only their motors to open the doors are so strong it will rip the seals over time.

I also use a penetrating fluid (not WD-40) on the latch mechanism in the fall before the first cold snap.
 
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Liquid wrench silicone or WD40 silicone spray, probably not more that $3 or $4 per can at any store. I learned the hard way a few years back when we had a big ice storm and when I opened the door to our 2002 CRV the whole door weather strip ripped off as it was frozen. Now every 2-3 years I spend about 10 minutes total and wipe all the weatherstrip down quickly with silicone. It seems to last quite a while so I do it every 2-3 years.
 
Id use some 100% silicone grease, or else shin etsu grease from Honda. DuPont Krytox is another good option, but less common.
 
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