diff --git a/dvc/api.py b/dvc/api.py
index a2235653a6..506baa6c82 100644
--- a/dvc/api.py
+++ b/dvc/api.py
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 except ImportError:
     from contextlib import GeneratorContextManager as GCM
 
-from dvc.utils import remove
 from dvc.utils.compat import urlparse
 from dvc.repo import Repo
 from dvc.external_repo import ExternalRepo
@@ -70,10 +69,9 @@ def _make_repo(repo_url, rev=None):
         yield Repo(repo_url)
     else:
         tmp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp("dvc-repo")
+        ext_repo = ExternalRepo(tmp_dir, url=repo_url, rev=rev)
         try:
-            ext_repo = ExternalRepo(tmp_dir, url=repo_url, rev=rev)
             ext_repo.install()
             yield ext_repo.repo
         finally:
-            ext_repo.repo.scm.git.close()
-            remove(tmp_dir)
+            ext_repo.uninstall()
diff --git a/dvc/external_repo.py b/dvc/external_repo.py
index cbffeee872..2bc2668f9d 100644
--- a/dvc/external_repo.py
+++ b/dvc/external_repo.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 import logging
 import shortuuid
 
-from funcy import cached_property
+from funcy import cached_property, retry
 from schema import Optional
 
 from dvc.config import Config
@@ -138,7 +138,16 @@ def uninstall(self):
             )
             return
 
-        remove(self.path)
+        # If repo has been initialized then we need to close its git repo
+        if "repo" in self.__dict__:
+            self.repo.scm.git.close()
+
+        if os.name == "nt":
+            # git.exe may hang for a while not permitting to remove temp dir
+            os_retry = retry(5, errors=OSError, timeout=0.1)
+            os_retry(remove)(self.path)
+        else:
+            remove(self.path)
 
     def update(self):
         self.repo.scm.fetch(self.rev)
diff --git a/dvc/repo/get.py b/dvc/repo/get.py
index f234c61a7c..0871b40232 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/get.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/get.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 from dvc.path_info import PathInfo
 from dvc.external_repo import ExternalRepo
 from dvc.utils.compat import urlparse
-from dvc.utils import remove
 
 
 @staticmethod
@@ -19,8 +18,8 @@ def get(url, path, out=None, rev=None):
     # and won't work with reflink/hardlink.
     dpath = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(out))
     tmp_dir = os.path.join(dpath, "." + str(shortuuid.uuid()))
+    erepo = ExternalRepo(tmp_dir, url=url, rev=rev)
     try:
-        erepo = ExternalRepo(tmp_dir, url=url, rev=rev)
         erepo.install()
         # Try any links possible to avoid data duplication.
         #
@@ -42,7 +41,5 @@ def get(url, path, out=None, rev=None):
         o.path_info = PathInfo(os.path.abspath(out))
         with o.repo.state:
             o.checkout()
-        erepo.repo.scm.git.close()
     finally:
-        if os.path.exists(tmp_dir):
-            remove(tmp_dir)
+        erepo.uninstall()