Rapid misting up problem

[Manxmotorman]

My Rapid is  2014 model with 24k miles. Been going well until following a cold night the front & rear screens were totally misted up. It soon cleared with the usual control settings. BUT a few days later, the same thing happened and this time the front screen was dripping wet. I've looked through the forums but not yet solved the problem. Wiping it down and using the heater/aircon got me away after about 10 minutes.

Door drain holes clear. (The front ones needed the rubber seal cutting away to allow the water out a few months ago).

No damp carpets.

The aircon (manual version) seems to be working OK.

I've so far not found the pollen filter. I've looked on either side of the centre console and cannot see any sign of it.

Similarly the heater plenum chamber - where is it? Usually at the base of the screen...

I'm used to working on cars, and my last was a VW Jetta. I did need some guidance, but the Haynes manual answered all my questions. But I can't find any useful manual to show me the two areas above. I have down loaded the manufacturers PDI instructions, but that hasn't helped.

Finally, the rear washer doesn't. I can hear the pump running, but no water comes out. One to investigate. (I thought that the water may be going somewhere else, but the boot/spare wheel area is all dry). I'll explore further when it's a bit warmer!

Manxmotorman

[MickA]

My Toledo has the pollen filter passenger side up under the dash, just under a loose flap of material. Slide the two or maybe one clip to the side and it should drop the the plastic filter holder out, simple job just b---- awkward to get at for an oldie like me.  I'm guessing the Rapid may be in the same position as it's more or less built to the same spec/layout etc.

 

The other bits I'm not sure on so of no help, sorry.

[camelspyyder]

Older rapids were actually notorious for letting water in and many on here used cheap dehumidifier boxes to absorb the moisture.

 

But my 2017 is prone to awful condensation when the temperature drops quickly after a sunny day. The (recently serviced) A/C wont clear it - all I can do is wipe it with a cloth.

 

I believe that properly cleaning the inside windows will help a lot but I cant be bothered.

[Manxmotorman]

Thanks MickA, I'll have look. But like you I'm getting on a bit, so I know what you mean!

[Manxmotorman]

Thanks camelspyder - might be the only solution, but where is the water accumulating?? The front doors did fill up before I cleared the drain holes. Perhaps something in the doors is acting like a sponge. I'm not going to take the panels off to find out, but has anyone else done this?

[camelspyyder]

The rear doors used to collect it  (too much sealant in the bottom of the door blocking the drain hole) and then the carpets in the rear footwells got damp.

 

 

[Manxmotorman]

What I found strange was that the rear doors had rubber seals with cut-outs where the drain holes were - but not the front doors! The front doors did fill up, and were easily drained by holding the rubber sealing strip away from the door. As previously mentioned, I cut away a small part of the sealing strips on both front doors and the problem didn't recur.

 

I've ordered the silica gel bags from Amazon as an interim measure whilst I carry on getting splinters scatching my head wondering where the H2O is getting in...

 

Thanks to everyone's comments so far. 

[Guest]

What isn't helpful is that all my VAG cars have suffered this issue since I can remember - there's obviously moisture in the cabin.

 

I had drips fall on to my dash the other day, the drips were coming from misting that had frozen on the windscreen over night ( -8c here on Friday night ). Now that is very, very unusual. In fact all windows were misted up. It then dawned on me that the wet tent was still in the boot from last weekend! The wet had run off the bag and a few pools of water were lying on the rubber floor mat.

 

Left the windows down to air in the sun yesterday. -4C overnight but no such misting this morning.

[MickA]

My neighbour has two cars and he's got a long padded mat along the dash, presumably to soak up moisture. He's got them in both cars so he must suffer the same in both, Vauxhall and Ford.

Incidentally my Toledo has never suffered from damp or moisture in the cabin apart from lightly steamed up windows.

[Manxmotorman]

Yesterday morning the car was dry... I was out with a friend later in the day, and whilst it misted up slightly when we got in, it soon cleared with the aircon on. I tried an experiment on the way home. About 2 miles away I turned the heat down to zero and left the aircon on. The theory is that warm air holds a lot more moisture than cool air, so by leaving the car with mainly cool dry air might help the situation. The weather was dry too. I've not used the car today, but a check around midday revealed no condensation, despite being in the sun. Overnight temperature down to -2.

