condensation?

[gowers]

Hi -- I bought a new Octavia estate 1.6dti last Oct.

i have been most impressed with the car with the exeption of the amount of internal condensation on the screen during colder weather.

I have had many cars over the years, but none of them has ever had so much moisture inside the screen :(

Should I be discussing the problem with the dealer or is this the norm with this vehicle?

Edited 25 November, 2010 by gowers

[Ryan90VRS]

think its normal if it's owt like the fabia you need to seal the door's by taking the door card off!

[Vectensian]

I previously had a Fabia Vrs and this was a massive problem come the end of Autumn and into the winter every year. Bloody water everywhere off the front screen. The garage didn't seem to agree with me that it was a problem. I used to carry a squeegee and a roll of kitchen paper in the car to mop up all the water. Never had a car like it for condensation. No exterior leaks into the car as far as I could ascertain.

I've now got a 1.8tsi Octavia, 6 months old, I've had it from new and absolutely no problem in this area at all. I use the climate control in the same way, but it's fine.

This seems to be an issue with some of these cars - blocked drain sonewhere? I've noticed that the Octavia readily leaves 'Air Con' puddles on the ground, whereas the Fabia with condensation probs didn't.

Something blocked somewhere methinks. Hope this helps someone to sort out the prob.

[broere]

Own an Octavia from new since September 2009. Never had the problems you discribe. Think it has to do with humidity and quickly dropping temperatures at night, thus the condensation. On a Dutch forum, there is a thread going on about the same problem. In the morning, before driving off, open your doors after you started your engine, put the aircon on and wait for a minute. The humidity that built up in the system will be out of the car. After a short while, close the doors and you'll be able to drive away without any condensation on the inside.

My son, owning a Renault Megane, had the same problems. I put the car in the garage for one night, leaving all the windows open, and now the problem has been solved.

To rule any other problems out, check door seals, the floor of the car (wet?).

[lfc958]

Tip from AA website :- Soak a cloth in pure washing up liquid, then let it dry. Now wipe this cloth on the inside of your windows & it will stop them from misting up.

They recommend you try it on bathroom windows / mirror , Will go out & try it.

[silver1011]

This always comes up at this time of year.

It's a common problem with the Octavia - it's just a damp car by design.

There are some common faults which cause issues (door seals, door cards, rear washer pipe, pollen filter etc.)

Check these most recent threads outs:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/180817-everything-misting-up/

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/180771-rear-heated-screen/

[eccleshill]

Tip from AA website :- Soak a cloth in pure washing up liquid, then let it dry. Now wipe this cloth on the inside of your windows & it will stop them from misting up.

They recommend you try it on bathroom windows / mirror , Will go out & try it.

That is a trick I used to use on the inside of the visor of my motorcycle crash helmet in winter. It doesn't stop the condensation but it forms in a film not as droplets so you keep transparency. The downside is that the washing up liquid leaves a greasy smear on the dry screen which is horrible in sunlight.

[Auric Goldfinger]

Tip from AA website :- Soak a cloth in pure washing up liquid, then let it dry. Now wipe this cloth on the inside of your windows & it will stop them from misting up.

They recommend you try it on bathroom windows / mirror , Will go out & try it.

Will supermarket stuff do or do you need the top branded stuff ??

[gowers]

Will supermarket stuff do or do you need the top branded stuff ??

TY for your knowledgeable replies I have just checked the carpets in the floor well's which seem to be quite dry.

As one would expect with a new car the door seals look very good without cracks, folds or splits.

It’s really starting to concern me with the onset of winter + statements that the Octavia has a reputation for this type of fault

:(

[krko]

Brand new 2010 Octavia, doesn't seem to accumulate condensation more than the other cars I've had...

[eccleshill]

It’s really starting to concern me with the onset of winter + statements that the Octavia has a reputation for this type of fault

:(

I am on my 2nd Octavia in 4 years and have never had condensation problems. I hardly ever have the windows open and only use air con when I need it to cool down or when I forget to turn it off after using the "auto" button. I have no garage so the car sleeps outside, parked nose down on a fairly steep drive. In the 2 months that I have had the current car I have only ever needed the heated rear window to melt ice - never (as far as I can recall) to demist.

A thought!! - I only wash my cars 4 or 5 times a year (whether they need it or not!) and always do it in my drive, again with the car facing downhill. I give it a quick pressure rinse, apply foam, sponge down, pressure rinse and leather dry. I make a conscious effort to keep the pressure washer away from door/boot edges and the ventillation intake below the windscreen. Whole process 15-25 minutes - more if I give the wheels a special going over.

So a question - those who suffer from condensation problems - how often do you wash your pride and joy? Could that be the problem? Or have I just been lucky?

[pixor]

From what people say, the Octavia is prone to this, but it's not inevitable, as mine is fine.

If there is no visible sign of dampness on carpets etc., check all the drain channels etc. are free of leaves and other muck. Apparently the pollen filter is a common culprit for holding moisture. Check it and replace if it's dirty.

When I first bought mine (second-hand) I had problems with moisture and condensation. It turned out that the rear high-level light had a small crack in it, which let water inside the tailgate trim. Once it was replaced, it's been fine.

I leave my aircon on auto.

[Chris_Focus]

Air Dry

[lozparry]

Air Dry

Nice... I must remember to save the moisture sacks when I buy electrical items as its allows in the packaging!!!

TBH... I suffer this, mainly in the rear screen, but its not everyday and maybe depends on how/direction I park up.

[Paul007]

Mine only happens after I've got in on a cold night. It can take ages to demist and the looks I get whilst I'm sat there....so I've resorted to opening the window after I've got in and that seems to cure it. I'm going to have a look for leaves/blockages etc as it's never happened on any of the previous Octy's I've had.

[alberg]

The rear window is always doing this, worse than my Megane or my dads 1997 Passat.

It´s ridiculos sometimes.

Maybe has something to do with the thickness of the glass, maybe the road noise also has to do with the thickness of the glass of the doors

I wonder :S

Edited 25 November, 2010 by alberg

[chr1staylor]

Air Dry

Hmmm, that looks interesting. Can you just bung it out of sight under a seat?

[Stuart_J]

Weve had 2 Octy 1's & now a Scout & never had the problem but we always leave the air con on as it dehumidifies as well as cooling the car in the summer.

Do those of you who are having problems run the air con ???

Edited 26 November, 2010 by Stuart_J

[gowers]

Weve had 2 Octy 1's & now a Scout & never had the problem but we always leave the air con on as it dehumidifies as well as cooling the car in the summer.

Do those of you who are having problems run the air con ???

[gowers]

I continually run the aircon / climatic control hot in the winter cold in the summer.

The logic behind this is to remove internal moisture + as the car manual states -- it reduces dust in t he car which is predominantly caused by driving with the window open.

But still as I originally stated there is still a large amount of condensation inside the front screen.

I shall monitor it over the next week with pictures and then present it to the dealers to see what their reactions are to the problem.

Thanks for all the input that has been given

I shall post again with their feed back to the problem

Edited 26 November, 2010 by gowers

[darrenw]

To check the seals, in the morning after a frost, gently peel the rubber edge away from the internal plastic trim and look for what seems to be glass. That'll be ice.

Also, gently squeeze/rock the trim and if there is water/ice you'll hear it squeak (like chewing ice cubes)