Getting into the car on a cold morning is bad enough without discovering that your speakers have frozen over and are refusing to work. But is that really possible? Can freezing damage the car speakers?
Generally, car speakers are built to withstand normal outdoor temperatures that your car can expect to see. This includes freezing cold, which shouldn’t damage the actual speaker itself, even for sustained periods of time. Still, there is some concern about freezing water in a car speaker.
If you’re concerned that your car’s speakers might be affected by the cold, read on to see what’s actually causing the damage and how you can prevent it.
Can Freezing Damage Car Speakers?
While the cold itself won’t damage a speaker’s internal components, cold air mixed with moisture can cause serious damage when allowed to freeze components over. Water on the electrical terminals of a speaker can cause a short circuit while expanding frozen water can push components out of place and cause warping.
Very cold speaker parts can also be quite fragile. If used too quickly after long exposure to cold air, a speaker’s parts may crack or even shatter from intense vibrations. This can harm not only the outer shell but also some of the key amplifiers in the device, making it difficult to repair.
Cold temperatures are also bad for the adhesives that hold many speaker components together. These adhesives may lose their effectiveness when exposed to the cold for too long, causing your speaker to simply fall apart. This can leave hard-to-remove residue on the casing and components that can make reapplying adhesive difficult.