Rear heated screen

[miniman_7]

So I'm just starting my first winter with the Octy.

I am noticing how naff my rear screen is at demisting. Clearing the ice from a sharp frost happens really quick, but the misting inside takes forever.

It doesn't mist up lots inside, but it just seems not to want to shift.

Does everyone have this problem??

My boot is dry, so no obvious leaks. The misting isn't really thick, just a sligh mist up as one would expect in the cold.

Also does the aircon switch off in the cold?? It seems that clearing the misting at the front takes longer than I'd expect with aircon at the front too??

[silver1011]

Common complaint with the Octavia, to varying degrees.

They just seem to be damp cars unfortunately!

[quickstepqueen]

My Fabia is the same. Takes longer to clear the misting inside than it does to clear the ice from the outside!! Ex has an Octavia and it's the same.

[silver1011]

I agree that there are several causes that can greatly exacerbate interior misting, my Scout is bone dry inside and always has been.

Despite this I still suffer from misting inside the car, which can be stubborn to remove even with the A/C on, fans on max and heat on high.

I've replaced the pollen filter, rear washer pipes are all OK, ensured that the door and boot seals are empty and not damaged and there are no wet clothes or mats either.

There is damp getting into the car somehow but I believe, after reading many posts on the subject (especially at this time of year), that it is just designed into the car somehow.

[WaveyDaveyGravy]

I had a Mk 1 Leon and it was terrible for leaks. It was always wet inside (try ice on the inside on cold morning wet) but it wasn't until I dropped some money that I found out just how wet the carpets were. Turns out it was leaking through the bulkhead on the drivers side. Then shortly before I got rid of it I had to reseal the front doors as it was leaking through there too. Clearly not much wet weather testing done in Spain.

The Octy I am convinced leaks too due to the amount of condensation on the inside (this being the third car I have had that leaks). Can't pin it down, so at the moment it's just a theory, but I hate the fact that they couldn't be bothered to test it properly. Worst thing about the car I think.

[weyland]

I was about to post a similar thing; My rear windscreen mists up BADLY. The resulting moisture that is in the car then seems to mist up the front windscreen when I am sat in the car. The boot is dry, as are the footwells. The rear wipe seems to work correctly but could this still be the culprit? The rear wash seems to have pressure, but the housing on the hatch seems like a pig to take apart to do an inspection.

Is there an easy way to inspect this to see if it is the problem?

[silver1011]

I've never heard of the rear washer pipes leaking, only popping off completely.

If you have water appearing on the rear screen then I suspect your water ingress is elsewhere.

There are quite a few threads on the problem that a quick search should reveal.

Or your car may just be like mine and is just damp by design :S

[juan27]

My VRS is 6 weeks old and I've noticed this. The HRW didn't clear the rear screen in 20 mins tonight and the front screen takes longer than I would like.

[silver1011]

My VRS is 6 weeks old and I've noticed this. The HRW didn't clear the rear screen in 20 mins tonight and the front screen takes longer than I would like.

Yep, sounds like we may have to live with it I'm afraid :'(

[chr1staylor]

What doesn't help the situation is the fact that the rear demister seems to turn itself off after a set time, whether or not it's fully-cleared the screen, which it inevitably never has.

Edited 15 November, 2010 by BigC

[silver1011]

I also have a 1999 Peugeot 306 with a leaking heater matrix - so the car really is damp inside!

Despite this the rear heated screen never fails to defrost and manages to completely clear and dry the rear window within around 5 minutes - excellent job.

My 2 year old Octy? Almost impossible, grrr!

[lfc958]

Seems like a pain, but I used to regularly clean the rear window & put anti mist on, it got to be a regular 6 - 8 week job.

[JohnMcL7]

Seems like a pain, but I used to regularly clean the rear window & put anti mist on, it got to be a regular 6 - 8 week job.

Did you find it was effective in the meantime? Reading through the thread I was wondering if there were any alternatives such as treating to the window to make this less of an issue.

John

[weyland]

Two places to look:

Leaking door carriers, check this one:

http://octavia-vrs.com/cms/content/leaking-door-carriers

Removing hatchback trim, check these:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/178715-how-to-remove-estate-tailgate-trim

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/92617-octavia-vrs-interior-tailgate-trim-help-please/

http://octavia-vrs.com/cms/content/tailgate-cover-removal

Many thanks for the pointers - doesn't seem like the easiest job but i'll take a look. Due to the fact though that my rear washer appears to be intact it sounds like this may not be the problem in my case.

[sneeks]

I've noticed that one of the heated strips running across the rear window is not working, is this a easy fix and should it be covered under my Skoda approved used car 12 month warranty?

[gregoir]

A new window would be required. An ugly DIY repair is possible using conductive paint. I fixed my Passat HRW that way.

If the element failure is as a result of it being scratched then the warranty is unlikely to cover it. Commonly occurs when large items are carried in the boot.

[Ultrasonic]

At the start of this autumn, as with previous winters, I had the apparently standard problem of excessive condensation on the inside of the rear window. I would clear it with a towel so I could move off quickly rather than wasting time and fuel waiting for the rear-demist to fail to clear it.

 

I now no longer have any problem, after making two changes:

 

1) I have one of these sitting in a rear passenger footwell:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A6TKSXE/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

2) I keep the climate control on all of the time.

 

I suspect it is the latter that has the bigger effect but I can't be sure.

 

Demisting both the front and rear windscreens has rarely been necessary recently, and the couple of times it has been it has taken less than a minute to clear.