 

Thinking back to the first incidence of the dripping wet screen, the journey prior to parking up was short - about 3 miles - and it was a wet day. A wet day followed by a cold dry night produced the problem. Could it be that short journeys and better sealing of cars generally is making the problem more likely? I'll try keeping the temperature down and the aircon on during short trips, especially when it's wet and see if that helps. I'll check that the air exit vents in the boot are working properly too - if they are stuck partially shut the air has no where to go. My last 4 cars have all been VAG, and apart from this one, haven't been a problem. The wife's (old K12) Micra doesn't do it either.

 

Looks as if the weather is going to change towards the end of next week here, so I'll keep the forum posted on my findings.

[Delberthot]

I try to dry the windows inside as much as possible during the winter, including the glass roof if you have one, with a microfiber cloth then take the cloth back out of the car so that it doesn't then evaporate again and repeat the same issue. I find that a few days of this helps for the next few weeks.

 

I tried the long absorbent pillow thing but that did nothing for me.

 

When I am about to park up somewhere for the day, knowing that it is going to be colder when I return, for the last half a mile or so of my journey I turn the a/c down to it's lowest setting and direct the air flow at the window to try to cool the car right down so that the difference between the temperature inside and outside is as little as I can get it.

 

It's a lot of work just to be able to start the car and drive away without spending 10 minutes demisting the windscreen but it's one of these things. My spaceback has this problem, my VW Scirocco R had it and so did my 2014 rapid notchback.

 

Another thing I try to do is to keep the temperature low for the first mile or so as there's nothing more terrifying than setting off and thinking that everything is ok only for the windscreen to mist up to the point of not being able to see out due to the slightly warmer air coming out of the vents as you are driving along

[J.R.]

I had some misting recently that really smeared when wiped with my usual synthetic chamois stored in the drivers door pocket, I realise that the moisture it removes remains in the cloth to evaporate once again in the car, its only used when after driving off there is a light misting that appears before the heater demister & aircon removes it. I have never had it smear like this before and its a long time since it had a clean in and out by the Romanians.

 

then last thursday travelling back to France something very weird, drove to Eurotunnel at Folkstone and any misting went within the first mile, car nicely warmed through, dry, no condensation anywhere.

 

On heated air conditioned carriage of Le Shuttle for 35 minutes during which time I dozed, the windows were closed so my breathing vapour and perspiration would have remained in the vehicle.

 

Drove off at Calais where it was a lot colder, car warm no misting or condensation but within a few minutes I could not see to drive, wiping the windscreen resulted in  the smearing from the week before, the aircon was on and I had to resort to max temp and fan speed on defrost setting just to have some visibility through the windscreen.

 

I stopped at the first aire de peage, maybe after 10-15 minutes driving, in that time even after a cold start with wet clothes in the car etc all windows would be clear but they were sopping wet, had to go over every one of them except the rear screen with the chamois cloth and thereafter no misting whatsoever, it was cold and damp all tha way to my place where it was even colder and damper yet all the glass inside was dry as a bone.

 

I will use VCDS to check the aircon condensor and outlet temps but otherwise I am bemused by the development, it was like I had got into the car soaking wet after a run in a thunderstorm but it got worse and not better on the demist setting with a hot engine.

[Beachy]

I have no condensation issues with my 2016 spaceback but leave the air con switched on all year (hot and cold settings). 

[RicardoM]

@Manxmotorman

The A/C is not good enough. Any mist should disappear with a good A/C in under one minute.

[Ootohere]

It really should.

But then there is whatever the Ambient temp is, the cars interior temp, and the humidity.  Then if the A/C actually is not operating because of the low ambient temp if there is that.

 

Open the windows and have the interior of the car the same as outside if not freezing while starting a cold engine in a cool car.

[J.R.]

I think driving off Le Shuttle was the perfect storm, a warm car with humidity from my body after say 45 minutes, driving out into very cold humid air at less than 8°c where the aircon would not operate.

 

In similar conditions in a non air con vehicles, estates with large volumes, large cold glass areas would always steam up and need clearing with a chamois before driving off, after 20 minutes of driving the rear windows would clear and remain so, thats exactly what happened.

 

Still not sure why the screen mist was so greasy though.

[Ootohere]

It is cars with A/C that get greasy inside the windscreen, cars without dont.

 

Then new cars have chemicals that come out the plastics.

Then there is the crap that the 'valeters' that prepare sales cars use...

[Manxmotorman]

The last few days have confirmed my thoughts in my previous post. Leaving the car in a warm humid state internally, especially at dusk on a cold day, will almost certainly produce a lot of condensation. Over the last week or so, I have used the A/C most of the time. (As I usually do). About a mile or so from my destination, I turn the heater off, just allowing cool & dry air into the cabin. As mentioned in another post, the A/C doesn't work when the outside air is below about 4 degrees, unless the heating is on too. However if it's cold & dry outside, this doesn't matter - getting the temperature down does.

