Whenever I seem to get in my car, the windows - particularly the windscreen have loads of condensation on them, and so I end up sitting for ages with the heated screen on and the blower on the full blast clearing setting.

I know it happens a lot at this time of year, but people I get on the train with coming home, just jump in their cars in the carpark and they're away with no issues.

 

Anyone else have this?

 

 

Also, I've got to say, the heated screen isn't anywhere near as good as the one I had in my old B6 Passat - it was the type with the filaments running through the glass.

 

...and while I'm having a whinge, my Columbus changes DAB radio channels randomly, not all the time, maybe about once a week.

Have you got the air con turned on?

If you have it should keep the inside of the car dry enough for this not to happen.

Air con is not just for the summer you should leave it on all year round, the only time I ever turn mine off is on a dry spring or autumn day and then only very occasionally.

I had a similar problem with condensation in my previous Roomster, which I owned from new.  There were no wet carpets or other signs of dampness but even with the aircon running continuously, the windows were slow to clear.

 

But after the pollen filter had been changed during the car's first service, the problem disappeared.  HTH

I've found I get this on any of the cars I have owned if I leave the aircon on at this time of year.

I had a S-max to test drive a few weeks ago, delivered witht the aircon on, I got in it a few hours later, started the engine - all the windows steamed up in seconds.... Drove it for a few miles with the aircon off, never had the same problem for the week I had it.

 

Make sure the aircon if off - once it's cleared - and leave it off. Perhaps use it on a few days to keep the system functional

I've found I get this on any of the cars I have owned if I leave the aircon on at this time of year.

I had a S-max to test drive a few weeks ago, delivered witht the aircon on, I got in it a few hours later, started the engine - all the windows steamed up in seconds.... Drove it for a few miles with the aircon off, never had the same problem for the week I had it.

 

Make sure the aircon if off - once it's cleared - and leave it off. Perhaps use it on a few days to keep the system functional

 

That's strange as it's contrary to all the information on aircon I've ever heard or experienced (30 years of driving cars with aircon).  I'm sure that philsmith has it correct, if we have an aircon engineer to put us right then I'm always willing and happy to learn.

Your carpets are probably wet from all the wet weather, maybe bring in the front two mats & dry them against a radiator/fire to dry them? I use to use Dehumidifier Bags (for Caravans, Wardrobes etc) & leave one in the car, great for soaking up moisture in the car,available in most discount shops, also RainEx to an anti-fog product for inside the car which would help...

Your carpets are probably wet from all the wet weather, maybe bring in the front two mats & dry them against a radiator/fire to dry them? I use to use Dehumidifier Bags (for Caravans, Wardrobes etc) & leave one in the car, great for soaking up moisture in the car,available in most discount shops, also RainEx to an anti-fog product for inside the car which would help...

A friend of ours made her own "dehumidifier bag" for her car (she saw the tip on the internet)  ................. she put some cat litter into a pair of socks (i.e. one sock over the other to "double bag" it) and tucked it neatly into the corner of the windscreen ............. works a treat she says! 

If the air con is running, the evaporator will operate at around 2-4°C. Any moisture in the air hits it, condenses into a liquid and eventually drips off the evaporator and out of the car via the drip tray and drain.

When you turn the air con off, the evaporator warms up to ambient temperatures. Chances are the coil is still soaking wet with condensation which will evaporate off the coil. If the car is then switched off, the humid air finds its way to a cold surface and condenses onto it. This will usually be the windscreen and front windows first.

If I'm using my air con. I turn it off before stopping the car, but still run the fan. This allows any moisture on the coil to evaporate. This also means the coil is left dry, which reduces the chances of bacteria multiplying on the coil.

A warm and damp evaporator is ideal for bacteria and will increase the chances of your air con smelling like cat's pee.

I very rarely run it in the winter so I never have any serious issues with the car steaming up. Plenty of fresh air coming into the cabin will keep that from happening.

The exception to this is people getting in the car with wet coats on. This makes the car steam up almost instantly. I run the A/C with some heat to dry things out. Then I switch off the A/C and keep the heat running. This usually prevents the car from steaming up while the evaporator coil dries out.

Most commercial A/C units have a 'coil dry' setting that allows the unit to overrun the fan to dry off the evaporator coil before it shuts down.

One of my biggest annoyances is seeing cars all steamed up due to the driver leaving the recirc on. This just raises the r.h. in the car which raises the dew point, increasing the chances of condensation. Fresh air is the key to clear windows!

Extract from the Owner's Manual:

 

The heating and air conditioning ventilate and heat the vehicle interior. The air conditioning system also cools and dehumidifies the vehicle interior.

 

If the cooling system is switched on, the temperature and air humidity drops in the vehicle. The cooling system prevents the windows from misting up during the cold season of the year

I have never suffered misting as long as the a/c is operating. And that applies to any of our climate control equipped vehicles. I never turn the a/c off. I've never had 'smelly' a/c either on the 8 climate control equipped cars I have owned - again because the system is never off.

If it's on recirculate then the cars will mist, and if it's off the cars will mist. If it's on, no mist. Just follow what the manual says - as quoted above - and you'll be fine.

If the air con is running, the evaporator will operate at around 2-4°C. Any moisture in the air hits it, condenses into a liquid and eventually drips off the evaporator and out of the car via the drip tray and drain.

When you turn the air con off, the evaporator warms up to ambient temperatures. Chances are the coil is still soaking wet with condensation which will evaporate off the coil. If the car is then switched off, the humid air finds its way to a cold surface and condenses onto it. This will usually be the windscreen and front windows first.

