Hi guys,my in-laws have a 2014 VW Up which they've had a nightmare with,as it constantly mists up inside,even when it's dry and bright outside. Come winter,the condensation turns to ice. Not good,as my mother in law works nights,and has to spend 10-15 minutes clearing the ice from INSIDE the car!

Two local VW dealers have checked it and found no problems,and VW don't seem to be interested. Interestingly,friends have a 2012 Up and don't have the same issue,and the 66 and 17 reg courtesy Up's they have had don't have the same fault.

Is this an issue with the Citigo,and if so has anyone had a successful repair that's sorted the issue out?

They love the car,they just want it fixing. Thanks in advance!

Moisture (H2o) is required to have condensation, so as much as the interior appears dry the materials / seats have moisture in them from humans or moisture entering the car, on mats, door seals or even in the doors.

Is the 2014 Up!'s A/C used in winter in the same way as the 2012 Up! & the 66 / 17 Courtesy cars were being used? 

The 2012 up doesn't suffer the same as the 14. Obviously there is condensation and misting that all cars have when it is cold and/or wet etc. However,the in laws car mists up when wet or dry,warm or cold,it doesn't matter what the conditions. The courtesy vehicles didn't suffer at all while they had them-a week each time. The dealers have both checked and tested everything that might cause the problem,but can find nothing. On one occasion,very early morning last winter,the inside of the screen had thick frost on it,while the exterior was completely frost free? The interior of the car shows none of the usual signs of water ingress,carpets,door seals ,window seals,screen etc,and doesn't smell damp. It seems to make no difference whether or not the air con is on,although obviously it helps to clear the windows.

This topic has cropped up recently somewhere in Briskoda but I cannot remember what model Skoda.

Anyway it came down to air-conditioner and ventilation use. I'm pretty sure there was too much recirculation mode being used in conjunction with air conditioner.

I'm not familiar with the Citigo UK specifications so does her car have basic air-con or climate control and how often is it used and how is it generally configured?

As Awayoffski says there has to be moisture inside the car for the symptoms so either there is a leak into the car which as you say should be obvious from wet carpet, smell etc. OR there may be a blocked drain hose from the air-con and this is causing some sort of internal water build up but I would have thought that would have been checked when it was in.

When the air-conditioner is in use on a warm day there is usually a small pool of water underneath the car when stopped and if there isn't then I would be suspicious of a blocked air-con drain hose.

 

Hi guys - I had misting problems on my first Roomster, which disappeared after the pollen filter was changed.

Is there a similar pollen filter on the Citigo?

Hi,

I’ve just ordered Pingi reusable car dehumidifier on amazon for my Citigo.Will review on it later.

 

Excellent item. I have one in my Yeti and one in wife's Mii.

 

Fred

A/C doesn't work when ambient temperature is below freezing point. So no help from there.

 

First I would check air circulation. Air should be taken outside. 

 

Then I would clean leafs away from wiper rod bay, or what ever that's called in english. That's where heater takes the air.

 

Then I would clean all the windows from inside. Properly with window cleaning fluid made for cars.

 

Then I would check or replace pollen filter.

 

And then heater blower at least position 2 if not 3. Air flow pointed up and down. This way the car should dry if there's no water leaks.

You still use the A/C when it is working and it actually stops before the Ambient temp gets as low as 0*oC.

No need for leaks just wet damp carpets or mats even rubber ones left in the car before the frost and Air or Grass temp drops.

Temperature changes warm days, cold nights, sun shining, interior steaming.

 

Plenty Moisture Absorbent Packs available for £1 that helps, 1 in the cabin & 1 in the boot.

Even a Butter / Marg Carton with some Rock Salt in, lid taped on and a few holes pierced on the lid.  Tight Scots person stylee.

The salt does not go to Liquid like the Absorbent Packs do as the H2o is absorbed.

Edited 14 September, 20187 yr by Offski

No need to keep A/C on as it does absolutely nothing when ambient temperature is below freezing point. Compressor doesn't work, no A/C.

I think you maybe misunderstand what i said.

Keep the A/C on in your journey when it is working and before the temp drops to around 2*oC and then you are parking a car with a drier interior maybe.

No harm done, just an idea and not and argument.

 

The UK is an Island Nation and the Humidity and Air can not be as dry as maybe in Finland and other countries where much lower temperatures are common and might last for longer periods.

Mild days, damp days and low temps by night are common in the UK, and from the South to the North of the UK there are so many variations 

& from inland to the coast.

Edited 14 September, 20187 yr by Offski

From my limited experience I've come to the conclusion that for me it's a VAG thing. My 2014 Rapid did it, my 2016 Scirocco R did it and I'm pretty sure my new Rapid will do it when winter rolls around.

