TAHOE/TRUCkEE – In our area we experience sub-zero temperatures, and today’s weather strips and felts can not withstand these conditions. With that in mind, if you don’t lubricate certain parts of your door glass, it may not operate correctly or not at all.

Here are two key areas where you should lubricate to help keep this from happening:

• The part that goes from the front of your door glass, across the top and down the back of your door glass is called a weather strip. If you take either WD-40 or a silicone-base product and spray where your glass runs in that channel all the way around on a regular basis (after every car wash or with your oil change), you will prevent the door glass from getting frozen up in the weather strip. If your door glass becomes frozen to the weather strip and you try to operate the door glass, one of two things could happen: The tabs at the bottom of the glass will be pulled off, and/or the glass will fall into the bottom of the door or there will be stress put on the regulator and the motor to try to break your glass free, which could cause either one of those parts to be damaged.

• Your motor and regulator located inside each door behind the door panel is another area where you should take it in and have it lubricated properly to extend the life of these parts. The teeth of the regulator that goes through the motor should be lubricated with a white lithium grease as well as the channel with the nylon or plastic rollers (scissors-style regulator). Depending on the manufacturer of the vehicle, the regulator may be cable-driven. If this is the case, WD-40 or a silicone-base product should be used on the cable, and white lithium should be used on the plastic parts running up and down in the channels. Any auto glass shop can take care of this maintenance for you.

– Craig Fierro is the owner of Autoglass Express Truckee, located at 10825 Pioneer Trail #106 B. Learn more at AutoGlassExpressTruckee.com.