Hi all,

as winter is now drawing in and the mornings are getting colder i have noticed a few mornings that i actually have Ice forming on the inside of the windscreen (i.e. inside the car, not under the laminate)!

Pics:

(Above) The top black patch is where its clear, the white patch on the right is still ice on the outside, then the grey patch on the bottom left is Ice on the INSIDE!

(Below) Heres Ice i have scraped off and has landed on the dashboard!

(Below) then when I put the heater on it melts and i have water running down the inside of the windscreen.

afterall my old Fabia that had leaky rear door sills didnt even ice up inside after a lot of snow last year so im a little worried about a small amount of Ice in the cold weather were having now.

Just wondering has anyone else found this? and if so How did you stop it?

My brand new corsa used to suffer from this and the headlights condensing inside

Only way I stopped it was using the air con then 10 minutes from knocking it off and turning the heater up

Also had dried rice in a tub overnight on the dash to draw the moisture

We have had some cold nights here down to a little under zero. Most though not all mornings when I get into the car any ice has melted, as being retired I am not off out until mid morning. Any early starts I did not notice any ice or water inside the screen, but perhaps it was not as cold as you have experienced.

For ice to form on the inside I assume there would have to be humidity in the car. Just wondering if you haven't been using the air con if using it for some time before parking for the night would help, and would temperatures already be at or near freezing by the time you park? Those factors combined might perhaps encourage ice formation on the insde.

I practically drive everywhere with the AC on recycle all the time, only rarely switch it over to get rid of any stale air. :/

I practically drive everywhere with the AC on recycle all the time, only rarely switch it over to get rid of any stale air. :/

so the moisture from your breath is staying in the car then? Maybe an icecream tub with salt in it, and perforate the lid may help absorb any moisture.

I practically drive everywhere with the AC on recycle all the time, only rarely switch it over to get rid of any stale air. :/

Oh that might explain it then. I rarely, if ever at all, have used heating or air con in that way. Modify that practice and see does it resolve.

Try one (or two) of these. Lots of people swear by them and I have recently ordered one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ThoMar-5217007-Car-Dehumidifier-Air/dp/B000XUPEJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355250774&sr=8-1

There was an earlier topic which might help

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/255713-condensation-without-heater-being-blower-being-on/

Edited 11 December, 201213 yr by CortinaGT

You need to leave the AC on and turn the Recycle off.

Just use it when stuck behind a stinky bus or something.

That's what I do in all my cars and I've never had any condensation or ice on the inside in the morning.

thanks all, Ill try that Richard, if it doesnt quite work then i might look at ordering one of those dehumidifiers. just I found that the car gets warmer if i use the Recycle :p

It will do, because it's recirculating your breath round and round rather than sucking in fresh (cold) air.

I find the Citigo warms up very quickly and the heater is good, so once you've been running for a few minutes you shouldn't need it on recirculate.

I only use it when stuck behind some smoke belching old truck or bus.

It's probably the fastest warming up car I've ever had due to being petrol and it's engine being closer in size to the lawnmower than my other petrol car.

I'm sure I can get warm air out of the heater within one minute...

I've noticed this too....I think it is a problem with some citigos and it should not be dismissed as incorrect use of the ventilation system.

Going to try a dehumidifier bag from amazon....will post results!

The very quick warm up is helped by the water cooled exhaust manifold (one of the little tricks used to decrease warm up time, and hence lower the emissions value based on the test criteria - which is cold start).

Aircon should by definition dry the air (as well as normally cooling it), which is why it comes on when setting the heater to demist.

Unlike climate control, air con on the Citigo only operates when the aircon button (’E’ in the manual) is pressed. So if one adjusts the control 'C, to the screen position only warm air goes to the screen. To add the drier air one needs to also press in the air con button 'E'. (This is covered on page 55 in the manual). Also like most (if not all manufacturers) the external temperature has to be above 2C before the aircon will operate. (Copy of the manual at the top of these topics).

The Citigo engine does not have an exhaust manifold as such - this is built into the cylinder head, which of course heats very quickly! Apparently this is a first in the industry.

Last night i went for a little drive and tried what richard said, This morning hey presto no Ice on the inside thanks all!

I've noticed this too....I think it is a problem with some citigos and it should not be dismissed as incorrect use of the ventilation system.

These are my observations:

Actually it's not particularly a Citigo problem, but applies to probably any vehicle if the circumstances required are met. I have had this on previous vehicles and also now on my Citigo which seems to have more of a problem because of its steeply raked windscreen. As I am sure everyone is aware, when frost forms it appears on horizontal surfaces far quicker than vertical. My vehicles are not used every day so they get colder too.

With our usually milder winters these issues were previously not apparent, but when we had the much colder weather a couple of years ago my Octavia suffered in exactly the same way. We have a fairly steep downward drive part facing North. What I discovered was that if the car was reversed in so that the windscreen was more skyward the internal freezing problem was much greater than if the car was driven in forwards where the screen was much less facing skyward. Reversing in the Citigo shows no freezed condensation on the rear screen, but vast amounts on the windscreen, which at this angle is more like a normal roof.

What are possible answers? Well as already has been said, leaving the car as dry as possible internally by not using re-circulation, and aircon if the external temperature will allow it to operate, and removing wet clothing from the car. If you are on a slope, parking it with front of the car facing downwards and then something the oldies will remember - covering the windscreen. I have not done any research, but there must be products still available for this purpose.

Finally I gather Karcher have a window vac product which can be used to suck the thawing frost from the screen.

Edited 12 December, 201213 yr by CortinaGT

Does the A/C even work in cold temperatures? My Fabia VRS manual states that the A/C is shut off below 4.5 degrees Celcius to avoid damage to the condensor.

The Citigo manual quotes 2+ degrees Celsius needed for it's operation. I use the blower on hot.

Edited 12 December, 201213 yr by CortinaGT

I had this but only once, the first time it was really cold since i got the car

It hasnt happened since i turned the A/C off recirculate

A common complaint across the Skoda range, especially the Octavia.