 

I have my air con on all year, all of the time, it's never on recirculation mode and the cars in question were too new to have a build up of leaves, gunk etc in the pollen filter area. I also had rubber mats in all 3 cars so would have noticed if there was water on the floor, plus the Scirocco had leather seats so not really anywhere for the water to soak into either.

 

I think it's just one of those things that some of us get and some don't so I'll have my water absorbing thingies ready for the first cold snap

Exactly right, you can have different cars parked side by side and some frosted inside or steamed up and others not.  Just look in a Carpark on a frosty morning as the sun comes up.

Walk around a Dealership Forecourt in the morning and you will see that, and if your job involves opening & getting in and maybe moving the cars or starting them in the morning at a Skoda, VW, SEAT or Audi dealership you will see the difference from vehicle to vehicle and new or used or ones that were maybe driven the day before.

 

Your interior / seats have moisture in them maybe, and unless you are drying all the interior glass before parking up if their is any moisture in it then that can be going to the windscreen.  If it was a rainy day it is kind of difficult not to have moisture in the car, even from a wet jacket on the back seat or in the boot.

Anyone living and driving enough winters in Scotland might get to know the best cars for being dry inside.

 

IME that is a Volvo.   Funny that as VW Group are European and Skoda in the Czech republic but unless you prep a Fuel Filler Flap for winter it might well freeze, 

with that Ice Scrapper in it as well if you leave that plastic tat in there.

 

Probably the car most likely to have the doors freeze shut unless you prepare the door seals for freezing weather is a Skoda Fabia, Mk1, Mk2 & Mk3, 

maybe the Face Lift will be better, they have had 19 years to get it right.

 

Night Before De-Icer worth its weight in gold in some locations temps. when there will be a hoar frost.

Works sprayed on the door seals before parking up.

 

Edited 14 September, 20187 yr by Offski

Nothing like the fan heater in the car for 1\2 an hour. Used to have to get up at silly o'clock in the winter and it was brilliant.

I had the same issue with a Mk2 Octavia FL. Pretty ridiculous to be sat in the car waiting for the engine to warm up enough so that the heaters could start to defrost the INSIDE of the windscreen. I used rubber mats and dried them off before locking the car up but you’d still get the inside frosting up. Dealer was useless and not interested with variety of excuses that basically implied it was something I was doing even though no car before or since has done it. I ended up with 2x 1kg dehumidifier bags in from Halfords and would need to dry them out every other week but at least I didn’t have internal ice on the windscreen when using them. 

Edited 14 September, 20187 yr by CWARD

The answer to the OP's problem is for the in laws to sell their VW Up and get a Ford with heated windscreen to defrost the outside and because it will have good seals they won’t have to worry about internal ice. 

Green house £20 heater, set at 3-4*oC , low setting slow fan speed and an outside cable and box, window deflectors with the window a few mm open, all the cold winter time when parked up.

Even the outside glass stays clear, you go out late or during the night to a cozzy enough car, no de-icing, just *remember to unplug the heater*,

I have it at the drivers side.  Uses hardly any electricity even in the coldest locations as the cars interior temp easily stays up.

1 minute ago, Offski said:

Green house £20 heater, set at 3-4*oC , low setting slow fan speed and an outside cable and box, window deflectors with the window a few mm open, all the cold winter time when parked up.

Even the outside glass stays clear, you go out late or during the night to a cozzy enough car, no de-icing, just *remember to unplug the heater*,

I have it at the drivers side.  Uses hardly any electricity even in the coldest locations as the cars interior temp easily stays up.

30 minutes at 2kw does me. My wife drove off one morning without removing the lead. Dragged the socket off the wall, then the plug came off. She was stopped a mile away after someone pointed out the 10yds of cable trailing behind the car. Didn't even blow the fuse.  

Ye but i dont know 30 minutes before going out that i am going out and there is a long time from dark to daylight & sometimes the car might not move for days..

I will say only this.

 

Turn off a/c a good ten minutes or more before you get home to dry out the evaporator, use heat and high fan before parking up. 

What if journey lasts 10 minutes or less? 

20 minutes ago, Emil said:

What if journey lasts 10 minutes or less? 

 

Don't use the a/c at all...just turn the heat/fan up to clear any misting.

It’s almost 5 months since I’m using Pingi dehumidifier and with good results.In last couple of weeks, when temperature went down to 0 over night, I had to clean the windscreen from ice on the outside couple of times.But inside is always nice and dry.Today I did dry both bags for the first time in a microwave.After that I left them out for about 15 minutes to cool them down as they were very hot.Now they are back in the car ready for the job again.