If I'm using my air con. I turn it off before stopping the car, but still run the fan. This allows any moisture on the coil to evaporate. This also means the coil is left dry, which reduces the chances of bacteria multiplying on the coil.

A warm and damp evaporator is ideal for bacteria and will increase the chances of your air con smelling like cat's pee.

I very rarely run it in the winter so I never have any serious issues with the car steaming up. Plenty of fresh air coming into the cabin will keep that from happening.

The exception to this is people getting in the car with wet coats on. This makes the car steam up almost instantly. I run the A/C with some heat to dry things out. Then I switch off the A/C and keep the heat running. This usually prevents the car from steaming up while the evaporator coil dries out.

Most commercial A/C units have a 'coil dry' setting that allows the unit to overrun the fan to dry off the evaporator coil before it shuts down.

One of my biggest annoyances is seeing cars all steamed up due to the driver leaving the recirc on. This just raises the r.h. in the car which raises the dew point, increasing the chances of condensation. Fresh air is the key to clear windows!

 

What he said.

 

This is the problem with people that run air con all the time and don't switch it off before you park it up. This isn't a problem however but at this time of year if its cold in the morning there is no air con to clear the condensation 

 

The only time i use air con in the winter is if i have a few people in the car and it starts to mist up, or i'm just giving it a weekly run to keep the lubricants distributed round all the seals. otherwise its off to save hving condensation in the mornings

Edited 11 February, 201610 yr by SuperbTWM

I started driving in the late sixties and for the next thirty years suffered misting up windows as everyone did in those days.

 

My first 'modern' car with climate control was a Citroen XM in the nineties and now ten cars later (more Citroens, Lexus SC400, Mitsubishi VR4 and three E classes) have never suffered from misty windows and have always just set the cars to 'auto' and between 18-20 degrees. i.e. with the air con turned on, all year round.

 

If the car mists up when you turn on the air con then I would say you have a problem.

Edited 11 February, 201610 yr by philsmith

It should also be noted that modern A/C systems are running all the time, albeit at a very reduced amount - something like 2-5% capacity IIRC. This keeps the compressor shaft seal lubricated to reduce the chances of a refrigerant leak. Doesn't hurt to whang it up to full power on occasions though. 

 

There isn't a traditional on/off clutch any more, the compressor has a regulating valve to control the refrigerant flow around the system.

 

The A/C compressor is also disabled at low outdoor temperatures. I can't recall the exact temperature, pretty sure it used to be +4ºC but might be less now. This is to prevent the refrigerant from over-condensing and freezing the evaporator. Even if the A/C light is on, there will be no refrigeration going on. 

I got in mine the other night after it had been parked for around 4 hours and the inside of the windscreen was literally running with condensation. The blowers and heated screen sorted the worst of it within a couple of minutes but I still had water spots on the inside from the end of the 'runs' when I got home 25 mins later. I have the air con switched on all year round, always have and the only car I've ever had this problem with previously was ironically my 2006 Octavia. Not particularly impressed tbh.

Out of interest...on my Mk II L&K I could see the heated windscreen wires in some lighting conditions. On the Mk III L&K I cannot see wires at all...but it works well none the less. Does it use new heated windscreen tehcnology?

The new one is like a 'film' on the screen hence the copper glint off it at certain angles

Whenever I seem to get in my car, the windows - particularly the windscreen have loads of condensation on them, and so I end up sitting for ages with the heated screen on and the blower on the full blast clearing setting.

I know it happens a lot at this time of year, but people I get on the train with coming home, just jump in their cars in the carpark and they're away with no issues.

Silly question perhaps but... could YOU be the difference!? (Body temperature)

Maybe you are producing lots of latent heat when you get in the car? 

that can be climatic control system's valves problem,

i saw here tread about noises when put gear in reverse and that were valves

I'm guessing that as quite a few posters have no probs despite a variety of approaches to a/c in winter; and based on the description by OP and especially Pete T, that there is likely something different going on in their cases.

Thoughts to investigate:

- leak (rain into interior, maybe heater matrix?)

- blockage (a/c condensate drain, leaves in pollen filter drain?)

- some other source of moisture - boiling a kettle in the car?

Good luck, doesn't sound right to me.

I have exactly the same problem on my mklll Octavia Vrs, not only inconvenient but also embarrassing on such a new car. Mine can also steam up in warmer clim's, While driving in heavy rain then when you become stationary, for what ever reason a traffic jam perhaps, I have to put the blower on full to keep on top of this problem.

And for the record I have owned A|C cars for more years than I can remember and this is the first time I have had this problem. 

Edited 14 February, 201610 yr by panmat

I have exactly the same problem on my mklll Octavia Vrs, not only inconvenient but also embarrassing on such a new car. Mine can also steam up in warmer clim's, While driving in heavy rain then when you become stationary, for what ever reason a traffic jam perhaps, I have to put the blower on full to keep on top of this problem.

And for the record I have owned A|C cars for more years than I can remember and this is the first time I have had this problem.

Check the climate strength setting in the infotainment. There are 3 settings, something like low, medium and high.

Try running it on high.

Got mine set on low and have no problems with condensation, if a little ever does appear on the screen (cold morning/tops of hills etc) the auto function kicks in and it changes to screen blower to clear it and then reverts to normal as soon as it has cleared. Another great Superb feature!

Guys, I know this post is a tad old now, but just wanted to thank you all for your replies.

I've been crazy busy just lately and not had much time for checking my forums.

 

I've got a couple of things to check out - for clarity, the windows are already steamed up before I get into the car, when I first posted, the water was literally in beads on the inside, ready to start running down the glass.

 

Thanks again