I have also acquired a 1kg back of silica gel, which has been left in the car. So far, I've not experienced a problem since. One day last week I went to the gym. It was raining, so when I got back into the car, the screen misted up immediately. BUT A/C cleared it within less than a minute. Keeping the glass clean also helps. 

 

Thinking back to when I first experienced the severe occasion of excess moisture. it was after a day when the sun was out, warming the interior for a good few hours, followed by a cold night. The next morning produced the dripping screen. The car may have been a bit damp from the previous wet day.

 

For the record, my car doesn't have climate control, just A/C and manual heater controls.

 

Re-reading the earlier posts confirms the above. But still doesn't explain why Skodas seem to have more of an issue with this than others? Anyway, my experience with the make so far is otherwise very good. I like my Rapid...

 

 

[silver1011]

On 29/11/2019 at 16:49, Manxmotorman said:

Finally, the rear washer doesn't work. I can hear the pump running, but no water comes out. One to investigate. (I thought that the water may be going somewhere else, but the boot/spare wheel area is all dry). I'll explore further when it's a bit warmer!

 

You already identified the issue back in your opening post, above.

 

Altering the heating and ventilation is only masking the symptoms, it isn't curing the cause.

 

This was a very common problem with interior dampness on the MkII Octavia. The washer fluid pipes are weak, especially at their joints. When the weather gets colder and if the concentration of the washer fluid becomes diluted it can freeze. Then, when you operate the rear wash/wipe the joint pops off.

 

Each time you operate the pump, with water in the washer bottle, then you're depositing washer fluid into the interior of the car somewhere.

 

On the Octavia it was usually along the sides of the n/s boot panels, behind the carpets. Over time it filled the spare wheel well, but well before then it saturates the noise insulation on the back of the boot wall carpets. It was also known to fry a number of electronic modules that were located in the same area.

[Manxmotorman]

Thanks silver1011. I'll check behind the trims in the boot area. I have looked a couple of times under the bonnet, but the outlets from the water reservoir are enclosed in the wheel arch,  so hard to see where they go, other than somewhere along the O/S of the car.

 

I had accepted that the rear wash was not working, and apart from having tried it a couple of times, made sure I only enabled the wipe function, in case the water was accumulating elsewhere. An earlier MoT advisory noted that the rear washer wasn't working (before I took ownership).

[Manxmotorman]

Update....

Perhaps the weather hasn't been right for the misting up problem, but so far, apart from once, there has either been no issue at all, or some slight misting which was easily shifted with the fan & aircon is the usual way. I have left the silica gel in the car on the dash. I've dried it out a couple of times. Whether or not it's made any difference, I don't know. I usually leave the heater controls all at 12 'o' clock for short trips, just turning the temp down to zero when close to my destination.

I haven't yet found out where the rear wash/wipe pipe break is yet - it's still a bit cold round here! But as soon as some nice spring weather arrives I'll remove the trim in the boot area and see if I can locate it.

[Manxmotorman]

Further update.

The problem seems to have gone away, now, and I'm 90% sure that the problem was caused by water ingress not draining away in the front doors. As mentioned earlier, I found that the front door drain holes were covered by the weather seal on both sides. Some surgery with a sharp knife removed a small amount of the seals to allow proper drainage. The rear doors, a known issue,  had modified door seals already, so drained OK.

Some misting occurred occasionally for a while during spring, but since then - no problem. The residual water in the front doors must have taken a while to evaporate. Looking forward to a condensation free winter!

[Max11]

HI all,

I found this message thread in regards to an issue I was experiencing. Front windows misting up with very little moisture in the air. When there was a lot of moisture and the AC could not get rid of it, then I would have a complete windscreen that was covered in condensation. Drains were clear in the doors. You must have fresh air coming into the cabin, recirculated air will cause moisture build up. My recirculation flap was not operating properly. This flap can be seen in engine bay, lift up the scuttle cover panel on the passengers side. When you press the recirculation button, it should close the flap. Mine was closed a lot of the time. Hence the constant build up of moisture. I could not pick up the fault code on my code reader. I took mine to a garage, they fault found the motor for the recirculation flap was faulty. Motor was changed, fixed the issue. If the flap is not opening when you press the recirculation button, then its very likely the motor.... its a simple fix, glove box out ... not sure if there is any re programming involved. But could save a penny than going to the OEM.