At that time I didn’t carry a lighter with me as I do now, but the thought occurred to me that if I held a flame under the key and heated it up that when I inserted it into the lock the heat would transfer and loosen the parts inside the cylinder. So, I went to the office of the motel where I was staying and asked for some matches. Sure enough, the heated key did the trick. Of course, these days cars can be unlocked via remote, but for older models, that may not be an option.

For cold climate veterans, this may seem trivial, but I would love to hear your comments on other cold weather solutions that you have used.